the petite pig

veggie mu-shu presents

a few weeks ago, i posted a recipe for vietnamese summer rolls, which i made for a fundraising event.  also on the menu were my veggie mu-shu presents.  the filling consists of four simple ingredients that can be found at any asian grocery store: bean curd, napa cabbage, shitake mushrooms and eggs.  the filling is then dressed with a savory sauce and wrapped in a delicate mu-shu wrapper. the "present" part of the dish comes from the little scallion ribbon that finishes the wraps.  now you just have to decide who is deserving of your tasty little presents?

veggie mu-shu presents

serves 6

2 eggs + a dash of salt & pepper

8 leaves of napa cabbage, sliced thinly

2 tbs. olive oil

½ lb. of shitake mushrooms, destemmed and sliced thinly

2 pieces of bean curd, julienned (photo of bean curd below)

1/3 cup of hoisin sauce

1 tbs. rice vinegar

1 tsp. sweet rice wine (mirin)

1 tsp. sesame oil

12-15 mu-shu wrappers (can be found in the frozen section of an asian grocer)

freshly ground pepper

3 scallions, green part sliced thinly lengthwise

the eggs are the first component to prepare for the mu-shu filling.  basically, we’re making an omelet without the filling.  start by whisking the two eggs with a dash of salt and pepper.  heat a 10” non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and pour the eggs into the pan.  when the bottom side of the omelet is browned (about 1 and a half minutes), flip it over and cook the other side for another 30 seconds.  remove from the pan and let cool on a plate or on a cutting board.  once the plain egg omelet has cooled, cut into 2 inch matchsticks, so they’re about the same length as the bean curd.

the next components of the mu-shu are the cabbage and the shitakes, which need to be lightly sautéed.  they can be cooked in the same pan as the egg was cooked in.  reheat the frying pan again over medium-high heat.  drizzle ½ tablespoon of olive into pan and then add the sliced napa cabbage.  cook the cabbage for about a minute and a half.  it’s ready when the cabbage has started to soften but still has a crunch to it.  set the cooked cabbage aside and bring the pan back up to medium-high heat.  add the remaining olive oil with the shitake mushroom.s  cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the mushrooms to soften. 

once all four filling ingredients are prepared and ready, mix together the hoisin sauce, the rice vinegar, mirin and seasame oil.  pour over the filling mixture and toss together. 

once the filling is ready, prepare the mu-shu wrappers for wrapping.  separate each mu-shu wrapper carefully, as they are incredibly thin and delicate.  place a damp paper towel over the stack of wrappers and heat for 45 seconds in a microwave. 

place a heaping spoonful of filling on a wrapper.

 

fold over the left and right sides. 

then fold over the top and the bottom.

secure the presents by double knotting the scallion ribbon around the wrap.

     

       

vietnamese summer rolls with flank steak

photo by allan.

tonight two good friends, markell and moira, my brother and i headed over to marin to do some pro-bono catering for an intimate fundraising event by the international accountability project (iap) where my friend joanna levitt is the co-director.  joanna is leaving for india tomorrow night where she'll begin three months of on-the-ground work to further the causes of iap.  a true hero, it was an honor to be able to contribute to the cause that she loves by doing something that i love, feeding people.  since joanna is headed off for asia, a menu of small asian bites was requested.  in the last few days i got to rediscover some of my favorite asian cookbooks: fuschia dunlop's "land of plenty" highlighting food from china's sichuan province, "the food of china" which is a must-have just for its photos of chinese life through food, and nancy's mcdermott's "quick and easy vietnamese," which really makes vietnamese food easy for anyone. 

after taking in all the great inspiration of my cookbooks, friends and recent asian meals, i finally decided on a menu of 4 simple but tasty asian dishes: vietnamese summer rolls with flank steak; lemongrass shrimp; vegetarian mu-shu purses and pork and ginger-apple potstickers.  and to round out all the savoriness, markell satisfied all of our sweet tooth's (teeth?) with an asian inspired ginger-coconut cream puff.  as a red meat lover, i have to say my favorite dish of the evening was the summer rolls.  my brother had marinated and tenderized the steak last night with soy sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar and it just tasted absolutely divine with the nuoc nam dipping sauce.  the recipe below is for the flank steak version but the possibilities for summer rolls are endless.  the photos above actually show summer rolls made with two different combinations: tuna & avocado and poached shrimp & cucumber.   this dish is much easier than one would expect and so incredibly healthy and satisfying. 

vietnamese summer rolls with flank steak
serves 4-6

for the summer rolls:

2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs fish sauce
1/2 tbs brown sugar

1 small flank steak

12 oz of rice stick rice noodles*
1 cup of mint, de-stemmed
1 head of green lettuce, torn into pieces
2 medium cucumber

20 sheets of medium-sized rice paper** (about 8 inch in diameter)

1 cup of nuoc nam for dipping (recipe can be found in the vietnamese salad recipe)

the night before:

combine soy sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar in a bowl. place flank steak in a pyrex baking dish and pour marinade over. using a fork, stab the meat all over to tenderize it and also let the flavors of the marinade set in. cover and let marinate overnight in the fridge.

for the filling:

prepare the rice sticks like you would any other noodle. bring a pot of water to boil, add the noodles, cook until they’re just tender (about 12 minutes) and strain.

while the noodles are cooking, you can quickly cook your flank steak. place your top oven rack about 6” away from your broiler (that thing that spits out fire from the ceiling of your oven). place your marinated flank steak on a broiler pan and broil on high for 10 minutes. if you want your steak a little bit more well-done (shame on you), flip the steak over and broil for another 3 to 4 minutes. remove from the oven and cover with two layers of foil. let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into half inch thick slices against the grain (cut perpendicular to the grain which should run lengthwise on a flank steak).

once your noodles are ready and your flank steak is sliced, you have all your filling ingredients ready. set out your mint, lettuce, cucumbers, noodles, steak and bean sprouts in an assembly line. it’s time to wrap!

to wrap:

the rice paper must be soaked in a bit of warm water before it’ll become pliable for wrapping. fill up an 8” frying pan with a little less than 1 inch of water and heat over medium-low heat. the water should be warm but definitely not too hot to touch. quickly skim the rice paper through the water. you want to make sure that the entire surface gets wet but be careful not to soak it in water or it’ll end up tearing too easily. you can practice with a few until you get the hang of it.

once the rice paper is wet, set it flat on a plate and let it soften (this should not take long). i like to have two plates out, each with a piece of wet rice paper on it, to make the process a bit more efficient. you can roll one while the other rice paper is softening. once the rice paper is soft place 1 or 2 pieces of lettuce 1 inch away from the bottom edge of the paper, then add on the noodles, meat and the rest of the toppings. it’s important not to be too greedy here. the rice paper is delicate and it’s better to start with less or you may end up with an exploding summer roll. wrap by folding over the bottom edge over the filling, roll once through and then fold over the two edges and finish rolling through. take your empty plate and wet another sheet of rice paper to put on it. then fill the other plate while the other sheet of rice paper is softening. wrap until all the filling ingredients are gone.

enjoy by dipping into a bowl of nuoc nam.

*rice sticks are simply just a type of rice noodles. as their name suggests, they’re shaped like pick-up-sticks (one of my favorite childhood games which i’m sure has now been turned into a facebook application or something along those lines). they’re common in vietnamese dishes and is often served in a large bowl and topped with some julienned cucumbers and carrots, a tasty grilled meat and then tossed with the quintessential vietnamese sauce, nuoc nam. vietnamese summer rolls just take all the goodness of that bowl of noodles and packages it in a more portable form with a sheet of rice paper. they can be found in an asian grocer and even now in big-box grocers these days.

**some brands of rice paper are better than others.  i prefer the brands with the rose or elephant logo.  they tend to tear less.

seared sea scallops with meyer-lemon tarragon cream

while i know a lot of people that love scallops, i know very few people that have ever prepared them at home. many consider scallops purely a restaurant treat, something that only fancy chefs can cook up. and because we don't make them at home, we're quite willing to pay a heavy pricetag to enjoy them while dining out. i used to be one of those people. i would pay $25.00 for an entree of scallops and was so often disappointed when the waiter would bring my dish out with just three scallops on an otherwise barren plate. even though i knew i'd definitely have to make a stop for a second dinner on my way home, the silky, sweet meat of a scallop was always too good to pass up.

however two years ago, i signed up for a seafood cooking class with my friend heather and i was astounded to learn just how easy it is to make perfectly seared scallops. with simply some quality scallops, salt & pepper, oil and a frying pan, anyone could make this restaurant-style fare at home. in this recipe, i've used one of my favorite ingredients of the season, meyer lemons, to make a creamy sauce infused with licorice-y tarragon to help cut some of the tartness.  it will definitely impress your guests, and you might even be asked, "where did you learn to make such delicious scallops? you must have worked at a restaurant?"

seared scallops with meyer lemon-tarragon cream

serves 4 as an appetizer

for the sauce:
1 tbs. of unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, diced
zest of one meyer lemon
1 tbs. of fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbs. of meyer lemon juice
salt

for the scallops:
1 lb. of large, dry sea scallops* (10-12 per lbs.)
alt and pepper
2 tbs. of olive oil

for the sauce:
melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, shallot, zest and tarragon and saute for about 2 minutes. add the white wine and turn the heat up so the sauce comes to a boil. boil until the wine reduces by half. now pour in the cream and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. finally add the lemon juice and season with salt to taste. before serving, strain sauce through a sieve.

for the scallops:
it's important to make sure that the scallops are dry before cooking. i usually place my scallops between two sheets of paper towel to absorb any residual moisture. while scallops often come with the adductor muscle that once connected it to its shell removed, sometimes the fishmonger misses a few. the muscle is usually just a small flap on the side of the scallop and is easily peeled off (picture below courtesy of cooking light).

 

once the scallops are prepared for cooking, sprinkle both sides with some salt and pepper. heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. add 1 tbs. of oil and spread to coat the pan. once the oil is hot, add half the scallops. we'll cook our scallops in two batches as it's important not to crowd the pan. when too many scallops are cooked, the heat of the pan is reduced and the scallops end up releasing their moisture. this prevents them from searing and browning, which is exactly what we don't want to happen.

sear scallops for 1 and a half minutes on both sides, which will keep the center still a bit rare. clean the pan and repeat for the second batch.

serve 2-3 per guest and drizzle with meyer lemon-tarragon cream sauce.

*dry scallops are definitely preferred over wet sea scallops. wet scallops are treated with a solution called STP (sodium tripolyphosphate), which helps the scallop retain moisture and also allows your fishmonger to rip you off a bit, since you're now paying for the added water weight. additionally, the extra moisture makes it more difficult to brown.

vietnamese salad with poached shrimp

while my mom always tried incredibly hard to please her two kids by cooking some western meals every so often, i always thought she was way more successful in the kitchen when she stuck with what she knew.  not to say that i didn't enjoy my spaghetti with ketchup growing up but my mother's homemade vietnamese food was many, many levels above noodles dressed in heinz. her pho (translated: beef noodle soup), bun bo hue (spicy pig's feet noodle soup. yes, i said pig's feet), cha gio (spring rolls) and freshly made nuoc nam (sweet & sour fish sauce) were all to die for. even with the plethora of cheap vietnamese restaurants in san francisco, i still request all of those dishes from her when i go home to maryland.

sadly, i've only learned to make a few of them but one of her traditional dishes that i have adapted is her vietnamese chicken salad. traditionally made with cabbage, carrots, mint and tender slices of dark chicken, i've westernized this dish a bit. in addition to the thin slices of napa cabbage and julienned carrots, i've added a greater spectrum of flavors and colors. red peppers add a punch of red and sweetness and purple radicchio contributes a bit of bitterness to balance the other flavors out. i've swapped the chicken for poached shrimp to fancy-pants it up a bit. and of course, it's still dressed in my mother's nuoc nam, a recipe i'll never mess with, for it's exactly perfect as it is. serve this vietnamese salad as a side to your next asian themed meal, pack it on a picnic or even consider it for an entree by adding a few more shrimp to hearty it up a bit. the colors and flavors will satisfy any appetite.

vietnamese salad with poached shrimp
serves 4-6 as a side

for the nuoc nam dressing:

1 cup water

½ cup sugar

3 tbs. fish sauce

2 tbs. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. chili-garlic sauce

for the salad:

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

salt

½ hed of napa cabbage

½ head of radicchio

2 large carrots, peeled and julienne

1 red pepper, julienne

½ cup of loosely packed mint leaves, chiffonade

to make the nuoc nam:
bring 1 cup of water to boil in a small saucepan.  stir in sugar and lower heat to medium.  we are essentially making a simple syrup by using the heat to evaporate the water thereby making a thicker sugar & water mixture, aka syrup.  heat until the water has been reduced by one half.  take off the heat and let cool.

when the mixture has cooled add the other ingredients.  nuoc nam can easily be tailored to taste and you'll get better each time you make it.  add more fish sauce for savoriness or more lime juice for tartness or more chili-garlic sauce for more heat.  mix everything together and set aside.

to make the salad:
fill up a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  salt heavily and add shrimp.  lower heat to medium and cook shrimp for about 5 minutes until pink.  drain and let cool.

toss together all other ingredients.  add shrimp and dress with nuoc nam.

steel cut oatmeal with dried figs, the perfect morning "push"

admit it.  we've all been on the john in the morning and needed a little morning "push," which can come in many, many forms depending on well, your digestive system.  for some of us, the morning cup of joe is all one needs to clear it all out; for others it's a bowl of fiber-filled oatmeal.  i've never been a coffee drinker nor an oatmeal fan until my friend joyce introduced me to steel cut oats over one of our weekly girls breakfast get-togethers.  i don't know how i could have gone all these years without knowing that such goodness existed.  no amount of doctoring with brown sugar, cinnamon, fruit or nuts could ever hide the mushy texture of a bowl of oatmeal made out of rolled oats for me.  but steel cut oats takes care of that problem, providing just the right bite and also for me, just the right "push."

since my introduction to steel cut oats, i've been making a big batch every weekend switching up the fruit every week.  this recipe for steel cut oatmeal with dried figs satisfies my fig craving long after the end of fig season.  mixing in some juice with the water lends an even more natural sweetness to this morning treat.  to mix it up, feel free to cook in bananas, apples or pears instead or top with some fresh berries.  for an even extra "push," stir in some ground up flax seeds and i guarantee you'll be rushing to the toilet by 9. 

steel cut oatmeal with dried figs
serves 4

3 cups of water
2 cups of 100% apple juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of steel cut oats
1 cup dried figs, rough chopped
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
brown sugar to taste
1/2 cup walnuts, rough chopped
real maple syrup for drizzling

bring water and juice to boil in a medium sized saucepan.  add salt and 1 cup of steel cut oats and lower heat to a simmer.  cook for about 25 minutes, stirring often, letting the oats slowly soak in all the liquids.   add 1 cup dried figs and simmer for another 5 minutes, which will soften and reconstitute the dried fruit.  season with cinnamon and brown sugar and add in walnuts.  drizzle with real maple syrup and serve warm for the perfect hot breakfast.   

granola & yogurt: the new breakfast of champions

i've never been known to enjoy a healthy breakfast.  given my options, i'm the one that always orders the least healthy option on the menu, with an extra serving of sausage on the side please.  it takes all the strength i can gather in the morning to step away from the tater tots in the cafeteria in the morning.  i can just hear them calling to me, "we were your childhood favorite.  we might be lubricated with grease but how can you resist that deep fried crunchiness?  pour on some ketchup for an extra sugar kick in the morning.  you know you can't resist . . . " 

but as much as i love some greasy morning goodness, even i can't quite eat the way i used to.  luckily, i've been caught by the yogurt craze that has gotten so many addicted to the healthy treat.  and what better to compliment the creaminess and tanginess of fresh yogurt than some sweet crunchy granola?  when i started looking for my perfect granola, i found that all the packaged stuff just wasn't that great.  they were packed with too much sugar or too chunky or too bland or too hard to chew.  so i decided to make my own instead.  this basic homemade granola is incredibly simple to make and provides the perfect flavor and texture balance to some fresh yogurt.  so good that you'll forget that you're actually eating something healthy.

and of course, feel free to layer in any of your favorite granola ingredients such as coconut, cashews, craisins, raisins, pumpkins seeds, some bacon bits . . . ugh, i guess the greasy breakfast lover in me isn't completely dead.

the simplest granola
(makes 4 cups)

3 cups rolled oats
4 tbs. canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup slivered almonds

preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

toss all ingredients together.  spread out onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

serve with fresh yogurt and choice of fruit (i pureed up some frozen raspberries here).  and as i'm still a newbie to the healthy yogurt world, i'm still trying out all different brands.  let me know what some of your favorites are.

brown butter-sage mushroom lasagna

one of my favorite dishes is just a simple mushroom ricotta ravioli with a drizzle of brown butter-sage sauce.  the earthiness of the mushrooms, the lightness of the ricotta and the nutty richness of the brown-butter sage makes for a perfect flavor combination.  unfortunately, one of the few things i still haven't invested in for my kitchen is a pasta maker, so unable to make my own homemade ravioli, i've deconstructed this dish to form a delicious lasagna.  so delicious that it might even be better than the ravioli form . . .

brown butter-sage mushroom lasagna
serves 6-8

for the pasta:
1 lb. lasagna noodles
sea salt
olive oil

for the brown butter:
1 stick of unsalted butter (8 tbs.)
6 sage leaves, plus more for garnish

for the filling:
16 oz. ricotta
2 medium sized eggs
2 tbs. olive oil
2 lbs. assorted mushrooms (i used shitake, oyster and portobellos this time, though porcini's, chanterelles, cremini are all great choices)
1 cup pine nuts, toasted
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

for the topping:
4 tbs. flour
2 cups low-fat milk (whole is fine, but skim won't give you the thickness you need)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup gruyere, shredded

for lasagna noodles:
bring large pot of water to boil.  salt heavily with sea salt.  everyone that's ever made lasagna has probably run into the problem of having the sheets of pasta stick together.  some people add a drizzle of oil to the water, but i think stirring every few minutes is much more effective.  boil for about 6 to 7 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.  remember, they'll cook a bit more in the oven.  once pasta is cooked, drain and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking.

for brown butter (start while water is boiling for pasta):
place 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan.  turn the heat to medium-low and slowly melt butter.  the heat eventually will separate the milk solids from the butterfat and toast the milk solids giving brown butter its color and flavor.  as it heats, it's perfectly natural for the butter to foam as liquids move up to the surface.  once the butter has reached a rich amber color (not quite brown as brown butter would suggest), remove from heat and skim off the foam from the top.  add 4 of the sage leaves to infuse the butter wish sage flavor.  run through sieve to remove brown bits.  set aside.

for filling (start while water is boiling & butter is browning):
combine ricotta with 2 eggs.  season with 1 tsp. of kosher salt and set aside.  heat large saute pan over medium-high heat.  drizzle with 1 tbs. of olive oil.  add half the mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes or until mushrooms cook down and become tender to the bite.  season to taste with salt & pepper and remove mushrooms to a separate bowl.  return pan to heat and drizzle with another tablespoon of olive oil and repeat with second batch of mushrooms.  toss half the brown butter (about 3.5 tablespoons) with mushrooms.

preheat oven to 375 degrees at this point.

assemble lasagna by overlaying 3 sheets of noodles on the bottom of a lightly oiled 9 x 13 pyrex or ceramic baking dish.  using a spatula, spoon and spread one third of the ricotta cheese mixture onto noodles.  top with one third of the mushrooms and sprinkle with pine nuts.  repeat two more times, with the final top layer being mushrooms. 

for bechamel sauce:
heat medium saucepan over medium heat and pour in remaining brown butter.  whisk and incorporate in 4 tbs. of flour to form a roux (a french base for thickening sauces).  slowly whisk in milk.  add remaining 2 leaves of sage and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking often.  the sauce will thicken from the roux as it heats up.  once it starts to bubble, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. 

pour bechamel sauce over assembled lasagna and bake for 40 minutes.  remove from oven, sprinkle with gruyere and broil low for another 5 to 10 minutes until cheese starts to bubble and brown.  serve hot with sage leaves as garnish.

white bean & red pepper salad

tim recently announced that he was becoming a vegetarian.  for the past few years, he's been on a very-little-meat diet, so the announcement didn't come as a big surprise, but i'm not gonna lie . . . the news was a bit difficult for me to swallow.  it's not that i'm discriminating against vegetables or vegetarians.  i love all vegetables and was a vegetarian myself for part of college (i know, shock!!!).  i own several vegetarian cookbooks and even have a couple of vegetarian blogs bookmarked, but i've come to love food - all foods - so much that it's hard for me to think of limiting my possibilities. 

he and i eat out at least once a week together, and i love being able to share food, taste a little bit of this, a little bit of that (so if you don't want someone nibbling off of your plate, don't invite me to dinner!).  as a result, we've now tailored our ordering at restaurants to vegetarian dishes so we can still share, and the truth is, i don't really miss the meat.  sure, there have been times where i'm eyeing the duck or a plate of greasy potstickers on the menu, but i'm just as satisfied with the vegetarian alternatives that we choose.

it's meant a bit of tailoring of my own menus too.  besides being a vegetarian now, tim also happens to be a bit of a exercise addict with now two ironmans under his belt so making sure he gets enough protein is key.  we spend part of the weekends together up here in the city and before he heads back to his place on sunday, i pack up a week's worth of meals for him (the benefits of being the significant other to a part-time chef).  so i've had to put my creative chef hat on to think of meals that are transportable, vegetarian and full of protein.  one of my favorite has been this white bean and red pepper salad.  it's quick, portable and incredibly tasty with my lemon-balsamic vinaigrette.  it's not only perfect for feeding a vegetarian boyfriend but also a great starter to a meal, a side-dish to fish or chicken or spoon it on a piece of ciabatta for a great new take on bruschetta.

 

i guess limiting my possibilities isn't so bad.

quick and easy white bean & red pepper salad
serves 4 as a side

1 15 oz. can of white kidney/cannellini beans
1 red pepper, diced
a handful of parsley, chopped finely and some for garnish
1/2 teaspoon shallot, diced
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tbs. white balsamic vinegar (white wine vinegar can be substituted)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

combine beans, red pepper and parsley in a bowl.  in a smaller bowl, combine shallot, lemon juice, vinegar and salt.  whisk in olive oil.  toss with beans and red pepper.  garnish with parsley if serving right away or pack up in some containers for an easy transportable meal.

   

simple mushroom risotto

my first "adult" dinner party ("adult" in quotes as i was still living with my parents at the time) was nothing short of disaster.  i was 20 at the time and had just returned from a trip to europe where i was studying painting in florence and gulfing down two or three pastries at a time during our breaks.  six weeks and twelve pounds later, i came back to the states with a hunger to cook up and share all the great italian flavors my palate had experienced. 

i invited two of my girlfriends over for dinner and planned a very simple menu of risotto and cheesecake (this was my first dinner party after all).  i had never cooked risotto before and made three classic rookie mistakes.  i started off with three cups of rice (mistake #1: arborio rice expands a lot and you definitely don't need one cup per person), only four cups of stock (mistake #2: arborio rice absorbs a lot of liquid) and didn't really do much stirring (mistake #3: when they say stir, they mean stir).  in the end, i was left with white mush to serve with my friends.  it took me 3 years before i got up the guts to throw another dinner party. 

i have rebounded from that disastrous evening and have cooked and served risotto often.  it has become one of my favorite comfort dishes taking me back to that summer in italy.  i confess that it isn't a low-maintenance dish but worth the effort of every stir.  i especially love the versatility of risotto.  there are endless combinations and i've got well over a dozen in my repertoire but one everyone should have in their recipe box is a simple mushroom risotto.  i finish mine with marscapone, giving the risotto an out of this world nutty creaminess.

so, go off and stir, stir, stir.

mushroom risotto
serves 4

2 tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
5 to 6 cups chicken stock
1.5 cups assorted mushrooms of your choice (i used portobello mushrooms in this recipe)
1/4 cup marscapone cheese
parmesan reggiano
parsley, chopped finely for garnish
salt & pepper

pour chicken stock into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  it helps to have hot stock on hand as it helps the absorption process. 

in a separate saute pan (four quarts is a great size), heat olive olive over medium high heat.  add onions and saute until translucent, about three minutes.  add arborio rice and cook with softened onions for about 2 minutes.  add white wine and stir until liquid is almost all absorbed.  ladle in chicken stock one and a half cups at a time*, remembering to stir often.  i add a dash of salt with each ladle of stock to provide some additional seasoning to the dish.  after about 4 cups of stock, add the mushrooms and finish cooking with the rest of the stock.  the risotto is ready when the rice loses its opaqueness and has softened but still has a subtle bite to it.  finish by folding in the marscapone cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.  sprinkle on parmesan-reggiano and parsley and serve hot. 

*an easy way to tell when the risotto needs more liquid is by doing the "runny liquids" test.  use a wooden spoon to cut through the risotto.  if the liquid runs back together, then keep on stirring.  however, if it stays parted, then add another ladle of stock.   

potato, corn & leek pizza with truffle oil

i have never tasted a pizza that i didn't love.  from the deep-dishes of chicago to the thin crust pizze of italia, i've loved them all.  after all, how could anyone can say no to hot melting cheesy goodness?  earlier this year, my love for pizza led me to take a best of bay area pizza tour.  even after six months, i still can't get the squid and aioli pizza from pizzaiolo in oakland out of my mind.  in november, i finally made it down to los angeles to see what all the hype was about surrounding mario batali and nancy silverton's pizzeria mozza (my snapshot review: amazing crust to be expected from silverton but only sub-par topping combinations).  but despite all of the wonderful pizzerias out there, some of the most enjoyable slices i've had have come out of my own oven and of all the combinations i've experimented with, my favorite has been my potato, corn and leek pizza.  the sweetness of the corn, the creaminess of the leeks, oozing hot cheese, and a light drizzle of truffle oil to finish takes this pizza from homemade to simply gourmet.

i am always looking for new topping combinations, so let me know your favorite.

potato, corn & leek pizza with truffle oil 
serves 2

for potatoes:
4 fingerling potatoes
2 tbs. olive oil
salt & pepper

for leeks:
1 tbs. olive oil
the white/light green part of two leeks, sliced thinly
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbs. heavy whipping cream

for rest of pizza:
1 lb. of pre-made pizza dough (i'm partial to trader joe's 99 cents plain pizza dough)
2 tbs. flour
3 oz. whole mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 oz. gruyere, grated
1/3 cup corn kernels (frozen is fine in the winter)
salt & pepper
truffle oil

preheat oven to 400 degrees.  slice potatoes to about 1/8th inch thick slices - this is the perfect job for a mandoline or a v-slicer if you have one.   toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay out on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

while potatoes are baking, heat a medium-sized frying pan to medium high heat.  add olive oil and then thinly sliced leeks.  saute for 2 minutes and then add white wine.  saute until most of the wine has been absorbed by the leeks.  add cream and cook for another minute.  take off heat and set aside.

now comes the fun (but difficult) part of rolling out the pizza dough.  while most people toss or roll out the dough first on a larger surface and then transfer it to a pizza stone or baking sheet, i simply lack the coordination for this effort.  my attempts to imitate the pizza masters of the world have only resulted in scenes more comedic than "i love lucy's" twirling a pizza episode.  instead, i just roll out the pizza dough with my hands onto a parchment lined baking sheet using flour to prevent dough from sticking to my hands.  for those more physically adept, chuck that piece of dough in the air and pray it doesn't land on your ceiling.

once dough has been rolled out to desired thickness (about 1/4 inch for me), top in the following order: 1) leeks; 2) mozzarella; 3) potatoes; 4) corn; 5) gruyere; and then 6) a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  bake in the oven at 400 for 12 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble and gruyere starts to get slightly golden.  drizzle with some truffle oil and eat piping hot (although this pizza makes a great cold leftover as well).