Easy PEAsy Risotto (Barefoot Contessa)

I saw this on the Barefoot Contessa last week and had to make it.  I haven't had risotto in ages.  This recipe is as easy as it looks and it's just fantastic.  You don't stand and stir it, you bake it in the oven.  The final touch is a bag of frozen peas - yes, frozen.  Not thawed.

Ingredients

* 1.5 cups Arborio rice
* 5 cups simmering chicken stock, divided into four cups and one cup.
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt (I only put in one teaspoon and felt it was pretty salty, so try using only one)
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the rice and 4 cups of the chicken stock in a Dutch oven.  I used my Le Creuset.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente.

Remove from the oven, add the remaining cup of chicken stock, the Parmesan, wine, butter, salt and pepper, and stir vigorously for two to three minutes, until the rice is thick and creamy.

Add the peas and stir until heated through.

Chicken Tikka Masala

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Barefoot Contessa - my first recipe

This was sooooo easy, and so good.  I'm now hooked on her show. 

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 French Baguette, cut into cubes (I just used my fingers and pulled them apart)
• coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 roma tomatoes, diced (I used tomatoes on the vine)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I always use the pre-minced ones, in olive oil)
• large handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped (I bought an entire plant.  Which died in my fridge afterwards).
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, grated (I forgot this)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F and grease an oven dish. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet, on medium high heat, and place in the cubed baguette pieces. Coat each cubed baguette with the oil and let it brown on all sides, season with salt and pepper.
2. Stir in the diced roma tomatoes and the minced garlic. Let the tomatoes cook down for a good 3 minutes or so. Quickly add in the handful of roughly chopped fresh basil and stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Take the tomato and bread mixture off the heat and pour it into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the fresh mozzarella cheese and bake it in the oven for a good 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I put the parm on just before it went into the oven, and no mozz.

It was great out of the oven, reheating it not so much.

This is more or less like lazy bruschetta.

Split Pea Soup, from scratch

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Blueberry yam casserole

You read it here first.  Talk about an anti-oxidant, Vit A punch!

It is still in the oven so I cannot say if it is a success.

I found the recipe on the can of yams I bought around Thanksgiving.  Very easy:

Two cans of blueberry pie filling
Can of yams
Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes
Top with brown sugar and walnuts.

However, I used "fresh frozen" blueberries, thawed, with 3/4 c of sugar, 3 T of cornstarch, 3 T of water, half T of lemon juice, 1/2 t each of cinnamon and nutmeg for the blueberries.

Also, my two bags of brown sugar (unopened!) were rocks so I threw them out and luckily had tiny marshmallows in the pantry.  Along with lots of walnuts.

So, we shall see....

Sauteed spinach or kale

Well hello there everyone

I'm still alive, and still eating, but really, really lazy.

I don't think 2012 will be the year for success (especially if the Mayans are correct) but I feel I should at least post some occasional new things here.

I've recently started eating bagged greens, sauteed, once a week.

Lots of olive oil, minced garlic, and an entire bag of either spinach or kale.  It cooks wayyyyyy down and it's quite tasty and filling.  However you will wake up at 6 AM totally ravenous!