Springtime Farro Risotto

Farro Risotto

I can't think of a better way to welcome Spring than with a healthy dish full of flavor, spring vegetables and color.  Farro is an ancient whole grain which is naturally fiber-rich full of protein and a good source of iron.  It's a sweet, nutty grain that will remain chewy when fully cooked.  This along with it's slow starch releasing properties, make it an ideal candidate for risotto.  

One serving of Farro will provide an individual with two hundred calories, seven grams of fiber and seven grams of protein with ten percent of the recommended daily allowance of iron. Now, add some flavorful low sodium stock, vegetables and shredded good quality Parmesan cheese, and you've got yourself a wonderful dinner.

Farro can be soaked for quicker cooking.  Without soaking the grain it will take twenty-five to thirty minutes to cook.  With an overnight soak, you can cook it in as little as ten to 15 minutes.  I don't usually soak Farro, before cooking.  You can also just soak it for thirty minutes to shave off a little bit of time.  I like to achieve a good toast on the grain, so I like to keep it dry.  The ratio of Farro to liquid is 1:2.5-3.  Other ways, you will see Farro commonly used, is in salads and soups.

Below, I will show you my favorite Risotto recipe.  However, feel free to substitute however you see fit.  I personally like this combination.  I feel the sherry adds to the sweet nuttiness of the grain.  While the tomato paste lends a slight richness, and acidity with a brilliant color from the San Marzano tomatoes.   I chose early spring vegetables, however, feel free to change.  It's your dinner.  I use vegetable broth with this recipe due to the use of the tomatoes and mushrooms.   As for cheese, any good quality hard Italian cheese will work just fine.  Parmesan will lend creaminess without overpowering the finished dish. Finally, I splash the finished dish with a squeeze of lemon to awake all the flavors.

Once you get the hang of this, it can become a healthy weeknight meatless dinner.  It can be made rather quickly.

Ingredients

for four servings

1 cup of Farro, unsoaked

2 cups of low sodium vegetable broth, heated

1-1/2 cups of water

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 shallot, minced

1 yellow or red pepper, diced

1/2 cup of petite peas, defrosted

6-8 shiitake mushroom caps sliced lengthwise, and halved

1 stalk of celery, sliced

2 carrots, peeled, and diced

1/4 cup of sherry

1/2 cup of good quality Parmesan cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

optional:  balsamic drizzle

Directions

Combine oil, butter, shallot, tomato paste in a large saucepan on medium heat.  Saute for three minutes.  Now, add diced carrots, sliced celery, diced pepper.  Saute for another five minutes, then add your shiitake mushrooms, with a little salt and pepper.  Don't stir.  Let your mushrooms brown.  Hold back on the peas until the end to retain that nice green color.  While sauteing warm your liquids up.

Stir in farro to toast for two minutes, stirring constantly.  Add sherry and reduce till the pan is almost dry.  Now begin to add about three quarters of a cup at a time.  Stir frequently, but not constantly.  When almost dry add another three quarters of a cup and so on, until the grain is al dente, twenty to twenty-five minutes.

When done, you will remove pan from heat with a some liquid remaining, because it will continue to cook and therefore thicken.  Stir in you cheese by the handful.  Taste for seasoning.  Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.  Taste, it might be all you need.  A balsamic drizzle is a wonderful garnish for this. Now, sit back and take in the "oohs" and "aahs".

Tomato Cabbage Soup

Last days of March, with Winter still kicking at our door. . . Makes a hot soup seem all the more inviting. This Tomato Cabbage soup is the perfect antidote.  The cabbage naturally sweetens the turkey tomato broth as it simmers.  Add some white beans, rosemary, bay leaves and Parmesan and/or Romano cheese rinds, and you have yourself a winner!

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey, 93% lean

1 onions, peeled and diced

4-5 carrots, peeled and diced

1 head of cabbage, 1" slices in length, 1/2 " in width

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of white wine

4 cups of low salt chicken broth

2 (26-28 oz) chopped, strained or crushed tomatoes

1 28 oz. can of cannellini beans, strained and rinsed

1 tbsp of chopped rosemary

3-4 very large bay leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp of unsalted butter

optional:  1-2 Cheese rinds of hard Italian cheese such as Parmesan and/or Romano
                1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
                1 tbsp of lemon juice
                1-2 tbsp of sugar in the raw

Salt and pepper to taste

For serving:  Grated/shaved Parmesan/Romano
                     Remove bay leaves & cheese rinds
                     Crumbled croutons

Servings per recipe:  Easy eight

Directions

Brown turkey over medium heat in a dutch oven with 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Season meat with salt and pepper as it browns.  Remove from heat once browned.  Place turkey in a bowl, and set aside.

Prepare onion while dutch onion is warming with 1 tbsp of butter and additional tbsp of olive oil.  Add to dutch onion, stirring occasionally over medium heat.  Prepare cabbage and carrots, and add to pot with an additional tbsp. of butter.  Cover and let cook for 8-10 minutes.

Mince garlic and rosemary.  Add to pot. Stir.  Heat for one minute and add wine.  Turn heat to medium high. Cook to burn off alcohol for a few minutes.

Add Turkey back to pot with bay leaves, tomatoes and chicken broth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  If you have a cheese rind, add it now.  Rinse off cannellini beans and add to soup.

Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.  Cook for two hours on low, with lid ajar. Stir occasionally.

Optional Ingredients to heighten the soups flavors.

All that you need to round out the meal is warm crusty bread and a green leafy salad.

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana is rich with tangy tomato sauce, bubbling mozzarella and crunchy breadcrumbs.  This dish is a clear favorite.  Easy to prepare, and baked to perfection.  

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients for Sauce

2 28 oz cans of Whole Plum Tomatoes

1 onion, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

Six whole leaves of fresh Basil

2 Tbsp of olive oil

1 Tbsp of unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. of light brown sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground oregano

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. or more red pepper flakes

Directions:

Begin your sauce.  In a large dutch oven, saute your diced onion in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil with Basil leaves over medium high heat for five minutes.  Lower your heat to medium, add 1 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, and minced garlic, stir frequently for 30 seconds.  Now, add your two cans of tomatoes and seasonings. While waiting for the sauce to come to a easy boil, crush your tomatoes in the pot with the back of a spoon or a potato masher.  Once the sauce boils, lower heat to simmer.  Keep covered and simmer for thirty minutes.  There will be leftover sauce for pasta, to serve as a side.

Ingredients for Baked Eggplant:

1 large Eggplant
Wondra flour or all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
8 oz. of smoked mozzarella or regular mozzarella, grated
1/2 cup grated Romano and/or Parmesan 
salt/ground black pepper to taste
seasoned breadcrumbs
sprinkle of oregano
few sprigs of fresh basil

Sauce, as prepared above


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees or 350 degrees, if using convection bake.

Wash and Peel eggplant in alternating strips.  You should have three or four strips when finished, discard.  Slice eggplant crosswise.  Slices slightly bigger than 1/4 of an inch.  Prepare three bowls:  one with flour, salt and pepper and oregano added.  Bowl two:  2 beaten eggs with 1 tbsp of water and bowl three with seasoned breadcrumbs with 1/4 cup grated cheese added.  

Prepare two nine inch, pyrex pie dishes with 1/4 cup of sauce.  Dredge each eggplant slice in flour, shaking off excess.  Then dip slice in the beaten egg, letting excess egg drip off.  Finally, dredge in breadcrumbs.  Arrange slices  in a slightly overlapping pattern in each baking dish.  Add more sauce on top of each dish concentrating the sauce in the center of the slices. You can scatter some fresh basil leaves atop.  Drizzle with olive oil, and place in oven for thirty minutes.

Remove from oven, drop temperature twenty five degrees. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with mozzarella, grated cheese, oregano and black pepper.  Tent with foil, sprayed with Pam or rubbed with olive oil to prevent sticking.  Bake for an additional twenty minutes.  When removed, it should be bubbly, and the eggplant should be knife tender.  Garnish with fresh basil.

Serving Suggestions:  Steamed Lemon Broccoli with Olive Oil, Romano Cheese, grated Salt/Pepper
                                    Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and grated Cheese

Lentil Chili

Want a wonderful way to starve off that winter chill, vegetarian style.  Here it is!  Wonderfully thick with lentils, peppers and tomatoes simmered with chili seasonings.  This recipe is an adaptation of one of my favorite Cuisine at Home recipes.  I like to make a double batch of this on a Sunday afternoon and reap the benefits during the hectic work week.  With all of the luscious sides and garnishes to go with it this chili becomes quite a personality.

4 cups of dry brown lentils, rinsed

6 cups of water

6 cups of V-8 or tomato juice

2 (28-oz) cans of tomato dice with puree

1 6 oz can of tomato Paste

2 jalapenos, minced without seeds

1 large onion, diced

2 large red peppers, diced

2 green peppers, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbsp of chili Powder

1 Tbsp each of cumin and coriander

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa or 1/4 cup of chocolate chips

Juice of 2 limes

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar, & tortilla chips

rice and corn bread

All ingredients ready. . . .

Toast cumin seeds for flavor

Saute of peppers and onions with toasted cumin oil

Add the spices, garlic, tomato paste and cocoa for warmth.  Place four cups of rinsed lentils in.
Then add your liquids, and simmer away, for anywhere from 60 minutes up to two hours.  You want your lentils to have a little bite left to them, but not be chewy.  Once you reach your desired texture, add your salt, chocolate chips, lime juice.  Taste and adjust your seasonings.

The finished Chili. . . wonderful!

A few notes of interest:

• Grocery store lentils, brown, work wonderful in this recipe.  Their tougher skins will withstand the long steady simmer
• Lentils are a great source of iron, especially when married with foods rich in vitamin C such as tomatoes and peppers
• The dietary fiber of lentils is sixteen grams per cup, excellent!  Calorie wise they weigh in at 230 calories per cup with twenty five percent of a day's protein intake for an average adult.
• It's a good idea to salt when lentils are just about done to prevent toughening up their skins

Direction Summary:

• Sweat vegetables in three tablespoons of olive oil for five minutes.  
• Stir in spices, tomato paste and garlic for one minute
• Add water, juice, tomatoes and lentils bring to a boil.  Turn heat down, and simmer partially covered for sixty minutes up to two hours or more.
• Seasoning check;  Add lime juice, salt and chocolate chips.
• Recheck seasonings and keep warm

Serving Suggestions:

• Traditionally, serve with rice, sour cream, shredded cheddar, scallions and corn bread
• Warm flour tortillas up and fill with the chili and roll up.  Top with shredded cheese and sour cream and bake at 350 till hot and melty.
• Make a sloppy joe.  Let it cook down a little further, and spoon onto soft sandwich rolls.  Serve with Roasted Potatoes.  Or pop open a bag of Alexis Sweet Potato Fries.

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

This soup is a "sure-fire" hit!  Italian Wedding soup is a wonderful, healthy comfort food.  My soup is made with turkey meatballs, that will soon become a staple in your household.  These meatballs are so deliciously tender and flavorful.  The best of all, is that they are baked.  I've adapted the meatball recipe from The Little Owl.  A small restaurant in the heart of the West Village in NYC.  The base of the soup is a simple saute of mixed vegetables, deglazed with white wine topped off with fresh herbs.  Then simmered in a chicken stock with the lovely addition of a Parmesan/Romano rind.  Pasta can be cooked right in the soup.  You want it to sit in the broth to soak up the flavors.  The pasta should be petite in size, not to overshadow the soup. This meal can be prepared a day ahead.  The flavors only get richer as the soup sits.  To complete this meal all that is needed is some wonderful bread and a fresh balsamic or lemon dressed salad.

Soup Ingredients:

8 cups of good quality, low salt chicken stock

2-3 Tbsp of good olive oil

2 small or one large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 carrots, peeled and diced

3 stalks of celery, sliced horizontally in 1/4 in slices

2 bell peppers, preferably red, yellow or orange

1/4 lb of green beans sliced in thirds

2 yellow or green squash, diced

1/2 lb baby spinach

1/2 cup of white wine

zest of one washed lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

Fresh herbs such as 1 teasp. of rosemary, 2 tbsp of parsley, 2 tbsp of dill, 1 teasp. of thyme
  (all optional: you can choose one herb or all)

8 oz. of baby pasta


Prepare all vegetables.  Warm a large size dutch oven over medium heat.  Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil and add vegetables, one at a time.  Saving the minced garlic for last.  If the saute seems dry add more oil, or a tablespoon of unsalted butter.  After all the ingredients are used, including the garlic deglaze pot with 1/2 cup of white wine.  Let simmer down for a few minutes till almost dry. Add any herbs now, before adding 10 cups of stock.  

After stock comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer add lemon juice and zest, and cheese rind. Cover and let simmer while you prepare your meatballs.

Meatballs:

1 lb of ground turkey

1/3 cup of panko

1/3 cup of water

5 Tbsp. of Pecorino Romano

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup of parsley, minced

3/4 teasp. of kosher salt

1/4 teasp. of black pepper

optional:  1/2 teasp. of Italian herb mix 
                 1/2 teasp. of fennel seed

Directions:  Pre-heat the oven to 400.  If using Convection Bake use 375.

Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment sprayed with nonstick spray.  Place all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix carefully with clean hands.  When done wash hands with cold water to cool down skin.  Now, you want to form small balls approximately an inch in size.  Place about an inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet.  Bake for 24 min.  If using convection bake for 22 min. 

Let cool for five minutes, after removing from oven.  Then place in simmering stock with lid on. Simmer for 20 min. to meld flavors.  Next, add dry pasta and spinach.  Cook, till pasta is al dente.  Now, taste for seasoning.   Either cool down, and refrigerate or serve immediately in warmed soup bowls.


For Serving:  Grated Cheese (Parmesan/Romano), Italian croutons or crostini or oyster crackers, drizzle of balsamic reduction