Cooking but not Blogging

If you've been checking the blog, you'll see I haven't posted in a few days. While I have been in the kitchen and cooking, I haven't done the blogging. This has something to do with a certain little visitor who was in my kitchen (safely await from the hot, the sharp and other dangers, of course). He's not quite ready to help with the cooking, but he sure likes to eat. With his mom's permission, here are a few of the many non-food photographs by Nana.

So this is where she keeps them.

Better check this out.

Here's your measuring cup, Nana!

That was good. Can I have some more?

Pasta with an Oniony Sauce from the Slow Cooker

Pasta with Caramelized Onion, Feta and Italian Sausage

I think I buy more onions than I do any other single vegetable. Every time I make dinner it seems I am chopping onions for something. I am sure I am part of the reason that onions are the second most important horticultural crop after tomatoes. But I don't worry about how much onion I consume. It's said to be effective against many bacteria and even the World Health Organization supports the use of onions for the treatment of poor appetite and to prevent atherosclerosis.

Last spring I cut a recipe out of the newspaper for a slow cooker caramelized onion pasta. It was stuck to the fridge, forgotten until a few days ago when I was looking for something to do with the two bags of yellow onions I bought on sale. I won't share that recipe with you because I didn't have a spare container of creme fraiche or arugula in the kitchen to make it with. But I liked the idea of the recipe, so I tried making it with what I had on hand: spaghetti, some sweet Italian turkey sausages, goat's milk feta, and a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil. I think you could safely substitute any pasta or sausage and try another type of meltable salty cheese and get a good result. You can drain some of the olive oil from the tomatoes if you like. I didn't drain all of it when I added my tomatoes and I rather liked the creaminess of the dish.

This turned out to be very tasty. In fact, my husband said it was one of the best things I've ever made and was still raving about it the day after I made it. He's such a fan. I love him.

Here's my recipe.

Use processor to make quick work of onions

MA's Pasta with Caramelized Onion, Feta and Italian Sausage

3 lbs yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb (or 6) Italian sausages, cut into 1” chunks
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
500 grams pasta
1 ½ cups feta cheese, drained, divided into 1 cup and ½ cup
fresh ground pepper

In a large slow cooker, place onions, olive oil, sausages and tomatoes. Cook on high for 5 ½ hours.

When onion mixture is cooked, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

Add pasta to onion mixture. Mix in 1 cup of the feta and season with pepper. 

Crumble remaining feta on top of each serving. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Printable Recipe for MA's Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Feta and Sausage

Falling for Risotto

A bowl of creamy goodness

Recently, I had my first encounter with risotto. I immediately fell for it and couldn't help but wonder "where have you been all my life?"

It began this fall when my daughter and grandson were visiting for a few days. She had started the little guy on solid foods a few months earlier and had a book about Baby-Led Weaning written by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett. Baby-Led Weaning, as I understand it, is letting your child feed him or herself from about six months of age. My daughter was going to make risotto for us all using a recipe from the book. If you are interested, there is an informative and recipe-laden blog about it at babyledweaning.com.

Since my daughter was busy with baby, I offered to do the cooking. I prepped the ingredients and then got into the risotto technique. It is not something you can rush through. The hot chicken broth is added to the pan one ladle-full at a time. You don't add the next ladle of broth until the rice has absorbed all of the previous broth. It is an exercise of staying in the moment. You need to be at the stove and stirring until the rice is cooked and has only a little "bite" to it and the risotto reaches a lovely, creamy consistency.

Well, the risotto was delicious. And it wasn't long until I wanted to make it again. Here's my version of Chicken Risotto. Be careful - you might just fall for it, too.

MA's Chicken Risotto

Have risotto ingredients ready

4 chicken breasts, cut into 1” chunks

2 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup butter, unsalted

2 cups onions, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

6 ½ cups chicken stock

½ cup grated Parmesan

fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat.

When the butter is melted, add the onions and fry until softened but not browned.

Before adding the rice and stock

Add the chicken and fry until it is sealed and white on the outside.

Meanwhile, put the stock on to heat in a separate pot.

Add the peppers to the chicken and fry gently until they start to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add the rice and stir to make sure that all of the grains have a light coating of the butter/oil mixture. Add more butter or oil if necessary.

Stock added to rice and ready for stirring

One ladle at a time, add the hot stock to the rice mixture. Stir constantly until the stock is absorbed into the rice. Continue adding stock until the rice is cooked. (You may not need to use all the stock.) It will be plump but will still have a little “bite” to it. The overall consistency of the risotto will be creamy. This step will take about 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cheese and pepper.

Serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Printable Recipe for MA's Chicken Risotto