Earlier this year I caught an interesting recipe on Mark Bittman’s blog for Coconut Braised Beef. It was a rather simple recipe using coconut milk to braise some cubed chuck.

Not long after discovering it I made it for dinner one night and it was good, but not great. Personally I’m not as much of a fan of braised beef as I am pork. I think it is a textural thing.

Deciding that I needed to try it again with pork, I also decided to add a little more of my style to the dish. I added mango to the mix, as well as some lemongrass. Also, to make the presentation more appealing (my wife loves color) I diced some mango, scallions red bell pepper to make it look festive.

The results of this experiment were phenomenal and, according to my wife, this vaulted to the top of her favorite things that I make. After nearly six years together and a lot of kitchen adventures I felt that was a rather impressive accomplishment.

Personally, I’m not much of a fan of a lot of sauce on my dishes, but the braising liquid reduction with pureed mango was very silky and would taste good on a car bumper.

The residual heat from the chili powder and sriracha added a nice, light bite. If you prefer your food more spicy, then I would recommend at least doubling what I used.

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• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup peanuts, crushed, 1/4 cup reserved
• 2 pounds boneless country pork ribs, cubed*
• 2 cans coconut milk, 1 can reserved
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 2 mangoes, 1 1/2 roughly chopped, 1/2 finely diced
  1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup agave nectar (or 1/3 cup brown sugar)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 bunch scallions, bias cut
• salt and pepper, to taste

assemblage

• In a medium size bowl combine the first eight ingredients to form a loose paste, then saute for two to three minutes on the stovetop
• Add the cubed pork and stir to combine until the meat is coated in the paste
• Pour the coconut milk and water into the pan and cook for two to three minutes before pouring the mixture into a slow cooker
• Add the lemongrass, cilantro sprigs and roughly chopped mango
• Cover and cook for about eight hours on low
• When the pork is finished, separate the solids from braising liquid, wrap the pork in aluminum foil and reserve the mango pieces
• Pour the strained braising liquid in a medium sauce pot and add the second can of coconut milk, orange juice, agave nectar (or brown sugar) and reduce by half
• Add the reserved mango pieces and hit it with the boat motor (immersion blender), or allow to cool then transfer to a regular blender
• If allowed to cool, return the reduction sauce back to the sauce pan and bring back to a simmer, otherwise, add braised pork into the reduction and stir to coat completely

presentation

I served this braised pork very simply with some brown and red basmati rice and a few garnishes. Plating it up consisted of putting the rice in the center of a shallow bowl, a serving of the pork, a healthy drizzle of the sauce, then topping it all off with the diced mango and red bell pepper, reserved crushed peanuts and scallions.

* I used bone in country ribs because I didn’t find any boneless that I cared for. You could also cube up a pork shoulder that you’ve trimmed of any excess fat.

Late last week I was reading the blog of food author Michael Ruhlman, a favorite of mine, and he had a video post on how to make sausage. While I wouldn’t consider myself an expert by any means, I feel am a seasoned sausage maker.

My cold smoked barbecue sausage is easily my favorite cased creation. It takes nearly two days to create a batch, but when they grill up with that beautiful mahogany color it makes it all worth while.

Still, I’m always up to see if I can learn any new tricks, and as I was watching his video the sausage recipe he included in the post caught my eye – Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes.

All of a sudden inspiration struck and evil plans immediately began constructing themselves in my head. I decided that I would cash in some of my contest winnings and experiment with a sausage recipe based on my prize winning chicken dish.

With the exception of a German weisswurst I made for Christmas a few years back I have only ever used pork as the base for my sausages. Since I haven’t made any sausage in a few months I was intrigued by the possibilities of using chicken.

I set out to build my base ingredient list and decided that instead of using chicken skin or substituting pork back fat that I would use pancetta, which would also replace the proscuitto in the braciole di pollo recipe. Next I eliminated the bread crumbs because they made no sense to include and I substituted ricotta salata (you could characterize it as Italian feta) for the fontina cheese.

After procuring all the ingredients, I cubed the meat (the chicken and the pancetta) and seasoned it with salt, fresh ground black pepper and finely minced garlic overnight. Father’s Day afternoon I mixed in the remaining ingredients I had planned and ground it up.

With all the ingredients mixed together and ground, I cooked up a quick patty to test my seasoning and to ensure my concept was as good in practice as it appeared to be in theory.

The seasoning was perfect and the results were phenomenal.

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4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
1 pound pancetta, cubed *
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced
1 cup arugula, chopped, tightly packed
1/2 cup parmesan reggiano, grated
1/2 cup ricotta salata, grated
1/2 cup golden raisins, macerated in 1/4 cup white wine
Zest and juice of a lemon

Assemblage

• Cube the chicken and pancetta, then season with the salt, pepper and garlic (allow to sit overnight, if possible)
• Remove mixture from refrigerator and mix in the remaining ingredients
• Grind using a fine plate, then fry up a test patty in a frying pan with some oil to test seasoning and adjust accordingly
• Return ground mixture to refrigerator for about an hour
• Case the mixture using a medium size hog casing **

* If you don’t consume pork for dietary or religious purposes you can substitute the pancetta for beef fat.

** You can also either not case the mixture and keep it loose, or substitute natural sheep casings or even synthetic ones, such as collagen casings.

Related articles by Zemanta

• braciole di pollo (peachesenrisotto.com)
• Italian braciole recipe for dummies (slideshare.net)
• I’m the Chicken King! (realmendriveminivans.com)

The other day I was approached by RedEnvelope to participate in a Father’s Day gift promotion that I detailed today over on my fatherhood blog. To test out the gift I received, a wireless talking barbecue and oven thermometer, I decided to put together a quick rib eye roast with a herb and horseradish crust. Here’s the results of my efforts.

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• 4 pound ribeye roast
• 4 cloves, garlic
• 3 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 3 sprigs, rosemary
• 3 sprigs, thyme
• 1/4 cup flatleaf parsley
• 1/2 cup parmesan reggiano
• olive oil, as needed
• salt and pepper, to taste

assemblage

• Add the garlic through parmesan cheese into a food processor and pulse to combine
• Slowly drizzle olive oil while the food processor is running until a moist paste develops
• Using a spatula smear the paste all over the roast

• Put the roast on a roasting pan and cook in a 350 degree oven until it reaches the desired internal temperature.
• I pulled it at 145 degree and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Slice and enjoy!

Recently I entered Perdue’s Verifiably Good Video Contest where I submitted my Braciole di Pollo with Parmesan Herb Polenta and a Roasted Tomato Puree. In preparing this dish I drew inspiration from my childhood, as my mother would make a more traditional braciole using beef and a filling of cheese and bread crumbs.

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Braciole di Pollo

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan reggiano, grated
1/2 cup fontina cheese, grated
1 cup arugala, finely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins, macerated in white wine (optional) and chopped
zest and juice of a lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 pound proscuitto, sliced paper thin
butchers twine
Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan Herb Polenta

1 cup polenta
4 cups milk (or water, or chicken stock)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup parmesan reggiano cheese, grated
1/2 cup fontina cheese, grated
2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Roasted Tomato Puree

6-8 tomatoes, cored (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds) and roasted
1 head garlic, halved and roasted
2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup blanched and dry roasted almonds
1/4 cup blanched and dry roasted hazelnuts
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons dry red wine, if necessary
1 slice day old bread, if necessary

assemblage

Braciole di Pollo

• Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, then use a meat tenderizer to flatten into thin cutlets
• Combine the bread crumbs, cheeses, arugala, lemon zest and juice, golden raisins, garlic and eggs in a medium mixing bowl
• Spread a tablespoon or so of the bread crumb and cheese mixture over the chicken cutlet, lay a slice of proscuitto on top, then roll up
• Tie the chicken up with some butchers twine, then place it in a roasting pan or Pyrex dish
• Drizzle olive oil over the chicken, then season liberally with salt and pepper
• Roast in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven.

Parmesan Herb Polenta

• In a medium saucepan add the milk and polenta and bring to slow boil while stirring frequently, about 15 minutes
• Stir in the cheeses, butter, herbs, salt and pepper
• Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary
• If the polenta is too thick, add milk a little at a time until you achieve the consistency you desire

Roasted Tomato Puree

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees
• Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the cored tomatoes and halved garlic head in a non reactive pan and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, then remove and allow to cool
• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and toast the hazelnuts and almonds until golden brown (5 to 6 minutes) while shaking the pan frequently to avoid burning, then set aside to cool
• Add the cooled tomatoes, garlic, hazelnuts and almonds in a food processor and pulse until combined
• Slowly drizzle 1/3 of a cup olive oil in a steady stream, then add the vinegar, salt and pepper
• Continue to process until it comes together, but still retaining a coarse texture
• Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary
• If the sauce appears to be too thick add some of the red wine a little at a time, if too thin then add a little of the bread until it reaches the consistency you desire

presentation

I’ve plated this up two ways before, individually and family style. For both I lay down a foundation of polenta in the middle of a plate or serving platter, then ladle on the roasted tomato puree. For the individual plating place a whole braciole right on top, while for the family style I slice up the braciole and rest them on top. A nice finishing touch is some chiffenaded basil and some freshly grated hazelnut.

After the success I had with creating an Iron Chef America inspired dish last week it fueled my desire to attempt to replicate a dish I saw Chef Michael Symon make on the same episode. His dish was a chocolate pasta with a pork and boar shoulder ragout, however, I wasn’t able to find boar, so I stuck with just pork shoulder.

Since I could not find any recipes available on the Food Network website for any of the Iron Chef America episodes, I had to draw upon Chef Symon’s description of the dish and my experiences with braising. Obviously I did not make this in under an hour, but I also did not have any sous chefs or Alton Brown narrating my every move.

Despite my eagerness to attempt to replicate his dish, I was a little apprehensive about properly balancing chocolate and chili peppers in a savory dish. However, when it was all said and done I couldn’t have been happier with the results. The reduction sauce was amazing with the dark chocolate notes hitting you first as it finished with the heat from the chili peppers.

My only critiques would be I wish I had reduced the sauce a little more, as I felt it was a little thin for my tastes, and I could have added a touch more heat. The next time I do this I will probably try a more potent pepper, something in between a jalapeno and a habanero.

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5 pound pork shoulder, trimmed
olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 tablespoons chili powder, 1 reserved
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon reserved
salt and pepper, to taste
2 14.9 ounce cans Double Chocolate Stout, 1 reserved for chef
1 1/2 cups orange juice, reserve 3/4 cup
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, reserve 3/4 cup
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 medium carrots, 2 roughly chopped, 2 julienned
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
6 to 8 garlic cloves, smashed
2 jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ounce of 60% or greater chocolate, grated (about 4 squares of a Lindt bar)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

assemblage

• Wash, pat dry, trim any excess fat from and lightly coat the pork shoulder in olive oil
• Liberally apply salt and combine the brown sugar, chili powder and cayenne pepper before rubbing it on the meat
• Wrap in plastic wrap and, if possible, refrigerate overnight
• Remove meat from refrigerator, if necessary, and deposit it in a slow cooker
• Pour in the chocolate stout, orange juice and stock, then the onion, roughly chopped carrot, celery, garlic and jalapenos
• Cook on low for up to eight hours
• When finished cooking strain/separate the fat from the braising liquid and begin reducing in a medium sauce pan along with the reserved orange juice and stock
• Once the braising liquid has reduced by half whisk in the tomato paste, taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary
• Whisk in the grated dark chocolate, then finish the reduction sauce by whisking in the butter and remove from heat
• Shred the pork, add in the remaining chili and cayenne powder and toss together, then ladle in about a quarter of the reduction sauce to heat it up and keep it moist

presentation

Like most pasta dishes I make, I kept the plating simple. I piled up some of the pork on the chocolate pasta, which were cut like fettucine noodles, sauced the dish and topped it all off with some julienned and sauteed carrots and red bell pepper. For the finishing touch I used my zester to grate some 70% dark chocolate like it was cheese.

On our fifth date I made my wife a somewhat elaborate dinner and afterwards she informed me that she would never be able to cook for me.

When I said that I was going to make dinner she wasn’t sure what to expect. She really enjoyed dinner, but would later tell me that she would have been happy if I had simply made tomato soup and grilled cheese.

It took me until my wife became pregnant with our son to finally get around to making her that grilled cheese and tomato soup in the form of creamy tomato bisque and paninis. It is a wonderfully comforting soup that is not only easy to make, but freezes well.

As for the paninis, they too are no more difficult than assembling a sandwich. I like to use ciabatta bread for my paninis, but focaccia would be a fine option as well.. A trick I’ve discovered is after you cut the bread invert it so that the soft inside is what ends up getting grilled, rather than the crustier exterior.

Then I layer up slices of tomato that I have first marinated in some balsamic vinegar, generous slices of fresh mozzarella, a pinch of some chiffonaded basil and proscuitto (for my wife) or sopressata (for me). Lastly, I lightly brush the outside of the sandwiches with some olive oil and grill them in a cast iron pan until they are golden brown and the cheese is melted.

As you can see it is very simple, but a nice way to jazz up a simple meal of soup and sandwiches.

Creamy Tomato Bisque

as adapted from Food Network Kitchens

hardware

Dutch oven or large pot
Measuring cups and spoons
Immersion blender or Blender and strainer

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2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 slices of bacon
1 medium yellow or sweet onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth (low sodium if canned)
1 cup sherry or white wine
1 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes with liquid, roughly chopped
3 flat lead parsley sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz mascarpone cheese (3/4 package)
salt and pepper to taste

assemblage

• Melt the butter in the oil over medium high heat in the dutch oven or pot
• Add the bacon and render down until crispy, then remove bacon
• Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and shallot, season with salt and pepper, then cook for 7 to 8 minutes, or until fragrant
• Add the flour, stirring to combine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes
• Deglaze the pan with the sherry or white wine, cook for 1 to 2 minutes
• Add the chicken broth and tomatoes, then bring to boil while stirring regularly
• Drop in the parsley and thyme (tied together with twine if you have to make it easier to retrieve), lower the heat to simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from heat and allow the base to cool
• Discard the herb bundle, then hit the soup with the immersion blender, or transfer in batches to a regular blender and strain before returning it to the pot.
• Turn the heat back on to medium
• Whisk together the mascarpone and heavy cream, then stir into the the soup, reserving 1/4 of it for garnish
• Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary

presentation

When my bisque is finished I like to serve it in a shallow bowl then swirl some of the remaining mascarpone/heavy cream mixture and top it off with some of the bacon crumbles. Combined with the paninis this bisque is the perfect cold weather comfort food.

Dipping the perfectly grilled paninis into the soup brings me back to my childhood when my mom would make tomato soup and grilled cheese after we had been playing out in the snow.

If you give this a try I’d love to hear about how it went, or what you might have done differently.

The other night I was watching an Iron Chef America battle between Iron Chef Michael Symon and Chef Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes fame. The secret ingredient for the night was chili peppers and chocolate, which is a combination that has always interested me. I had a brisket that I needed to do something with, so I took some inspiration from this episode.

Deciding to use cola as my braising liquid, I trimmed the brisket and rubbed it with a mixture of chili powder, cocoa powder and ground cayenne pepper. Then I added some soy and Worcestershire sauce along with ginger, garlic and roughly chopped jalapenos to the braise.

This recipe has some nice background heat, as I’m not a fan of heavily spiced food, and, as with any braise I do, the reduction sauce was the key to success. If you like your dishes hotter, then I’d recommend increasing the proportions or upping the ante from jalapenos to habaneros.

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2 1/2 to 3 pound beef brisket
2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups cola (not diet)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons ginger, roughly chopped
2 jalapenos, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

assemblage

• Trim the brisket of fat, the rub with mixture of chili powder, cocoa powder and cayenne pepper
• Sear the brisket in a pan on high heat on both sides, then deposit into slow cooker
• Pour the cola, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce in with the brisket
• Add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno peppers
• Cover and cook for six hours
• After the brisket is finished braising, remove and cover with foil to retain heat
• In a medium sauce pan add the braising liquid, after straining the fat, and reduce by half
• Whisk in the tomato paste and brown sugar
• Taste reduction sauce and adjust seasoning, if needed

presentation

When I originally thought about doing this I intended to slice the brisket on the bias and use the strips of meat as the basis for tacos. In order to let the delicately braised meat and reduction sauce to shine through I didn’t want to add to much to the tacos. I dressed some broccoli slaw with a sesame soy vinaigrette to provide a some contrast to the meat and some crunch.

If it isn’t overwhelmingly obvious at this point, I love a good risotto. This Milanese staple is the perfect canvas as your culinary muse. I have made a good number of risotto’s over the years and have even splurged on a special pan to cook them in.

Some of my risotto’s were intended to be served primo (as an appetizer) or secondo (as an entree). This particular recipes, which also happens to be the fifth and final installment in the fall flavors recipe series, is one I came up with for Thanksgiving dinner the first time I did my turkey osso bucco style.

While it is certainly hearty enough to stand on its own as a secondo, you could serve it as a side dish to go with any number of things like turkey or even braised short ribs.

hardware

• large saucepan or saucier
• wooden spoon, knife & cutting board
• measuring cups and spoons

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• 1 cup roasted butternut squash (see link for recipe)
• Pancetta, diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

assemblage

• In a saucepan render the pancetta until crispy, then add the shallot and butter
• Once the butter is melted and the shallots are translucent add the Arborio rice and toast to two to three minutes
• Deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow the rice to absorb the liquid
• Begin ladling in the chicken stock a little at a time, allowing the rice to cook and absorb
• When the rice is al dente add the roasted butternut squash and milk
• Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary

presentation

How you plate it all depends on how you intend to serve it. When I made this dish for this post I intended for it to be our entree and simply plated it up in a shallow bowl with some freshly grated parmegan reggiano cheese and a chiffonade of sage.

Last year we embarked on a new tradition in our family by having our first pot luck Christmas dinner. Now that my little man is mobile and my little nephew will be celebrating his first Christmas it is even more important for us to keep things simple.

The only wrench in our plan is that this year is my wife’s year to work Christmas. Since she won’t be able to partake in the feast I wanted to do have a nice sit down dinner the weekend before. As I researched menu ideas by watching some Food Network the idea of a Beef Wellington intrigued me, but the thought of spending over a hundred bucks on just the meat to feed eight people annoyed me.

Fortunately, as I turned to the internet to find more inspiration, I came across Alton Brown’s Pork Wellington recipe. The timing couldn’t have been better and at a third of the price of beef tenderloin, it would be much easier on the holiday budget.

Since this was the first time I’ve ever attempted something like this I played it pretty close to the vest in terms of following the recipe. The only addition I made was some dried apricots to go with the apples. Conversely, the only thing I eliminated was the salt that was called for when making the prosciutto wrap for the tenderloin.

I’m happy to report that the dry run went about as good as it could have gone. The final product was amazing and I’ve got a great deal of confidence heading into the big meal.

The only thing I plan on changing is adding a roasted garlic duxelle to the mix in between the prosciutto and tenderloin. While a duxelle is traditionally made with mushrooms, no one here really cares for them. So, I will be making a duxelle-like mixture with roasted garlic, red onions and pancetta instead.

hardware

• roasting pan
• cutting board, knife
• rolling pin
• measuring cups and spoons
• pastry brush
• parchment paper

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• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 ounce dried apple rings, finely diced
• 1 ounce dried apricots, finely diced
• 1 1-1 1/2 pound whole pork tenderloin
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• all purpose flour
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

assemblage

• preheat oven to 400 degrees
• whisk egg and water together in a bowl and set aside
• trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat or silver skin, then (if the tenderloin came in one solid piece) use a knife and halve it
• lay one sheet of parchment paper on the counter and arrange the prosciutto in overlapping layers
• place a second sheet of parchment paper overtop the prosciutto and roll over it a few times with the rolling pin to help the it stick together into a solid sheet
• remove the second layer of parchment paper, then sprinkle the sheet of prosciutto with the black pepper and thyme
• set the tenderloin in the middle of the prosciutto (you want the thickest ends of the tenderloin at either end, so reverse the other half of the tenderloin so that it makes a more uniform piece of meat), then spread the apples and apricots in between the two pieces

• push them back together keeping the fruit mixture in place, then using the parchment paper roll it up so the prosciutto completely wraps around the tenderloin

• sprinkle some flour on the counter, or cutting board, and using the rolling pin roll out the puff pastry to a dimension that will enable you to wrap the tenderloin completely
• place the prosciutto wrapped tenderloin in the center of the puff pastry, fold one end of the puff pastry over the tenderloin, then roll to completely enclose

• brush the edges of the puff pastry and pinch the edges closed
• put the thickest side of the puff pastry wrapped tenderloin down in the roasting pan (a good idea would be put the roasting pan in the oven while it is preheating to help develop the crust on the underside of the tenderloin)
• brush the entire puff pastry with the egg wash and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees

• remove the tenderloin from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack, allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing

presentation

Since this was just a dry run of Christmas dinner, and I was more concerned with getting the Wellington part right, I didn’t put a great deal of thought into the sides. I did some simple roasted potatoes with parsley, rosemary, thyme and toasted cracked fennel seed and then dressed some baby spinach in lemon, sea salt and olive oil.

Risotto is a style or method of cooking that is typically made with arborio rice, but risotto dishes can be crafted out of a number of different starches. Personally, I have made a risotto using barley in a pressure cooker before that was a good as any risotto I ever slaved over using arborio.

What defines a dish as a risotto, regardless of the underlying starch, is maintaining that starch throughout the cooking process in a way that binds the grains together and lends a creamy texture to the dish.

The other day I was reading Mark Bittman’s blog, Bitten, where he posted a link to a video of him making a pasta dish risotto style. When I shared this link with my friend and culinary cohort we were a bit flummoxed at how we had never thought to utilize this method in this manner before.

What I love about a risotto is that it is simply a canvas for a limitless number of flavor combinations. After scrounging through the pantry and refrigerator I pulled together enough elements to prepare a simple, yet tasty pasta dish using a box of dried pasta as the starch. The result was nothing short of amazing and I can honestly say that I can’t imagine myself making pasta any other way from now on.

If you really think about it, a risotto is a labor of love and can take thirty to forty five minutes of observant cooking to prepare correctly. This took about the same time, but considering I didn’t have to wait for several quarts of water to come to a boil and the pasta to cook before incorporating it into what I had sauteing in the pan it really didn’t take any more time.

Employing the risotto method with traditional dried pasta produced a single pot meal that not only was one of the best tasting pasta dishes I have ever made, but reduced what I had to clean up afterwards. Plus since you are adding the liquid while the starch gradually absorbs it, it is easier to determine the point at which the pasta reaches a true al dente.

hardware

• large saucepan or saucier
• wooden spoon, knife & cutting board
• measuring cups and spoons

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• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 pound box of penne pasta*
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups shrimp (51-60 count), shelled and devained
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained^
• 1 cup baby spinach, sliced into ribbons
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup parmesan reggiano cheese, finely grated
• salt and pepper to taste

* you could also use gemelli, ziti, orecchietti pasta or even broken up spaghetti

assemblage

• toast the pine nuts in the saucepan or saucier, then remove and set aside
• melt the butter in the olive oil
• when heated add the shallot, garlic, a pinch of salt and some fresh ground black pepper, then saute for two to three minutes
• stir in the pasta and toast it for three or four minutes
• deglaze the pan with the wine and allow the pasta to absorb some of the liquid
• start ladling in the chicken stock about half a cup at a time, stirring regularly as the pasta absorbs the liquid
• after you have added about 2 1/2 cups of the stock test the pasta for doneness, then test again with each 1/2 cup interval – depending on the pasta you are using you may need to add three to four cups of stock (with the penne I used it took 3 1/2 cups in total)
• add the shrimp along with the final 1/2 cup of stock you plan on using to the pan
• cover and allow the shrimp to steam for three or four minutes
• stir in the tomatoes and spinach and combine, then test the pasta a final time
• adjust seasoning, if necessary, then stir in the toasted pine nuts and parmesan cheese

presentation

This colorful single pot meal plates nicely in a shallow bowl with a little fresh grated parmesan reggiano cheese over top.