Risotto Primivara (from Ruth Reichl, Garlic and Sapphires, her adaptation of the risotto served at Le Cirque in NYC)
1/2 lb asparagus (I bought the smaller asparagus available at Sigona's)
5-6 c chicken broth (Reichl insists on homemade, I use the low sodium organic type sold in cartons at Whole Foods)
1/2 t saffron strands, crushed (I used the Spanish saffron sold at TJs)
3 T butter (I used unsalted type)
2 T olive oil
1 med red onion, diced
1 smallish carrot, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
1/2 t salt
2 c Arborio rice (Reichl emphasizes using hi-quality and fresh, mine was Riso Angelita, superfine arborio rice for risotto, imported from Italy, it comes vacuum packed, available at Draeger's)
1/2 c dry white wine (turns out what I used is rather sweet)
1/2 c thawed frozen peas
1/2 c Parmigiano cheese (I didn't use this)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut off tips of asparagus and set aside. Dice top half of stalks, set aside, discard the rest.
Bring stock to steady simmer in a dedicated saucepan. Remove 1/4 c stock, add saffron, set aside.
Melt 2 T butter with olive oil in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add onion and saute for about 6 min until golden.
Add carrot and cook 5 min more. Add zucchini, diced asparagus, 1/2 t salt, cook 5 min more.
Add rice and stir until coated with oil. Add wine and cook, stirring, until it evaporates, about 3 min. Now slowly add enough simmering stock to cover the rice and cook, stirring, until it evaporates. Keep adding, stirring, and evaporating for about 20 min. Then add asparagus tips and peas, along with saffron stock, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the rice is soft on the outside and still has a bit of bite at the center. Typically the rice now has a sort of sticky density. To achieve a looser quality, what in Venice is called onda (wavy), add a few more spoonfuls of stock and remove from the heat. Add the remaining 1T of butter and cheese. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with extra cheese.
This recipe is for 4 servings. For the 5 of us, I increased all ingredients by 50%.
Moules Marinieres (also from Reichl's book)
Farmed mussels, shells cleaned, discard any that are open
2 shallots, diced
1 c dry white wine (again, it turns out what I used is rather sweet)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chopped parsley (I didn't use this)
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine onion, shallots and wine in large pot and simmer for 5 min. Add mussels, cover and cook over high heat, shaking from time to time, for about 4 min or until all the mussels have opened. Remove from heat.
Discard unopened mussels. Add butter and chopped parsley. Season to taste.
Can be served in individual bowls. Provide extra bowl for empty shells.
This recipe works for 2-3 lbs mussels.
To combine these 2 recipes, I cooked the risotto without the cheese. About 20 min into the risotto I started the mussels. I didn't use the parsley. After the mussels were cooked, I drained. It's best to add the cooked mussels to the risotto just as the rice is fully cooked, otherwise it is difficult to complete the cooking by stirring. If necessary to compete the cooking, add broth, cover, and steam the rice for awhile.
For this style of risotto with mussels, 1.5 lbs mussles for 4 servings, 2 lbs for 6 servings, is about right.
Sauce Vinaigrette (this is my favorite salad dressing, from Joy of Cooking)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t dry mustard
1 T olive oil
1 T red wine vinegar
First beat these ingredients together in a small bowl with a wisk or fork, or shake vigorously in a closed jar (ideally one that can be presented at the table). Then add
2 T olive oil
and beat/shake again. Finally add
1 T red wine vinegar
3 T olive oil
And beat/shake again. Peel and add 1 clove garlic, cover, place in a cold place until ready to use. Shake well before using.
Flan (original recipe from About.com:Mexican Food at http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/sweetsanddesserts/r/easyflan.htm )
1.5 c sugar
6 lg eggs
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 13 oz cans evaporated milk (I used whole milk measured with the 14 oz can)
1 t vanilla
1 t Amaretto (optional)
Raspberries (optional)
Preheat over to 325 F. Normally the flan is made in ramekins. Since my ramekins are only 4.5 oz, I chose to use a flat 9-inch ceramic dish with 1.5-inch vertical rim. This plus 2 of my ramekins held the full recipe, which was at least twice what 5 people could eat.
Pour 1 c sugar in warm saucepan over med heat. Constantly stir sugar until it browns and becomes caramel. Quickly pour 2-3 T of caramel into each ramekin, or equivalent into a ceramic baking dish. Tilt ramekin/dish to swirl caramel around the sides. Reheat the caramel if it starts to harden in the saucepan.
In separate bowl blend eggs together using wisk. Mix in milks and then slowly the remaining 1/2 c sugar, then the vanilla. Blend smooth after each ingredient is added. Pour custard into caramel lined ramkins/dish. Place in large glass or ceramic baking dish and fill with about 1-2 inch hot water. (I didn't have anything glass/ceramic large enough, so I used a large metal baking pan.)
Ramkins take about 45 min to bake in the water bath, a ceramic baking dish about twice as long. Flan is done when a knife inserted just to the side of the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for at least 1-h. When ready to serve, invert each ramekin or the dish onto an appropriate sized plate, letting the caramel sauce flow over the custard. Slice up the larger style flan like a pie. Top individual servings with a raspberry.