Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 ounce dried matsutake mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, minced
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (warm)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Cover the dried porcini mushrooms in the boiling water and let sit 30 minutes. Strain through a coffee strainer to remove and grit, reserving the soaking liquid. Pour reserved liquid into chicken stock warming on stove. Roughly chop the dried mushrooms and set aside.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and saute until they turn tender and have released their liquids and are starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute longer. Add chopped dried mushrooms and toss to combine. Remove the mushroom mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Add the rice to the hot pan and toast until it starts to turn translucent, about 1-3 minutes. Add the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon until the wine has been soaked up by the rice.

Add the warm stock to the sauce pan 1 cup at a time while stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat process until you’ve used all the stock and the rice is nice and tender to the bite.

Add the butter and Parmesan and stir until it’s combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley just before serving.

Source: adapted from Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Spaghetti With Clams

Spaghetti With Clams

1 pound dried spaghetti
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 pounds (about 25) Manila or Littleneck clams, scrubbed clean
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter, diced into small cubes
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, zested, for garnish

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When almost smoking, add shallots and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes or until most clams have opened. Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk in butter to thicken sauce slightly.

Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water. Place pasta into the clam saute pan and mix thoroughly. Season with to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour pasta into large serving bowl. Zest lemon over the dish. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

Shrimp Saltimbocca

Shrimp Saltimbocca

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled with tails left on
6 whole fresh sage leaves
6 thin slices of prosciutto, cut into 1×3 inch strips (4 strips per piece)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine
juice from 1/2 lemon
3 Tbsp. cold butter
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Wrap each shrimp with a piece of proscuitto and secure using a toothpick, or by placing 3 or 4 shrimp on a skewer at a time.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add sage leaves and the smashed clove of garlic. Cook until sage leaves begin to change color and are fragrant, about30 seconds. Remove the sage with a slotted spoon.

Add the shrimp to the pan, and cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Remove the garlic clove and discard. Remove the shrimp and keep warm. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

If there is any excess fat in the skillet, pour it off. Add the chopped garlic, stir in the vermouth, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until it’s reduced to about 3-4 Tbsp. Stir in lemon juice.

Turn heat down to low, and whisk in the butter. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over shrimp, and crumble (or serve whole) the fried sage leaves on top before serving.

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, May 2008 via Elly Says Opa

Braised Short Rib Lasagna

Braised Short Rib Lasagna

2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry red wine
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 box lasagna noodles
kosher salt
black pepper

For the bechamel:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Rehydrate the mushrooms by placing in a bowl with boiling water. Let sit 15 minutes until soft. Strain the musrooms and reserve cooking liquid to add to the sauce if you like. Roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside.

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the short ribs, in batches if necessary, and brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook until it darkens 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and add the bay leaf. Simmer, stirring and scraping up any browned bits as you go, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add in the crushed tomatoes, as well as the reserved mushroom liquid if using, and bring to a simmer. Return the short ribs to the pot, along with the mushrooms. Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, turning the ribs every 30 to 40 minutes, until the meat is
fall-off-the-bone tender, about 3 hours total.

Meanwhile cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions, drape on the sides of the colander or the cooking pot, and set aside for assembly.

Use tongs to remove the ribs from the pot and move them to a plate to cool. Pour the sauce into a heatproof bowl and discard the bay leaf. Allow to sit for a few minutes, until the fat rises to the surface. Be sure to get as much fat off as you can, or the tomato sauce will be greasy. Skim it off with a large spoon and discard. When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove any fat or cartilage. Shred the meat and set aside in a medium bowl.

Make the bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a whisk and cook until golden, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and add the garlic clove. Cook at a gentle simmer, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Remove the garlic clove and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish and cover the sauce with a slightly overlapping layer of the noodles. Spread 3/4 cup of bechamel over the noodles, and add 3/4 cup of the shredded meat over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the shredded Parmesan cheese, and 2/3 cup of the mozzarella.

Add another layer of noodles, then repeat the layers as instructed above, to make a total of 3 layers of meat and 4 layers of noodles. At this point you should have used all the meat, but still have some sauce and cheese left over. Spread the remainder of the the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional Parmesan for sprinkling if you like.

Source: adapted from Fine Cooking via Pink Parsley and So Tasty, So Yummy