Rigatoni with Prosciutto and Cabernet Puttanesca

Even though i abandoned my job and moved away from NYC to spend time at home with the boy, sometimes life gets on our way and there's no time to cook a whole meal. That's when pasta dishes come to mind. So easy to add different flavors to a pasta dish.
I was gonna make a quick puttanesca sauce and realized, first i was out of anchovies and second i had prosciutto that needed to be consumed in the refrigerator. Added the meat instead of the fish and it was amazing!

Ingredients:
1 lb rigatoni or pasta of choice, cooked according to package instructions
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup cabernet sauvignon or the wine of your choice
1 large (64oz) can of whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup pitted black olives
1/2 cup capers
8 slices of prosciutto, chopped
fresh parsley, chopped
fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste ( very little salt since most ingredients are already salty, sprinkle and taste)
Parmesan, Romano, Asiago; your choice, shredded

had to cook 2 lbs of pasta and didn't have 2 of the same! oops...

In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook olive oil and onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add wine and stir it in until mostly evaporated. Add tomatoes, olives and capers and simmer for 15 minutes. Add prosciutto. Season to taste. Add herbs and toss with cooked pasta. Serve it hot with fresh parmesan cheese.

Shrimp, Mahi Mahi and Leeks Risotto

My parents were in town for the last 2 weeks and when my mom arrived she had a list of meals she wanted me to cook, and quite a few of them involved risotto rice, i guess something to do with the Italian blood running thru us.

It's fall and the weather is just perfect for a one pot meal like risotto.

Ingredients:

makes enough for 6-8 people

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups of carnaroli or arborio rice

1 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine

6-8 cups of vegetable or seafood stock

2 lbs 26-30 shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails off

1 large Mahi Mahi fillet, sprinkled with salt and pepper + 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup thin sliced leeks, white and light green parts only + 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lemon

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup basil, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add leeks and cook on low stirring often for about 15 minutes or until soft. Set aside.

In a large heavy bottomed pan heat oil and onions. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add wine or vermouth and turn heat to low. cook until wine evaporates. For the next 40 minutes, stirring frequently, add the stock a ladle full at a time, waiting till it dries off until adding the next. When rice is cooked, but with a little bite to it, add the shrimp and juice of 1 lemon and stir in the hot rice. Remove from heat and cover the pan for about 5 minutes to cook shrimp.

While shrimp is cooking heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan and fry the mahi mahi until completely cooked, about 3-5 minutes. Shred into small pieces.

Add fish, leeks, tomatoes and butter to risotto, stir it well. Add herbs and season to taste. Serve it hot.

Vinaigrette Mini Potatoes

Whenever i see those tiny little potatoes, i think of this salad. And the best thing about it, it will keep in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, only tasting better as the days passes.
Great for a light dinner or a happy hour appetizer served with toothpicks.

Ingredients:
3 cups very small potatoes
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white vinegar + 2 tablespoons
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon red crushed pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Wash potatoes well and boil in salted water with 2 tablespoons of vinegar until soft, but not falling apart. Start checking 10 minutes after boiling. In a mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients. Add potatoes and toss. Place in a container with a lid and refrigerate. Stir potatoes every few hours or so and serve after 24 hours marinating.

Risotto Stuffed Portobellos

And since we had leftover short rib risotto from the last post, i decided on a quick happy hour appetizer. We eat heavy lunches and nibble on small plates or a sandwich in the evening, and since the weather is still nice, we love sitting on our front porch sipping on vino and eating appetizers early in the evenings.
Something about lighting tons of candles and torches and enjoying life, just sounds perfect to me!

Ingredients:
2 cups leftover risotto
4 whole portobellos, stem removed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan or mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Basil chiffonade

Preheat oven to 400F
In a large bowl pour 1/3 cup olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper on portobellos, rub it in well.
Lay each portobello, stem side up, on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Mix bread crumbs, cheese and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Scoop about 1/2 cup of risotto on top of each portobello and top it with some bread crumb mixture. Cover with foil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is golden. Sprinkle fresh basil on top. Cut into 4 pieces each and serve warm.

Braised Beef Short Rib and Chanterelle Risotto

About 6 months ago i posted my first recipe, and it was for Braised Short Ribs. I never took any pictures for the post , but the recipe is a keeper. 150 recipes later, I'm repeating the same method to braise the beef ribs.
I love mushrooms, all kinds should i add. Chanterelles are amazing fresh or dried. Back in NY it was very easy to find them fresh, but in the little southern town i live now, it's not. So i soak the dry ones in hot water for 30 minutes to bring them back to life and the flavor comes right back with it!

Ingredients for Braised Short Ribs from my first blog post:
* about 2 lbs of beef short ribs , cut into single bone sections
* 2 onions
* 4 cloves of garlic
* 1 stalk of celery
* 2-3 tbsp of all purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* can of beer(i used a lager)
* 2 cups of beef stock( i use homemade but you can buy the boxed ones or boil water and add a couple of bouillon cubes)
* tbsp of tomato paste
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
*1 bay leaf


For Risotto
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups carnaroli or arborio rice
1 cup dried Chanterelles, soaked in 2 cups hot water for 30 minutes and chopped. ( save the soaking liquid)
1 cup dry vermouth
2-4 cups warm chicken stock
2 cups chanterelle soaking water
2 cups short rib sauce
Shredded short ribs
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup of parmesan (optional)
salt and pepper to taste


Cooking the short ribs:

Sprinkle salt, pepper and flour on the ribs,.....

Meanwhile turn the oven to 300F and pour olive oil on a hot pan ,then lay the ribs meat side down on it and let it fry for about 2 minutes until brownish. while frying the ribs go ahead and chop 1 carrot , 1 stalk of celery , 2 whole onions and 4 cloves of garlic. After about 2 minutes all the meat is browned. Remove the meat from the pan and throw the veggies in the hot grease untill browned.
Put the beef back in the pot with the veggies, pour the beer and enough stock to cover the meat, add the tomato paste, fresh thyme and bay leaf . Bring it to a boil.  Remove from stove top and place it on a middle shelf in your oven, let it simmer in oven for about 2 hours untill meat is so tender is falls off the bone.  Remove all the meat from pot and place on cutting board. With a immersion blender, blend any whole pieces of vegetables left in the sauce. And over medium high heat reduce sauce by half. Meanwhile with a small boning knife, remove meat from the bones and shred it.

Cooking the risotto:
Heat olive oil and onion in a heavy bottomed pan. Cook until onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add rice and fry for 2 minutes. Add vermouth and turn heat to low. When vermouth has evaporated, start adding the liquids, always stirring and alternating a ladle full at a time, leaving the rib sauce to be added last. It should take about 45 minutes total, so around 40 minutes start tasting a piece of rice to make sure it has softened, but still has a little bite to it. Add short ribs and chanterelles. Season to taste. Add butter, parsley and if using cheese, add it last.  Serve hot.