Yesterday's lunch

A follow-up on yesterday's risotto.  Since there was some leftover, I decided to have it for lunch.  However, leftover risotto isn't really that great heated up, and although I will eat it that way, it's even better if you have the time to turn it into something else. The most simple transformation is risotto cakes.  All you need is your leftover risotto, and egg, and some breadcrumbs.  And butter or oil to saute them in.

Leftover risotto
1 egg
breadcrumbs
1 tbsp butter or olive oil

• Beat an egg in a medium sized bowl.  Add the risotto and mix well.  
• Put breadcrumbs on a plate.  Form risotto into patties (about the size of a burger, or smaller) and carefully place in breadcrumbs.  Coat evenly with breadcrumbs.
• Melt butter in skillet.  When hot, saute risotto cakes on medium-high till browned on one side.  Very carefully turn over and cook other side. 

These are great on their own, or served with a nice salad.  They are very delicate, and often fall apart, but still will taste yummy!

I hab a code id by dose

Picked up a pesky little cold on the plane, so keeping the cooking simple for now.  Simple and tasty.  Luckily, mom has so much food in the house that I have yet to even think about going to the store.  Yesterday, a package arrived with two frozen Poulet Rouge.  If you've never heard of it, you're not alone.  This is a special breed of chicken that is soooo tasty!  The chickens that most Americans are familiar with are Cornish chickens.  These birds have been bred to satisfy the demand for more breast meat.  The result is an in-bred, weird chicken that behaves in a bizarre manner, including pecking at other chickens, and getting its head stuck sideways for no reason.  You can simply snap the head back into alignment and the bird goes about on his merry way.  Even most organic, free range, pastured, and otherwise politically correct birds are this breed.  Big boobed chickens.  While there is nothing showing that these chickens are in any way unhealthy to eat, the in-breeding freaks me out a bit.  Yes, I generally eat them anyway because I'm not yet independently wealthy, but sometimes I wonder....

The Poulet Rouge Fermier (which in French, means red chicken) is what our grandmothers knew chicken to be.  It is a slow growing Heritage breed with thin skin and an elongated breast.  There is a whole Label Rouge program in France certifying them... I won't go into that here.  You can order them online from http://www.joycefoods.com/, or from Amazon.  In the SF area, Riverdog farms grows these birds, but they are sometimes hard to find in stores.  And they are not cheap.  I found one at Avedano's a while back for $6/pound.  At an average of 3lbs, that's an $18 chicken!  

But I digress.  We put one of the chickens in the freezer, and set the other in the fridge to defrost for tonight.  With some nice roasted potatoes and carrots, we had a delicious dinner in about an hour.

For the chicken:

1 Poulet Rouge Chicken
4 tbsp butter
1 lemon
1/2 onion
about 10 sage leaves

• Salt chicken, inside and out.  
• Mix room temperature butter and chopped sage.  Make a little pocket under the skin and put some of the butter between the breast and the skin.  Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the chicken.  
• Cut up lemon and onion and put in cavity.  Tie legs closed with kitchen twine.

All buttered up!

• Cook at 450 in convection oven for about 15 minutes, then lower heat to 400 till done (about an hour…till temp in the thigh reaches 160).
• Let rest for 5 minutes

Resting chicken...ahhhh.....

For potatoes and carrots:

2 lb red potato

3 carrots

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Rosemary, Fresh

Salt

• Peel and cut potatoes and carrots.  Place in roasting pan.  Toss with olive oil, salt, and rosemary.

Potatoes and carrots ready for the oven

• Roast the potatoes uncovered for about 45 min to 1 hour. (Just put in oven with the chicken) Stir the potatoes occasionally during the cooking time, cook until crisp, lightly browned and tender. 

New Year, New Efforts

Here I am, once again in beautiful Potomac, MD.  This time, I'll be spending almost 2 solid months here.  My mission, which I have chosen to accept, is to help my parents prepare their house for moving and selling.  This will involve room-by-room raiding, and donating or selling many things.  It will also mean that I have time to cook every day, and hopefully update this blog every day.  We'll see how that goes.  Previous attempts have failed, but I have fresh energy this time!

I arrived last night, and was greeted by my mom's empanadas.  Always a nice welcome after airplane food!  Although I was able to travel in the first class cabin (thanks, Dad, for the miles!), and I was fed (sorry folks in the back), the food was mediocre, and I arrived quite hungry.

Tonight was my first night to cook, and since I have a bit of a sore throat and am a bit tired, I figured something simple was called for.  I went with my go-to comfort food, Risotto.  I decided to make it with peas, as we always have those in the freezer, and my dad contributed the idea of adding some sliced San Danielle prosciutto, since we had some on hand.

Ingredients: 
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion (1 small, or 1/2 large onion)
1 cup Carnaroli or Arborio rice (I always use 1/3 cup per person, and since there were 3 of us...)
1/2 cup dry white wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup peas
3-4 slices prosciutto
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Regiano Cheese

• Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy pot.
• Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes 

• Add the rice and stir to coat.  Continue stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes.

• Add the wine and cook till it is absorbed.
• Begin adding the stock, about 1/2 to 1/4 at a time, stirring frequently.  When it begins to be absorbed, add more stock, never allowing it to get too dry.  Keep rice at a low-medium simmer.

• After rice has been cooking for about 15 minutes, add the peas and prosciutto.

• Continue to cook until al dente, about 5 more minutes for Arborio, a bit longer (up to 30 minutes total) for Carnaroli.
• When the rice has become creamy, and tastes done, remove from heat and add the cheese and the remaining butter.
• Serve immediately with grated cheese to pass at the table.

You can make Arancini or Risotto cakes in the unlikely event that you have leftover rice. Recipes to follow!