Weekend Meal: Hearty Risotto

Ben and I love Risotto! (If you couldn't tell) and this weekend we made this very yummy and very hearty risotto with Scallops, Pancetta, and Spinach (Fine Cooking). This recipe was so easy! Just make risotto like you normally would and add the scallops (sear first), spinach, and panchetta (you should cook the panchetta like bacon before you add it to the risotto).

This recipe was perfect for a "date night" or just to warm up by the fire (which we don't have in Florida). Be sure to get "dry" scallops for this recipe. Most stores carry only dry scallops but be sure to ask just in case :) Most people think that risotto is very hard to make but it is no harder then making any other rice and it tastes better! We like to use chicken broth instead of cream mainly because its healthier. Also, use low sodium chicken broth because the parmesan cheese will add a nice nutty, salty taste to the risotto.


Note: The Fine Cooking website has many FREE risotto recipes. Just type "risotto" into their recipe search engine and you'll find a risotto for every occasion!

Eating In Season: January

One of our goals for this year is to not only eat in season but to eat local foods from farmers markets. Here is a list of what is in season (here in florida); this list might vary depending on what region of the United States you are in!

• Beans
• Broccoli and cauliflower
• Citrus
  
• Cucumbers
  
• Eggplant
  
• Garlic
  
• Greens
  
• Herbs
  
• Honey
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Pecans
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Radishes
• Squash
• Tomatoes

This list adapted from Hogtown HomeGrown

Here are two recipes for this edition of eating in season:
Citrus Risotto
This recipe can be used with blood red navel oranges because true blood red oranges come from California and are very hard to find. Also, you can use 1 cup of arborio rice with 8 cups of chicken stock. This makes enough for 4 servings. This recipe goes well with tuna fillets (or any light fish) and chicken.

Note: If you have not made risotto, the key to making a good risotto is to not stir too often. Also, when adding the liquid make sure the liquid is completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup of liquid. Like any rice, trust its going to cook better without you messing with it often:)

Meyer Lemon Martini
I put this one in for a little fun:) Casie and I made these last night and they were awesome! They are great for parties, girls night, or just whenever!

Making Vanilla Extract: Part 1

Thanks Warren for this awesome idea!

Why make vanilla extract when you can buy it in the store?! By making your own vanilla its cheaper (per volume), you can make large quantities of extract and you can choose what type of vanilla bean you can make your extract from. Here is the step by step process: Vanilla extract recipe . This is from the Instructables website (you can find the link in our favorite links section of our blog).

The first step is to pick your vanilla bean from which your extract will be made. We decided to go with the Cobra Vanilla Bean (Beanilla.com) mainly because it was one of the cheaper beans ( 4oz. for $10). For our first attempt at this we didn't want to invest all our money and not have it work out. It took about 1 week for our beans to arrive.
Note: To make 1 cup of extract you need 6 vanilla beans.
The second step is to pick the bottles you will make the extract in as well as the Vodka you'll use to make the extract. Be sure to use 70-80 proof vodka. We decided to use the "picnic" wine bottles because they hold exactly one cup of liquid. To prepare the bottles, place them (with the tops on) in a pot of boiling water for 30min. You also want to include the knives you will use in this pot of boiling water. Let the bottles cool before use.
Note: do not use knives with plastic handles!

The third step is to remove the caviar from the bean. We found it easier to cut the bean in half and then extract the caviar. Place the caviar in the bottle first and then put all six beans in the bottle. Add the 1 cup of vodka, close the lid and shake.

You want to place the bottles in a cool, dark and dry place. We labeled our bottles, like the good scientists we are, with the date we made the extract. Now we just wait for a few weeks before we can taste the extract. STAY TUNED.........

Weekend Meal: Gnocchi

This weekend we made, from scratch, Gnocchi. Gnocchi is a potato pasta best paired with a light sauce. The Gnocchi we made is from Fine Cooking:
Pan-Seared Gnocchi with Browned Butter & Sage

The first tip for this recipe is to use a Ricer for the potatoes. We attempted to finely slice the boiled potatoes with a knife but it made the Gnocchi dough a little chunky. A ricer would have made this dough a lot more smooth.

The Gnocchi, when cut from the strip of dough, should look like tiny pillows. Be sure to use a very sharp knife to cut the dough.

This recipe made ~3 baking sheets full of Gnocchi. It is key to line the baking sheet with parchment paper and then dust flower onto the parchment paper. This way the fresh Gnocchi won't stick to the surface.

Once the Gnocchi is made you can either cook it in a pot of boiling water (make sure to add a generous amount of salt to the water) or freeze the Gnocchi to make later. Gnocchi can be paired with tomato sauces, white sauces or like what we used, a butter sauce. The butter sage sauce the recipe called for was very good. However, it was a little on the buttery side for our taste. Unless you are like Paula Dean and LOVE butter we would recommend using 1/2 stick of butter for the sauce instead of 1 stick of butter.

Welcome to our kitchen

Life hasn't always been so full of delicate flavors and enticing aromas. Not so long ago (about two years, in fact), the kitchen was dominated by the smell of burning rice and adorned with discarded boxes of prepackaged brownies. However, through sheer determination (and perhaps a little bit of desperation for a home cooked meal), we have learned how to cook as all good scientists should. This blog, then, is meant as a journal of our (mis)adventures in the kitchens, with a sprinkling of hints and suggestions and a dash of humor for flavor.

~Ben and Shelby

Thank you to Lynn Kelly for letting us use her awesome picture of the apples as our blog Title background!