Springtime Risotto

During the spring months, the farmers markets are filled with early spring produce and for people who love to cook, especially seasonally, the spring vegetable season is the beginning of many months of fresh vegetables and fruit.

Last week the 32nd Street Market (Waverly) had an abundance of vegetables and the asparagus and leeks were overflowing! I love asparagus and enjoy it in risotto as you can see from a previous post, here.

For the last few days in Baltimore, it's been either sunny and unseasonably cold, or a torrential downpour of rain and cold. Last night I decided to use the opportunity for good, comforting, warm risotto confettied with spring vegetables.

Preheat oven to 400*F.

For the spring vegetables:

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch peices

2 large leeks, sliced in half, cleaned and cut into 2 inch peices

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Lay vegetables on baking sheet and toss together with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes.

For the risotto:
1 c Arborio rice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 medium sweet onion, peeled and finely diced

3 tbsp dry vermouth (you can use a dry white wine, but I love the vermouth in this particular recipe)

4 cups heated chicken stock ( I like to have a little extra in case. Use as much as needed to get the rice al dente)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp heavy cream

a wooden spoon (the essential tool)

Using a large skillet with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil and butter over medium low heat and saute the onions until translucent. Add the Arborio rice, stir to coat with the oil and butter, and saute with the onions to toast each grain of rice, about 4 minutes. Once the rice is lightly toasted, add the vermouth, slowly stirring. After the rice has absorbed the vermouth and the skillet is nearly dry, add 1 cup stock, stirring occasionally, and cook over low heat until the stock is absorbed. Continue adding the stock, 1 cup at a time, until all the stock has been absorbed. Continue to stir the risotto as you add the stock. (Adding the liquid in stages, instead of all at once, allows the grains of rice to expand more fully, adding to the risotto's creamy texture.) Once the rice has been added to the pan, the entire cooking process will take about 20 minutes.

Remove the roasted leeks and asparagus, and add to the risotto. Stir to combine, add the heavy cream and parmesean, stirring once more and allow to cook about 1 minute.

For garnish:

I added 1/2 c fresh peas (not roasted) and 1/3 c fresh mint. The mint and the peas really add the extra flavor kick to this risotto, that I think is essential to this springtime dish!

Basic Pizza Dough

Pizza is one of the easiest and tastiest foods to make on a whim or when you only have a few ingredients on hand. It's perfect with just a few toppings and I couldn't resist making myself one over the weekend.

For the pizza dough:

1 c warm water
1 package active dry yeast
2 1/2 to 3 c all-purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Combine the water, yeast, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the oil, salt, and remaining flour. With large wooden spoon or your hands mix the ingredients together until the dough holds its shape. You may need a bit less flour, so add the last half gradually.Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. If the dough becomes sticky, sprinkle a bit more flour over it.Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled 2-quart bowl. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Divide the dough into 4 parts and keep other parts covered until ready for use.

Preheat oven to 400*F. Spread dough out on pizza pan or on a pizza stone and pre-bake for about 8 minutes. (**Cooks note: This is my preferred method to ensure a super crispy crust. You don't have to do this and you can easily top the dough and stick it in the oven from this point!)

For the sauce, I simply diced Roma tomato's and garlic and onion. I sauteed these together for a few minutes on the stove and topped my pizza with the sauce. Fresh basil from the garden and some thin slices of fresh mozzarella and a pizza is born!

Bake on 400*F for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Swordfish with Salmoriglio Sauce

When the weather turns warm, I turn to citrus. I love keeping a bowl filled with lemons, limes and oranges. Perhaps its my Sicilian ancestors influence or the fact that I adore all three equally.

Salmoriglio is a pungent Italian sauce of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and oregano. You can either apply it to the fish before grilling/broiling/baking or pass it around the table for drizzling over the fish. Freshness is key for this sauce, so prepare it as close to serving time as possible.

**Cooks note: You could use this sauce on other thick bodied white fish, shrimp or chicken. If you are a shellfish kind of person, this would be fantastic drizzled over mussels steamed in white wine.**

For the sauce:

6 tbsp good quality olive oil

1/4 c fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon

a good handful of Italian parsley and oregano, finely chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic @ 4 cloves

** I had some extra basil lying around and added that into my sauce as well.**

Combine all ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.

Preheat a grill or broiler. Brush both sides of the fillets with some of the Salmoriglio and sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Grill or broil until the fillets are just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Polenta Cakes

Polenta is one of those versatile foods because you can use it as a base for so many different flavors. Much like pasta, it's best when accompanied with flavors from other ingredients (although my grandfather could eat it with Parmesan and butter and be a happy man) and it can be served "messy" or made into cakes or other more firm presentations.


4 cups water or chicken stock
1 cup polenta
2 teaspoons salt

In a heavy medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Stir the polenta and salt into the water, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring from time to time. Cook until the polenta is cooked through and thickens, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled, shallow baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 2 days in advance.
Run a knife around the edge of the baking dish and un-mold the polenta onto a cutting board.

You can cut the polenta into squares or I used a circle cookie cutter to make rounds.

At this point you can grill, broil or pan fry the polenta until crisp.

I added some fresh tomato's, basil and grated mozzarella for a Caprice style lunch.

**Cooks note: You could replace regular old mozzarella sticks with polenta sticks. Cut the polenta into strips and deep fry in oil for a few minutes until crisp and brown. Serve with marinara sauce. ***

Pesto Gnocchi

There are several versions and methods for making gnocchi. Most common are potato gnocchi and ricotta gnocchi. Potato is easier, in my opinion as with ricotta you have to let the cheese drain using a cheesecloth usually over night. Typiclly, gnocchi are rolled off the edge of a fork for the extra grooves (better to catch sauce with) but when I want to make a ton and freeze for later, I tend to go the easier route without any grooves.

For the gnocchi:

4 large russet potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into sixths

1-1/4 c plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 large egg yolks

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Generous pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes and cover with cold salted water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
Using a ricer, or grate them on the large holes of a box grater....grate/rice the potato's. Place the potatoes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in an even layer (don't pile the riced potatoes into mounds). Set aside to cool.

Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and, using a spatula, gently mix in the flour, yolks, salt, nutmeg, and pepper until just combined and a soft dough is formed. Don't over mix the dough or the gnocchi will be unpleasantly tough and mealy.

On a well-floured work surface, turn out the potato dough, and divide into 6 equal parts. With the palms of both hands gently roll each part into a "rope" 3/4-inch in diameter. Using a sharp knife cut each "rope" on an angle into 3/4-inch-long pieces.

(If you wish to shape the gnocchi: Hold a salad fork in one hand so it rests on the work surface at a 45-degree angle with the tines curving up. Place a piece of the dough at the top of the tines and hold it in place with your free thumb. In one gentle motion, quickly press and roll the dough along the tines. The gnocchi should have a small dent in one side and shallow grooves on the other, perfectly suited for holding a sauce.)

Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet pan. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before cooking. ***Cooks note: you can freeze them at this stage in a air tight freezer bag. They usually don't last longer than 60 days in my freezer.***

To cook the gnocchi, place in a pot of boiling, salted water. Gnocchi take about 1-3 minutes at most. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss into pesto sauce. Serve immediately.

Basil Pesto:

2 c loosely packed basil leaves

2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 tsp minced garlic (about one clove)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c plus 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, combine the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and salt and puree. While the motor is running, drizzle in the oil until incorporated. Season with pepper to taste. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap placed right on the surface of the pesto to prevent discoloration, for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Pork Chops & Brussels Sprouts

Tonight's Menu:

Pork Milanese

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Basmati with Basil

Pork Milanese:

1 Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

2 large eggs

3/4 c flour

4 boneless pork loin chops (1lb total) pounded thin to 1/3 inch-thick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equal parts olive oil and butter to coat pan for frying

a lemon
In the meantime...Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan in one shallow dish. Lightly beat the eggs in another large shallow bowl. In a third shallow dish, the flour. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and pepper. Dredge the pork, 1 piece at a time, in the flour , coat with the egg, allowing the excess to drip off, then dredge the pork in the crumb mixture, patting to coat completely. Place the pork on a small baking sheet.
Heat oil/butter mixture in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops to the hot pan and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then transfer them to a clean baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. Serve with lemon wedges.

Bastmati w/ Basil
The rice was plain basmati.
I used 2 c chicken stock to 1 c rice.
Add 3 tbs. basil chopped finely.
2 tbs. olive oil and salt to taste.
Bring to boil then cook 30 minutes on simmer.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts (the only way to eat them, in my humble opinion)

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

one sweet onion, quartered
In the meantime...Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.

Mix them in a bowl with the onion, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve immediately.

My husband loves these brussels sprouts. They are as good as any french fry!