Butternut Squash Risotto, Cinnamon Spiced Chicken

“I could go crazy on a night like tonight, when summer’s beginning to give up her fight.” So goes the lyrics to my favorite Indigo Girls song. But as much as I love the beach, grilled food, and rooftop bars, I don’t go crazy when summer fades away. The shift in seasons means a shift in cooking. The beers we drink get a little darker and a little heavier. Oysters start to taste a bit crisper. Fresh beans and tomatoes give way to apples, squashes, and grapes, and the cooler temperatures mean more time that I get to spend indoors, particularly in my kitchen, where I love experimenting with autumn’s bounty.

Two recipes that showcase some of my favorite fall flavors are Butternut Squash Risotto and Cinnamon Spiced Chicken. These are perfect dishes to cook on that first fall day that’s chilly enough to make you wear a jacket!


Butternut Squash Risotto

4 cups chicken broth

2 T. butter
1 medium butternut squash, cut into cubes
1-2 shallots, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 t. nutmeg*
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1 T. olive oil
1 ½ c. grated pecorino romano
Handful chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the chicken broth in a small saucepan. Keep the broth simmering on low while you complete the remaining steps.

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the butternut squash cubes and the shallot. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes, or until the shallot has softened.

Add the Arborio rice. Stir until each grain of rice is coated with the melted butter. Reduce heat to low and add the wine, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Stir constantly until all of the wine is absorbed.

Add 1 cup of the chicken broth. Again, stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this step, adding more chicken broth, until the rice is fully cooked through but not mushy.

Once the rice is cooked, add the olive oil, pecorino romano, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted.

Serve piping hot, alongside Cinnamon Spiced Chicken.


Nutritional information: serves four. 300 calories, 14 g fat, 36 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein.


Autumn Spiced Chicken

½ t. cayenne pepper
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. dried thyme
2 t. nutmeg*
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. chicken breast tenders, pounded thin

First, preheat the oven to 400. Next, combine everything but the chicken in a small bowl. Blend well, then rub the spice blend into the chicken until the chicken is fully coated.

Place the spice-coated chicken strips on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes. Serve alongside piping hot Butternut Squash Risotto.

Nutritional information: serves four. 124  calories, 1 g fat, 0 g carbohydrates, 31 g protein.


 
* You can use ground nutmeg in these recipes, but that stuff is practically flavorless – you’ll get a much brighter flavor if you buy whole nutmegs and grate them with a microplane grater just before use. To purchase a microplane grater, click the link below:

Soft-Handle Microplane Zester Grater, Green, 12" (Google Affiliate Ad)

 

 

Celebrating Simple Pleasures

Yesterday was the first time all season that I was able to go to the Copley Square Farmers' Market, which is my second favorite outdoor activity, second only to the beach. Wandering through the crowds to inspect all of the fresh, colorful fruits, vegetables, and flowers makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. It's like a mini-vacation - even with sirens and construction noise in the air, somehow I no longer feel like an impatient city dweller whose life revolves around a smartphone and a train schedule. Seeing bushels upon bushels of just-harvested carrots, potatoes, beets, eggplants, lettuces, herbs, peppers, and tomatoes makes me wish I had the luxury of spending every day in a kitchen rather than an office. I'd give just about anything for more time to slice, to saute, to create. The joy of having someone walk into my kitchen and say, "It smells great in here, what are you making?" is a lot more satisfying than the text message I get when my paycheck has been deposited into my bank account. Keeping that in mind, I decided to spend my vacation day cooking and celebrating. What was I celebrating? Being alive and being able to enjoy the simple things.

Picking out my goodies

I circled Copley Square about four times, jotting down mental post-its noting whose lettuces looked the best, which stands had fresh herbs, etc. By the time I left, I'd picked up some lettuces, a bunch of fresh dill, a ball of local smoked mozzarella and a log of goat cheese, a few leeks, and fennel bulbs and a bag of wild arugula from Siena Farms, a local farm that supplies many of Boston's best restaurants. Siena Farms' fennel bulbs were smaller and flatter than the ones spotted in the produce coolers at the Mega-Mart; they were also much more fragrant. I was curious about these bulbs - was this variety of fennel different than the common kind? I did some research, and as it turns out, the gender of the plant determines the shape of the bulb. The male bulbs are larger and rounder, while the female bulbs are smaller in size and flatter in shape. Who knew?!?

Although I had plenty of goodies from the market, my mission was not done. I hopped on the green line and headed to the North End to pick up some seafood and prosciutto. At Mercato del Mare, I stared blankly at the case, trying to get inspired. Liz recommended their swordfish, so I picked up a swordfish steak, and while she was packing up the fish, inspiration struck and I also purchased a pound of calamari and some cockle clams. I was going to make seafood risotto with the leeks and the fennel I'd picked up at the market. Then, I walked over to Salumeria Italiana for their amazing prosciutto. The prosciutto would be wonderful with that wild arugula! On my way back to the train, I walked past Maria's Pastry. I almost made it, but their torrone is like a magnet - I couldn't leave the neighborhood without a sweet treat. I couldn't decide between plain and pistachio, which I took to be a sign that I was supposed to buy both.

I only had one more stop before I could go home and get started on my menu - I needed prosecco. Celebrating a great day would be incomplete without something bubbly in my glass. Once that was in my bag, it was time to go home and create.

Just as a writer has pens, an artist as brushes, and a musician has an instrument, I have knives, pots, and pans. I gathered my paints and my canvases, and I got to work on creating a lovely antipasto plate and a scrumptious seafood risotto. Try these recipes for yourself, and raise a glass in celebration of the simple things.

Individual Antipasto Plates

serves two

2 handfuls wild arugula

12 ripe figs, halved
4-6 thin slices of prosciutto
2 T. crumbled gorgonzola
2-3 t. chestnut honey
olive oil
lemon wedges

Prepare each plate as follows:

Place a handful of the wild arugula in the center of the plate. Surround the arugula with a ring of fig halves, skin-side down. Tear the prosciutto lengthwise into thin strips. Place the strips around the outer edge of the figs, and place one piece in the center on top of the arugula. Place a gorgonzola crumble in the center of each fig half. Drizzle a teaspoon or so of chestnut honey over the ring of figs. Splash a few drops of olive oil on the arugula, and squeeze with a bit of lemon.

Serve with prosecco.

Cockle clams

Shellfish Risotto

generous splash olive
1 leek, sliced (white part only)
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced, a few fronds reserved for garnish
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup prosecco
5 cups shellfish stock (see below)
1 pound calamari, mostly tentacles - slice tubes into 1/4" rings
1/2 pound cockles or other small clams
1 T. capers
sea salt
parsley, to garnish

Heat the shellfish stock to a low simmer.  In a separate large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the leek and fennel.  Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the arborio rice.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the prosecco.  Lower the heat, and stir continuously until the prosecco has been absorbed. 

Now, add a half-cup of shellfish stock.  Stir continuously until the liquid has been absorbed.  Repeat this process until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is almost fully cooked.  In the meantime, place the calamari and the clams in another pan with a bit of olive oil and a splash of the shellfish stock.  Cover, and steam until the clams have open and the calamari has firmed up.  Set aside a few clams in their shells for garnish, remove the meat from the rest and discard the shells. 

When the rice is almost fully cooked and you're on the last addition of liquid, add the calamari, clams, and capers.  Continue to stir until the last of the liquid is absorbed.  Finish with sea salt.  Serve in individual bowls with a clam shell or two, garnished with fennel fronds. 

Shellfish Stock

Shellfish stock is easy to make.  Every time I eat shrimp or lobster, I save and freeze the shells.  Once you have a decent amount of shells, place them in a stockpot with enough water to cover all the shells, add a squirt of lemon juice, a few peppercorns, a pinch of sea salt, and a small handful of celery leaves.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the broth is reduced a bit and the flavor has intensified.

Risotto Primavera

Ahh, spring!  It's been on deck for weeks, but I feel like it's finally official.  Time to open the windows and take the chance that it won't snow if I take my warmest coat to the dry cleaner.  Time to start asking bartenders if they have Sam Summer on tap.  Time to revel in the fact that both hockey and baseball are on TV!

The most wonderful aspect of spring is that everything seems to be coming back to life.  The world is waking up and beginning to bloom.  The Italians celebrate the vernal equinox by cooking pasta primavera, a dish encompassing the crisp, bright flavors of young vegetables at their peak in the springtime, seasoned with a bit of garlic and parmesan.  This weekend, I took the idea of primavera and stirred it into a great risotto.  Try this recipe when spring's bounty is at its best!

Risotto Primavera
1 T. butter
1 shallot, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
1 small clove garlic, halved
1 T. chervil
1 T. very finely minced sun-dried tomato
4 cups chicken broth, heated
1 cup each:
    -ham or canadian bacon, cut into 1/4" dice
    -sliced blanched green beans
    -sliced blanched asparagus spears
    -sliced green onion
    -artichoke hearts (don't use the kind with seasoning added)
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
handful chopped mint
salt and pepper to taste
sprigs of fresh mint, for garnish

In a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the shallot and arborio rice, stirring until the shallot has softened up a bit.  Now, add the lemon juice, white wine, garlic, chervil, and sun-dried tomato.  Bring to a boil, stirring intermittently, then reduce the heat to low.  Continue to stir until all the liquid has been absorbed. 

Next, add a half cup of the warmed chicken broth.  Again, stir until the liquid has been absorbed.  Repeat this with 3 out of 4 cups of the chicken broth. 

Now, add the final cup of the chicken broth, along with the ham, green beans, asparagus, green onion, and artichoke hearts.  Stir as you did in the previous step, until all the liquid has been absorbed. 

Finally, add the swiss cheese, mint, salt and pepper.  Stir until the cheese is melted and well-blended.  Serve hot, garnished with sprigs of fresh mint.

Italian "Sushi"

About a week ago, I was giving serious consideration to turning life as I know it upside-down and heading to a cattle call for a chance to be included in the next crop of reality TV cooking show contestants.  After careful consideration (and careful reading of the fine print legalese on the application form),  I decided not to go after a spot on MasterChef, but I did gain something from the decisionmaking process – a new recipe. 

As part of the audition process for MasterChef, each contestant is required to bring a pre-prepared dish to the audition.  Contestants are not permitted to prep or cook any part of the dish at the audition; all work must be be done off site.  Although some leeway is allegedly given in the judging because of the fact that applicants have to wait for hours at a time, I’m sure the judges would wonder about a contestant’s judgment if he/she presented a dish that was only at its peak under specific temperature conditions.  The instructions suggested packing the prepared dish in temperature-controlled containers, such as coolers and ice packs for cold dishes and heat wraps for hot dishes, so I wanted to make something that would be OK in a cooler whose temperature regulation might crap out after six hours of waiting in queue. 

Although the show’s producers wanted contestants to present their signature dishes, my signature dish – linguine with radicchio and cream - would taste like raw sewage if not served piping hot (OK, not raw sewage – but the flavor and texture would be less than ideal).  I challenged myself to come up with something that would be OK served either slightly chilled or at room temperature.  I thought of making the Seared Sesame Tuna and Gingered Pumpkin that I cooked in “Around the World in Eighty Bites – Japan,” but my mom advised against it, her reasoning being that A) seared tuna has been done a thousand times,  and B) it is not the best example of my cooking style. 

Had I decided to audition for the show, I needed a dish that would make me stand out from the crowd and truly shine.  I was less concerned about perfect execution than I was about creativity – perfect execution can be achieved through practice, but creativity and the ability to be inspired are things that can’t be learned.  I also wanted to stay true to my culinary roots, so I was determined to cook something using Italian ingredients and/or techniques.  Something based on risotto, another one of my go-to dishes, seemed like a good starting point.  That’s when it hit me – Italian “sushi!”

My plan was to wrap cold risotto around a filling of sliced roma tomato, then roll each “log” through a layer of very finely chopped fresh basil.  Each roll would be sliced into small cylinders, much like maki rolls, and they would even look like maki sushi – green basil exterior, white risotto base, and the red tomato in the middle would resemble the filling in a tuna or salmon maki roll.  I’d make plain risotto with only a few teaspoons of grated parmesan – no other additions – so that the flavors from the risotto would not overwhelm the other ingredients.  I conducted my experiment last night, and it worked beautifully. 

I made the risotto using Japanese short-grain sushi rice, not because I thought it would work better, but because yours truly didn’t check her pantry before creating a shopping list.  I assumed I had risotto rice…you know what they say about assuming.  Risotto made using sushi rice tastes just like the real thing, but I’ll have to try this recipe again using real risotto rice to assess the texture and determine which rice is more suitable for this recipe.   Also, I made the first roll using only minced basil for the exterior, but I discovered that combining the basil with a few flakes of kosher salt helped the basil better adhere to the rice.  Be sure to use wax paper to make the rolls – the rice will stick to foil or plastic wrap. 

Try this recipe if you’re feeling creative – the result is a delicious cold dish perfect for an antipasto course! 

Italian "Sushi"

3 cups cold plain risotto

1 or 2 firm roma tomatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise into thin strips

1 bunch fresh basil, very finely minced

Kosher salt flakes

Place about 1/3 cup of the risotto on a sheet of wax paper 4-5 inches wide.  Using the curved back of a large spoon, press the risotto into a rectangle approximately 2.5” X 6” and about 1/3” thick.

In the center of the risotto rectangle, place two of the tomato strips lengthwise. 

Bring the ends of the paper up and together so that the long edges of the risotto rectangle touch, then roll the remaining edges of the wax paper between your thumbs and index fingers so that the rice comes together around the tomato strips and a long cylinder is formed (as shown in photo, left). 

Spread the basil and a pinch of kosher salt in a thin, even layer on a cutting board.  Bring the risotto roll, still wrapped in wax paper, to the edge of the cutting board, then unroll it and guide the risotto roll onto the basil layer, rolling it through the basil so that the minced leaves cling to the rice. 

Once you have rolled the risotto through the basil, place the risotto roll on a clean surface and slice it crosswise into 1-inch cylinders.  Place them cut-side-down on a platter. 

Repeat these instructions until all of the risotto is used, then serve with Garlic and Caper Dipping Sauce, and eat using chopsticks. 

VARIATION:  To make an entire spread of Italian “Sushi” rolls, vary the fillings, the exterior herbs, and the dipping sauces.  For fillings, try strips of roasted red or yellow bell pepper, smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced prosciutto or mortadella, anchovies, preserved lemon peel, or marinated portabella mushrooms.  For the exterior herbs, try minced oregano, parsley, mint, arugula, or tender young chicory leaves.  For dipping sauces, try balsamic vinaigrette or bagna cauda, a hot dip based on butter, olive oil, and anchovy.

Garlic and Caper Dipping Sauce

¼ cup olive oil

2 T. dry white wine

1 T. grated pecorino romano

1 T. finely minced salt-packed capers (do not rinse salt)

1 garlic clove, finely minced

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk well with a fork or small whisk, let stand for at least 15 minutes, whisk again, and serve with Italian “Sushi.” 

Beach Blogging, Yesterday's Recipes

This post comes to you from the beach, where I'm sipping lemon water and watching seagulls pick apart crabs and clams that have washed up in the surf.  It's a damn shame birds aren't sophisticated enough to figure out how to melt butter.

Knowing that this could potentially be my last beach day until next year makes me a little sad, but it helps to know that once summer fades away there's plenty of fall food for me to cook.  Grilled steaks, steamed clams, cucumber salads, and frozen drinks will soon give way to pork chops braised in Magners, baked cod, butternut squash, and Sam Adams Oktoberfest.  When you love food, there is something to look forward to every season, every day of the year. 

Today would be the perfect day to throw together a great end-of-summer meal, but since I'd rather soak up the last of the summer's rays, I offer you yesterday's recipes.

Last night's dinner consisted of broiled grouper with grapefruit & mint salsa, risotto with fennel and pecorino romano, and a glass of my heavenly new white wine.  Really, who serves a citrus-y, warm-water fish with a dish like creamy risotto?  Answer:  Someone who doesn't have the patience to conduct only one culinary experiment at a time.  Friday, I yearned to try a mild risotto with my new wine.  That same day, I got my Daily Catch e-mail from Mercato del Mare alerting me that grouper would be available Saturday.  I've never tried grouper...the wine was open, and it needed to be finished...the grouper would not be available forever...  This culinary conundrum led to my mismatched multitasking.  Sure, the two dishes don't go together, but neither do army pants and a satin halter top, and that never stopped me from combining them!  Here are yesterday's recipes:

Grouper with grapefruit & mint salsa
1 grapefruit
handful chopped mint
1 habanero pepper, sliced into 1/4" rings
splash olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2lb. grouper fillets

To make the salsa:  Peel the skin from the grapefruit like you would from an orange.  Divide the segments, scoop the grapefruit pulp from the white pith, and place in a shallow baking dish (left).  Add the chopped mint and habanero slices to the grapefruit (right).

Add a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.  Stir until blended, then add the fish fillets to the dish, covering them with the grapefruit salsa.  Marinate for 30 minutes to one hour. 

Preheat the broiler.  After the fish has marinated, remove the habanero slices and discard.  Place pan in broiler with salsa still covering fish, and broil until the fish is flaky, about 7-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish fillets.  Serve hot.

Risotto with fennel and pecorino romano 
splash olive oil
2 shallots, finely minced
1.5 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth, simmering (more if necessary)
1 fennel bulb, sliced into 1/8" thick strips
3/4c. grated pecorino romano cheese
3T. butter
salt & pepper
fennel fronds, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add the shallots and saute until they begin to soften.  Do not let them brown.  Add the rice and stir until each grain is coated with oil, then add the wine.  Cook, stirring constantly so that rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, until the rice has absorbed the wine, as shown.

The chicken broth should be kept in a small saucepan next to the risotto pot.  As soon as the rice has absorbed the wine, add 1 cup of the chicken broth.  Stir constantly until the rice has absorbed the broth.  Repeat this step several times, adding 1/2 cup at a time.

Once 3 out of the 4 cups of broth have been added and absorbed, add the sliced fennel with the remaining broth.  Stir constantly, letting the rice absorb all the broth. 

Once all the broth has been absorbed, the rice should be cooked through and have a slightly creamy texture.  The rice should not stick to the bottom of the pan, but it should stay firm and not "run" when you scrape to the side, as shown in the photo to the left.  If this texture has not been achieved yet, you can add more broth.  Once the rice is fully cooked, add the grated pecorino, butter, salt, and pepper.  Stir until the butter and cheese are melted and fully incorporated with the rice. 


If you care about presentation, grease the inside of a measuring cup with olive oil, pack the risotto into the greased cup, and turn out onto a plate.  The risotto will keep the basic shape of the mold, budging ever so slightly.  Garnish with several small fennel fronds.