Not your Italian grandmother's risotto

As you might remember, the Chef and I have been exploring new grains- trying some of the ancient grains that have been around for many many years. Some of them have become trendy, like quinoa, and some have remained a little obscure. They definitely aren't easy to find in most supermarkets. I've had to really hunt them down!

Today we're going to get to know the grain Amaranth. Amaranth has been grown by people for about 8,000 years. That's definitely an ancient grain if you ask me. The Aztecs ate amaranth as one of their staple foods, and often used it in religious ceremonies. It also is very popular in Mexico and is considered a native crop in Peru.

Today amaranth is grown commercially and also grows wild, known as pigweed, although pigweed generally is not eaten as a food crop. Because it does well in poor soil and less than ideal conditions, it's a very profitable crop, and continues to gain popularity as people change how they look at their food and explore different food sources. It's very high in calcium, iron, magnesium and other nutrients. And PROTEIN- amaranth is probably the grain highest in protein. It also may help lower cholesterol in the blood. Who doesn't want that ? And, it's gluten-free, which makes this healthy grain option available to a lot of people who cannot eat other grains. Sheesh, I sound like a text book, don't I?

Now let's get to cooking this grain. There are lots ways to prepare amaranth- it can be "popped" and used in recipes like that, cooked like a hot cereal, and many other uses. We are going to cook our amaranth in a risotto-style dish, with lots of mushrooms, herbs, and deliciousness.

Amaranth Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
2 leeks, cleaned, chopped
2 tb olive oil or butter
1 cup amaranth
salt, pepper
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Heat butter or oil in heavy saucepan. Add mushrooms and leeks and cook until leeks are wilted and mushrooms are softened. Stir in the amaranth. Add stock to pot (starting with 1 cup). Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Stir well and add seasonings. Continue simmering, covered, until the mixture is creamy like risotto and the amaranth is tender, about 10 more minutes, stirring once in a while to prevent sticking and burning. Add a splash more stock at a time if needed. If you like richer, creamier consistency, stir in a couple tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle with additional thyme if desired before serving.

NOTE: Amaranth is done when it is tender but still has texture- it shouldn't be too mushy but shouldn't taste gritty either.

We served our amaranth risotto with beautifully fresh fillets of lake-caught fish with a splash of lime juice and herbs. Since we live in the Little Lake House we have an abundance of fresh fish almost year-round. Some roasted fresh asparagus with a sprinkle of olive oil and sea salt.

Beautiful Day For a Marathon

A cooking marathon that is !! What better to do on a Sunday than crank up the oven, break out the utensils and throw together something really delicious ? That is exactly what I did today. After grocery shopping the other day and got the inspiration to make some homemade ravioli I stocked up on loads of ingredients, not quite sure what kind I wanted to make. My indecisiveness gave way to a day long cooking event.

On the menu tonight: Seafood Tortellini with Brown Butter and Sage. Spinach, Mushroom and Ricotta Ravioli with red sauce. Spicy Pork Ravioli also with red sauce. And, Pumpkin and Winter Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage.

Before I got started, I assembled my ingredients. I had an acorn squash from my garden and a pie pumpkin.

Fresh baby spinach, mushrooms that I had dehydrated a while back (got them soaking), onions, garlic, herbs, cheeses. Great big shrimp, flaked crab meat (never never EVER use that fake stuff- you're not fooling anyone) and langostinos. I had a couple slices leftover roast pork and an idea. And of course, the easiest way to make ravioli in the world- wonton wrappers.

I got the pork started, simmering slowly to get it nice and tender and flavorful.

Cut up the pumpkin and squash and got that roasting.

Shredded some mozzarella. Chopped about 5 cloves of garlic, chopped an onion. Chopped the baby spinach and mushrooms. Chopped the shrimp and langostinos, mixed with the crab and set aside.

Once everything was cooked, shredded, mashed, seasoned and assembled, I had a ravioli assembly line. Ready for the recipes ?

Seafood Tortellini (or ravioli)

1/2 package small wonton wrappers (20)
1/2 cup flaked crab meat (canned is ok but NO FAKE CRAB)
1/2 cup finely chopped cooked shrimp
1/2 cup finely chopped langostino tails
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
big pinch chives
2-3 tb white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese FINELY shredded
couple teaspoons beaten egg (beat one egg and use a little for each filling)
salt and pepper

Combine seafood and set aside. In small skillet melt about a TB butter and one TB olive oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened but not brown. Add wine. Cook until wine is mostly evaporated. Mix into seafood along with chives and all cheeses. Stir in beaten egg. Salt and pepper. To assemble, place one wonton skin on dry cutting board. Moisten all edges. Place a tsp filling in center, fold over to make a triangle.

To make tortellini, moisten two corners and fold them together to look like an envelope. Set aside on waxed paper lined baking sheet (paper towels may stick so I don't recommend them). When ready to cook, add to boiling salted water and cook 3-4 minutes or until cooked thru, drain well. Drizzle with Brown Butter with Sage and serve. You can freeze uncooked ravioli/tortellini. Cook from frozen 4-5 minutes. I had extra filing so I froze it to use for stuffed mushrooms later.

Spicy Pork Ravioli

1/4 lb pork roast (I used a couple slices leftover, you can use fresh if you have it)
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tb finely minced onion
pinch crushed red pepper or other hot pepper (I used one fresh aji limon chile)
small palmful sun dried tomatoes or TB tomato paste
1/2 package wonton wrappers

Combine all ingredients (except wonton wrappers)  in small saucepan. Cover and simmer 1-2 hours until meat is very tender. Remove meat and let cool. Continue cooking sauce until it is reduced. Shred meat and add just enouh sauce to barely moisten it (meat should still be fairly dry). Use cooled meat to fill wonton wrappers. Set aside on waxed paper lined pan. Cook in boiling water 3-4 minutes until pasta is done and meat is hot throughout. Drain and serve with red sauce if desired. These can also be frozen uncooked and later cooked from frozen.

Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese Ravioli

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, stems removed
1/2 sliced fresh mushrooms
1 clove garlic, mined
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
couple tsp beaten egg
salt and pepper
20 wonton skins

Saute onion and garlic in 1 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil until softened but not brown. Finely mince mushrooms, add to skillet. When mushrooms are browned, add wine and reduce. Add spinach, cook until wilted. Set aside to cool slightly, then add to cheeses and egg. Fill ravioli and set aside. Cook the same as the seafood ravioli above. These can also be frozen, and any leftover filling can be used for stuffed mushrooms too. Drain and serve as desired- we used red sauce, alfredo would be good also.

Pumpkin Ravioli

1 small pie pumpkin
1 small winter squash- acorn, butternut, whatever you like (I used acorn)
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch mace
pinch cinnamon
pinch chili powder
salt and pepper
couple tsp beaten egg
20 wonton skins

Cut pumpkin and squash into quarters. Remove seeds. Place on baking sheet, tent loosley with foil and roast at 350 degrees an hour or until very tender. Meanwhile, in small skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter and oil as above until onion is starting to caramelize. Scoop pumpkin and squash into bowl. Add onion and garlic and seasonings. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in ricotta cheese and egg. Fill ravioli as desired and cook the same as above. Drain and serve with Brown Butter with Sage. If you'd like a little texture boost, toast some chopped almonds and sprinkle on the finished dish.

Brown Butter with Sage

1 stick unsalted BUTTER (you absolutely CANNOT substitute margarine !!!)
1 tsp crushed dried sage leaves or 3 tsp minced fresh
dash salt and pepper

Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Cook and stir until butter foams and begins to brown. Remove from heat and add sage, salt and pepper. Serve.

So there you have it !! My Sunday in the kitchen. Now......a mountain of dishes awaits me.......

Dining al fresco in my own yard

Autumn in Iowa is such a lovely time of year. Warm breezy days and cool evenings make it perfect for a light dinner on the deck. The Chef and I were celebrating a little good news (more on that to come.....) with a couple cocktails (Jager bombs for me and ice cold brewskis for him) on the deck and I thought a nice light dinner of appetizers would be great.

The first recipe is another one of my "MacGuyver Recipes"- which is an old family inside joke about me taking ice cubes and black pepper and creating a 3 course meal. I've been hearing about something at a local restaurant called Chinese Cheesesticks and knowing what they were, figured I could wing it. That restaurant serves them with marinara sauce, not very "chinese" if you ask me, so I worked some magic on a bottled sauce and came up with a sweet spicy dipping sauce I hope you'll love.

The second is a bittersweet recipe for me, one shared by an old friend with whom I have lost touch. A misunderstanding and some interference from a not-so-nice person caused the friendship to end. I miss her, but I still have the recipe for Sandy's Stuffed Mushrooms to remind me of happier times.

Ok, so, let's start with my version of Chinese Cheese Sticks

1 block mozzarella cheese
1 pkg small wonton skins
oil for frying

Cut mozzarella cheese into small sticks or slabs

On clean work surface lay one wonton wrapper (these are the smaller square ones so cut the cheese slices so they will fit as shown below)

Place one piece of cheese diagonally across the wonton wrapper

Moisten the edges all the way around the wrapper with a little water then tuck the corners over the ends of the cheese

Fold one corner over and roll up to look like a little burrito. Set aside until you've finished all the rolls.

Heat oil in pan or deep fryer until 375 degrees. Fry, turning if necessary until golden brown on both sides.

They brown up quickly and you want to make sure you've sealed them up really good so the melty cheese doesn't leak out. Drain on paper towel and keep warm til all are fried. Serve with dipping sauce.

Pineapple Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup pineapple sundae sauce
1 tb dark rum
salt and pepper
1 tsp crush dried hot pepper flakes (use whatever kind you like)
2 or 3 dashes hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco

Mix all and heat about 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir and serve with cheese sticks. Also would be good with eggrolls or chicken wings !!

Since the Chef and I are mushroom lovers, I thought I'd whip up some of Sandy's Stuffed Mushrooms and see what he thinks- they were, as always, a HIT !!

Sandy's Stuffed Mushrooms

1  oz package whole mushrooms ( a little on the small size works great for one-bite appetizers), wiped clean and stems removed
1 pkg cream cheese with chives (you can use plain cream cheese and add chives, I used a pkg of Boursin cheese - spring onion and garlic flavor)
palmfull shredded asiago or parmesan cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
additional couple TBs cheese
melted butter
chopped parsley if desired

Allow cheese to soften at room temperature until easy to spread. Mix in palmfull of cheese. Using small spreader, fill mushroom caps with cheese mixture, mounding slightly.

Melt butter and place in shallow dish. Combine bread crumbs with additional cheese and add a little chopped parsley if you like (I think it looks prettier)

Roll the mushrooms in the melted butter and coat with breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle a little butter over them if desired. Bake at 425 degrees about 15 minutes. If you like, run them under the broiler to brown up a little if needed.

Sprinkle with additional parsley if desired and serve !!

Now tonight the Chef is working some magic on chicken wings....I heard the words "ghost chile" being used in the kitchen.......YIKES !!!!!