Road Dog (8/10)
Scottish Porter
Flying Dog Brewery, LLC
Denver, CO
I was looking for microbrews for Thanksgiving because we knew we had some people coming who were beer snobs. I saw this one and I liked the name.
It's a smooth porter with a hint of hops, without being overly bitter like some porters can be.
The first time I ever made risotto it came out horrible. I hated the stirring stirring stirring. I got it all stuck to the bottom of the pan. It didn't come out creamy and wonderful and nice... it came out gluey.
I decided risotto was not going to be in my repertoire.
Then I was watching 30 Minute Meals one day, and Rachel Ray made risotto. I decided then and there that if she could do it, I could do it.
And since then, it has become one of my favorite foods. And because both Kevin and I adore spinach, this particular version is the one made most often (originally from Rachel's version, but slightly modified in my hands because I do it from memory now).
Green Risotto
3 cans chicken stock
1 can worth of water (roughly 2 c)
1 1/2 c rice (arborio preferred, but not necessary)
1 cup white wine (I prefer a slightly sweet wine)
1 onion or two shallots, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 bag frozen chopped spinach (partly defrosted)
1/4 c butter
1 - 1 1/2 c grated hard cheese (mix asiago, parmesan, romano...)
Put stock and water into a covered pan and set on back of stove. Heat until boiling, then turn down and keep at a very low covered simmer. Set out a ladle.
You'll need a large skillet. It does *not* need to be non-stick. Set it on the burner and turn heat to medium to warm it up. Once warm, add a Tbsp of olive oil. Put in onions and garlic and cook until translucent.
Add rice. Stir and cook until it becomes slightly translucent. Add wine; stir and let bubble until it is almost fully absorbed.
Now comes the repetitive part. Ladle in two scoops of broth (recover the broth), and stir. Let it bubble away until the liquid it almost absorbed. Repeat process until all the liquid is gone.
That's it. No stirring constantly. Just keep the heat high enough that the liquid is bubbling, but low enough that it's not bubbling away and is getting to be absorbed by the rice.
Once the last ladle is in, add the spinach and stir it all around. Let heat through while the last of the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted and the risotto is creamy. Add grated cheese and stir thoroughly. Taste to see if more salt is needed (not usually because of the broth and cheeses).
I've had a suggestion of adding tomatoes -- I'm still not sure, but that's me -- I'm just not fond of tomatoes in my risotto. If tomatoes were added, it would be a very pretty Christmassy food.
Simple recipe, adapted from one Kevin's grandmother once served. I say adapted because I didn't write it down at the time, and I went by memory on Saturday and just hoped it came out okay (which it did).
Please note, I used sugar free jam. It could be all-fruit, or regular jam. I think the all-fruit or sugar-free tastes best. If you don't like apricots, I suspect other flavors might work well too (I'm tempted to try raspberry).
This was very popular on Saturday and only the tiniest bit remained. I've been told I need to experience the sweet/hot sensation of doing much the same thing with jalapenos and I'm very much looking forward to it.
Sweet & Spicy Cream Cheese Spread
1 jar sugar free apricot jam
3 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1 block cream cheese
Mix 1/2 jar jam and horseradish together. Microwave just about 20-30 seconds to get it all mixed together. If you want to let flavors marry, stop here and put it in the fridge overnight. Rewarm it before continuing.
Center the block of cream cheese on a plate. Add the rest of the jam to the warm mixture; pour over cream cheese.
Serve with crackers.
The nice thing about cooking for an army for the houseparty last weekend is that I don't really need to cook this week. I just need to repurpose all the leftovers. And thus we come to lunch.
This particular salad joins four different sets of leftovers -- spiral sliced ham, salad greens, broccoli garlic salad, and antipasto platter.
First things first, proper storage of the salad leftovers defines how long they last. We put the greens into a ziploc bag and carefully squeezed out all air. The tomatoes had been served separately, and we put them into a separate bag, then tucked it into the first so they didn't get misplaced.
Last night I put the greens and tomatoes into a large container for work.
Over the top I layered several slices of spiral sliced ham. I love spiral sliced hams -- I've got the bone saved for split pea sludge next week, and I've still got potatoes I can scallop. And my kids love it, as do I.
So, we've got greens and protein, but we're still pretty bland. Next thing I raided was the broccoli garlic salad. This is a simple salad -- take the leftover broccoli cuts and put them into a tupperware container. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil and add a healthy amount of chopped garlic. Salt and pepper to taste, then let marinate. The longer it marinates, the more yummy it gets. So I added some of that over the top of the rest.
Finally, I hit the antipasto platter. Grabbed roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts, both of which had originally been packed in water so neither is very oily.
Salad complete, I dressed it simply with olive oil (very little) and balsamic vinegar (lots -- I like vinegary salad dressings). As I'm eating, I can see I should have sprinkled on some garlic salt, but that's the only thing missing. Or perhaps some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
In Summary...
Mixed baby greens with spinach
Smattering of chopped cucumber
Tomatoes
Spiral sliced ham
Artichoke hearts
Roasted red peppers
Broccoli garlic salad
EVO, balsamic, garlic salt, parmesan
Faced with a refridgerator full of leftovers, we had no desire to eat any of them in the original form that they were created (lots of recipes to post over the course of this week). So, we took the bag of the last of the turkey, and used that to make a homemade turkey soup.
Our usual soup is based off of and liberally adapted from the soup from How to Cook Without a Book.
We started with 6 cups of homemade seasoned turkey stock (now there's a recipe I couldn't post because um... I don't remember what I threw in. Suffice to say, we made about ten cans worth (20 cups) of stock. Mm, yum!).
Sautee one chopped onion and a heaping tablespoon of chopped garlic in a small amount of olive oil. Add approximately 1 cup leftover green beans, and 1 cup chopped carrots. Sautee until onions are starting to soften.
Add stock, and leftover cooked turkey (maybe 2 cups chopped?), and a can of diced tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper to taste. Add two bay leaves, one small handful crumbled dried sage leaves, 1/2 small handful crumbled dried savory leaves, and 1/2 small handful crumbled dried Greek oregano (I had fun drying spices this past summer).
Two large handfuls of noodles (we've been using whole wheat egg noodles for the extra fiber and healthy factor).
Makes four very very good sized helpings. Serve with crusty bread or croutons for a hearty meal.
Johnson Estate Ives (Kevin: 3/10) (Deb: 7/10)
Red Table Wine, 2003
Westfield, New York
price unknown
I need to cure Kevin of the habit of taking price tags off the wine bottles, so we know what we spent when we get around to drinking them. All he remembers is that this one wasn't very expensive.
This one is described on the bottle as a "delightful semi-sweet wine with a brilliant garnet red color and a mellow yet very distinctive fruit character that compares very favorably to a Lambrusco."
The color, when poured, was a paler red than most of the reds Kevin drinks. On first sip I could tell that the wine didn't appeal. His first opinion -- "This won't go on the buy list."
It is, indeed, very fruity and too sweet for Kevin. It has a very mellow flavor without a lot of that "wine" bite that most have on the back of my tongue. While he doesn't like it, it appeals to me and most wines don't. I like the light taste and fruitiness.
Kevin classifies this as sweet enough to be called a dessert wine. On looking at it a bit more closely (Kev didn't read the bottle -- I did) it is designed to go with snacks or as a mulled wine. Both of us agree it would be lovely piping hot on my stove and suffused with spices. Mm.
I was walking through the grocery store, thinking about the houseparty I was planning, and brainstorming Friday's dinner. I had already planned on a crockpot pulled pork recipe, and was considering lasagna. As I walked down the pasta aisle, a brainstorm occurred, and I wondered if it would work. So of course, I had to try it out.
Turkey Carbonara Lasagna
a Deb Atwood original
2 jars Classico roasted garlic alfredo sauce
1 box Barilla lasagna noodles
10 oz package sliced baby portabello mushrooms
shredded cooked turkey (enough for one layer)
4 1/2 c shredded part skim mozarella
1/2 lb bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
Assemble lasagna as follows in lasagna pan, leaving 1/2 inch gap around all sides.
Spread sauce on bottom of pan. Put in one layer of noodles.
Spread sauce over noodles. Layer with half the mushrooms and 1 1/2 cups of mozarella. Add another layer of noodles.
Spread sauce over noodles. Add one layer of shredded turkey. Sprinkle bacon over turkey. Add 1 1/2 cups mozeralla over bacon. Top with another layer of noodles.
Spread rest of sauce over noodles. Place mushrooms in a single layer and top with rest of mozarella.
If you want to assemble ahead and cook later, stop at this point. Continue when ready to cook.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add about 3/8 to 1/2 inch deep hot water to pan in the 1/2 inch gap around the lasagna -- this is to help steam the no-cook noodles since the alfredo sauce doesn't have a lot of liquid.
Cover the pan with heavy duty foil, and bake for 1 hour. Let sit for ten minutes to set after it comes out, then slice into 20 servings and enjoy
Royal Bitch (6/10)
Merlot, 2002
Aconcagua Valley, Chile
$9.99
Deb bought it for the name, obviously.
Michael says it's an honest merlot of no great complexity (with a great title, Kevin adds). Deb is under the impression if it costs more than $10, it isn't worth the price. If it comes in at less, it's certainly a drinkable merlot.
Red Knot (7/10)
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003
Fleurian, Australia
$11.99
Deb picked up the wine because of the description -- fruity and full-bodied, with a coffee after-kick. Kevin opened it for the Thanksgiving dinner, and described it was too overpowering for the turkey, but definitely one to buy again. He didn't notice the coffee overtones, but enjoyed the fruity taste.