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Break Bread: Lemon Risotto

I wanted to share with you a delicious recipe I created recently. I’m a crazy person and recipes come to me in my dreams. I dreamed of a delicious meal of  bacon wrapped chicken, sugar snapped peas and lemon risotto. So I made them! All of which were amazing. The best out the bunch was by far the Lemon Risotto. So here is my recipe! Enjoy.


LEMON RISOTTO

1 cup Aborrio Rice

1 quart White Wine flavored Chicken Broth

2 cups water

2 garlic cloves minced

1/2 red onion minced

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs butter

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 tbs heavy cream

Zest of one lemon

Juice of half a lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a separate pot heat the chicken broth and water. In a saucepan with a round bottom, heat to medium add the oil, butter, garlic and onion and saute until soft. Add the rice and lemon zest and saute for another 2 minutes. Add one ladle of the hot broth and stir until it is absorbed. Repeat this for about 18 minutes. The rice should be Al dente, but with a creamy texture. At the end add the cream, lemon juice, cheese and salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 4

TASTY TIP

If you can’t find wine infused broth you may substitute one cup of water with white wine.

Don’t leave your risotto unattended. You must keep constant watch, but believe me it is worth the effort!

Happy Eating!

Dwann Cutler is the author of the blog,  Diaries of a Plus-Sized Vixen. Check out her other musings at www.Dwann.me .

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Before You Toss Out Holiday Leftovers…

Over the holidays we tend to prepare an overabundance of food, and if you host a function you tend to be stuck with the bulk of the leftovers. If you aren’t sure what to do with that leftover turkey and/or ham that’s been in the freezer over a week, check out these leftover-saving recipes before you toss them out:

Turkey Stock

This stock makes a good base for soups in between heavy holiday meals.

Ingredients:

  • 1 turkey carcass
  • 3 sprigs parsley
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 3 ribs celery, cut up
  • 2 medium carrots, cut up
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • dash pepper

Preparation:

Break up carcass and place in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add remaining ingredients; cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 to 4 hours. Cool slightly; strain broth into a bowl. Refrigerate then remove fat from top of broth.
Makes about 4 cups of turkey stock.

Beans and Cornbread

This comfort food is easy to prepare in a crockpot and will stick to your ribs during cold, winter months.

Ingredients:

  • one white or yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • leftover ham or smoked turkey pieces
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 cups of water

Preparation:

Sort beans and soak overnight. In the sorting process, remove beans that are discolored or oddly shaped. Drain beans in a colander. In a crockpot, pour olive oil and add onions, garlic, and ham or smoked turkey. Add  beans and water and stir. Turn crockpot on low and let beans cook for 10-12 hours until tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve with hot cornbread or over brown rice.

*Optional condiments for beans: shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, olives, diced tomatoes, chopped red onion

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All Cornbread is Not Created Equal

I grew up eating two types of cornbread: my Granny’s hot water cornbread and Jiffy mix cornbread. Although my Granny’s version was the best served crumbled over a plate of collard greens with hot pepper sauce, I’ve always preferred the sweeter side of things and therefore loved my Jiffy. As an adult, I sought out the best recipes to make a homemade version of Jiffy and found several close contenders – and one box mix that has now replaced Jiffy in my house. For the holidays if you are looking for an undeniably perfect and easy solution to cornbread, try Krusteaz Natural Honey Cornbread mix. You won’t get the 2-for-1 price that Jiffy offers around this time of year, but the results will be worth that extra dime. If you’d rather test your culinary skills this holiday season, try any of the following award-winning cornbread recipes:

From Epicurious:

Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread

  • 1 cup cornmeal (preferably whole grain, medium grind)
  • 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage plus 12 whole fresh sage leaves
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat heavy 10-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) in oven 10 minutes.

Whisk first 4 ingredients and 2 teaspoons chopped sage in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, honey, and egg in medium bowl to blend.

Remove skillet from oven; add 1/2 cup butter. Swirl until butter is melted. Pour all except 2 tablespoons butter into egg mixture. Add whole sage leaves to butter in skillet; toss to coat. Arrange leaves over bottom of skillet, spacing apart.

Add egg mixture to cornmeal mixture; stir until just combined (do not overmix; batter will be wet and runny). Pour batter over sage leaves in skillet. Bake until browned around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool in skillet 10 minutes. Invert onto platter. If necessary, reposition sage leaves atop cornbread.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sage-and-Honey-Skillet-Cornbread-240376#ixzz15v0q35BO

From Allrecipes:

Grandmother’s Buttermilk Cornbread

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
  2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

From The Neelys:

Honey Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • Special equipment: paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

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Cousin Sekou’s Collard Greens

Greens are a staple in the soul food diet, and almost always a part of the black family holiday dinner table. However, the traditional recipe calls for cooking greens for long periods of time in fatty meats which kills all the health value greens can offer. After visiting my cousin Sekou in Oakland whose mother lived in Ghana for awhile, I learned that greens could be prepared in a more healthful fashion, and still retain their flavor. The recipe below is my variation of their Ghanaian recipe and requires no meat for seasoning.

Cousin Sekou’s Collard Greens

Ingredients:

Bunches or bags of pre-washed collard greens

Palm oil (found in specialty stores) or olive oil

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (to taste)

1 tablespoon of garlic

1 white onion, sliced thin

1 teaspoon fresh ginger

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Procedure:

1. Wash and shred collard greens in cold water.

2. Add one tablespoon of oil to a large pot. Add a tablespoon of minced garlic, a teaspoon of minced ginger and an entire sliced onion. Saute until onion is translucent. Add a tablespoon of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and saute 2 minutes more.

3. Add greens in batches and saute with Bragg’s, onions, garlic, and ginger until greens are wilted but still crisp and bright green, about 8 minutes. Spinkle with red pepper flakes and serve hot.