Sweet Potato Risotto

I don't remember ever seeing a sweet potato in Italy --pumpkin and squash yes but never a sweet potato that I recall. None the less I had a bowl full of sweets and needed a dinner idea. Tomorrow is my farmer's market day so the cupboard was a little bare. I spied arborio rice, cheese, butter and wine -- tonight's sweet potato risotto was born. I roasted the un-peeled potatoes in the oven for about an hour until the orange flesh was soft and tender. Then I started my usual risotto. In a pan with a mix of olive oil and butter went one chopped onion, 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, a pinch of dried chiles, and some rubbed sage (I didn't have any fresh on hand). I stirred those around for 5 minutes or so and added in 1 1/2 cups of rice. When the rice was all coated with the butter and oil I added in about 1/2 cup of white wine. Then I started adding the simmering chicken broth in 1/2 cup ladles -- stirring after each addition and cooking until the liquid was nearly gone before adding the next. I kept that up for not quite 20 minutes until the rice was creamy and still a bit al dente. To finish I stirred in the flesh of two sweet potatoes, a bit more butter, a handful of grated parmesan, and some chopped parsley and cooked for another minute until the rice was tender.

American risotto.

Raising The Bar On Sliders

The Oscars are my favorite holiday. I met James at an Oscar party and even before I loved to watch and wonder about the dresses wandering up the red carpet.

Since I get to loll about gaping at the TV it seems only fair that James get to pick the menu. Sliders and fries, one of his favorite meals. For the Superbowl I tried something new and added bacon and avocado and peppered cheddar -- today I wanted to slide up, dare I say, and went for bacon, morbier cheese and peppery arugula. Good but honestly it's hard to beat peppered cheddar. Good thing the fries came out just right.

Scallops and Broccoli

It seems an unlikely combination. But after searching the fridge and finding a few online references to pasta sauces and stir-frys, I decided to whip up this simple broccoli scallop combo. James loves broccoli.

More or less following a recipe from Jacques Pepin (how bad can that be?) I spilled 3 TB of olive oil in a large skillet with a lid and tossed in some crushed red chiles and two minced cloves of garlic. After a quick stir I added in 1/3 cup broccoli, about a pound of broccoli florets and a pinch of salt. I covered the pan and let the broccoli cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile I tossed the scallops with a TB of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and 1/4 tsp dried thyme and seared them on both sides in a hot pan. I plated the broccoli and scallops and served them drizzled with a quick balsamic vinaigrette (2 parts oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar) S&P). Not so elegant maybe, but no complaints from James.

Another Simple Spaghetti

James hates beets but he loves bitter greens. So when I buy a bunch at the farmer's market I roast the tubers to use in a salad for me and save the greens for him.

Tonight I fished out a bunch of greens for a quick spaghetti dinner. As the pasta boiled I sauteed chunks of slab bacon in olive oil and as it started to crisp added in 3 cloves of garlic and a sliced onion. After a couple minutes I added in a few crushed dried chiles and the thinly sliced (chiffonade) beet greens. I sautéed those leaves for a minute or two and then added in a pinch of salt and about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and covered the skillet and let the greens cook through for about 5 minutes. I uncovered the skillet and let a bit of the water cook off before I added the drained pasta to the greens, tossed in some grated cheese (I used a nice sharp sheep's milk cheese) and brought dinner to the table.

Another 10 minute pasta sauce.

Clams Clams Clams

I am so sick of beans I had to take a day off. So I stirred up a family favorite -- steamed manilla clams. For today's version I sautéed thick cubes of chorizo and Jamon Serrano in olive oil along with a sliced onion. over low heat and partially covered for about 5 minutes. Next I added in chunks of fingerling potatoes (about 3/4 inch) and a couple crushed dried chiles and let the pot continue to cook, still partially covered for about 10 minutes. I added in 1/2 cup or so of white wine along with a couple of chopped roasted peppers and let the potatoes steam, covered until they were just about tender. Next came a splash of chicken broth (I didn't have quite enough wine for the broth) which I brought up to a boil. I added in the washed, purged clams, covered the pot and steamed for 7 minutes until all the shells had opened. All this dish needed was crusty bread to sop up the delicious broth.

Clam genius strikes again.

Pizza Is Always A Favorite

"You know I could eat pizza seven nights a week," James replied happily when I asked if pizza was okay for dinner. And, it's so easy for me.

I nearly always have crust in the freezer and today I happened to have the last little bit of fennel tomato sauce ready to go. I spread the sauce on the rolled dough, covered it with thin slices of fingerling potatoes, red onions, fennel salami, and taleggio cheese and a sprinkle of parmesan. The pie baked for 15 minutes at 500º until crispy and golden brown. I sprinkled on a little fresh basil as James came to the table.

James said it might have been my crowning pizza achievement.

Pantry Spaghetti

There is a whole category of mostly Southern Italian food, somewhat of a variation on "cucina povera", a stone soup of pasta dishes I like to call pantry spaghetti. Basically it's making something quick and delicious with things you happen to have on hand. Maybe one night it's spaghetti with a fried egg, or chili and oil with some hard cheese (or better yet toasted bread crumbs), or tonight's variation spaghetti with walnuts and anchovies -- a ready anytime dish if ever there was one.

I heated 3 cloves of garlic in a couple TB of olive oil on medium heat until they were just starting to color on one side and added in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and a couple crushed chiles. After a minute I popped in 4 anchovy filets and with my wooden spoon crushed them into the oil until they were well dissolved. I cooked the sauce for 1 minute more and when the pasta was drained I added it to the sauce along with a 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, gave it all a good stir and brought it to the table with a sprinkle of cheese I happened to have on hand.