A perfect bright spring dish that is satisfying enough for those cool damp spring evenings.

“Editor Notes: We used far more fresh parmesan than called for in the recipe. 1 tablespoon between two people is far less parmesan than I have ever used in a dish, but this is just a matter of personal taste for (i.e., addiction to) cheese. Also, I don’t know if it was my rice, but I had to use 4 cups of stock as opposed to the recommended 3 cups. I always seem to need more broth when I make a risotto though, and I’ve never been able to figure out why. All in all, a great dish!” – Food52 Review

Serves 2

• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 6 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided use
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 3/4 cups arborio rice (preferably Vialone Nano)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is best with this dish)
• 1/2 pound asparagus
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• pinches fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup frozen petite peas
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Put the vegetable broth in a small covered saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down as low as it will go and keep the pot covered.

Peel and finely chop the onion and set aside. Peel and mince the garlic and set aside.

Melt 4 teaspoons of the butter in a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and cook until almost all the wine is absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Add ½ cup of the hot vegetable broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the broth has been absorbed – this will take about 3 minutes. Repeat this process until the risotto is slightly al dente. [Note: you may not need to use all of the broth.]

While the risotto is cooking, prepare the asparagus. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and discard them. Cut the stalks into 1” pieces (I like to do this on the diagonal). Put the asparagus into a microwave-safe bowl and add the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Stir well and cover the bowl with a microwave-safe plate. Cook on high power for 2 ½ minutes, stirring halfway through.

Transfer the asparagus to a plate and add the peas to the bowl. Microwave the peas uncovered on high power until they are just defrosted, about 45 seconds. Do not overcook or they will shrivel up.

Combine the lemon zest and parsley in a small bowl and set the mixture aside.

When the risotto is done, remove the pot from the heat and add the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter. Stir well until the butter is melted and evenly distributed. Add the asparagus, peas, and lemon juice and stir to combine.

Recipe courtesy of www.Food52.com

A great fast and unique brunch item for Mother’s Day!

Ingredients per Naan Pizza:

• 1 naan bread
• 3 tablespoons tomato or other pasta sauce
• 1 cup mix of sharp cheddar cheese & parmesan
• 1 egg
• 5 thinly sliced rings of onion
• 1 teaspoon oil
• salt
• pepper
• cilantro

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees fahrenheit.

2. In a skillet, heat oil under medium heat and fry up onions with a pinch of salt till translucent or to your liking. Place onions aside.

3. On a skillet under medium heat, cook the naan on both sides lightly.

4. Place naan on a baking sheet. Spoon sauce on top to your liking and cover with cheese & fried onions.  Crack an egg gently on top of the pizza.

5. Make sure the oven is to 500 degrees fahrenheit and place baking sheet with naan in the center.

6. Bake the pizza for about 8-10 minutes total and rotate 180 degrees halfway through. Take it out when the cheese is melted and the egg is cooked to your liking.

7. Garnish with cilantro or herbs and let the pizza cool but not so much that it’s not gooey anymore:)

8. Add salt & pepper to your taste.

Recipe from www.food52.com

A great, super simple, and fast Friday night dinner!

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into chunks
• 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 Italian green frying peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
• 2 jarred pickled cherry peppers, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons liquid from the jar

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until golden, about 2 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with the flour in a bowl; add to the skillet and cook until browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Add the onion, peppers, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and cook 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits; bring to a boil and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the sausage and chicken are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken, sausage and vegetables to a platter with a slotted spoon. Increase the heat to high and stir the parsley and cherry peppers and their liquid into the skillet; boil until reduced by one-third, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture.

Per serving: Calories 335; Fat 14 g (Saturated 7 g); Cholesterol 95 mg; Sodium 891 mg; Carbohydrate 10 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 36 g

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine.

We’re cooking with wine this Valentine’s Day!

1 bottle dry red wine
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
13.25 oz box whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnuts (2 oz), toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
18 scallops (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a large pot, combine all but ~1/4 cup of the red wine, 3 cups of water, and the salt. Bring to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook, till al dente, according to instructions on box. The pasta should absorb most all of the liquid (if not, drain pasta before tossing in upcoming step).

In a deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup red wine. Bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large non-stick skillet. Sear the scallops about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned and no longer opaque throughout.

Carefully stir in the pasta, and cook until liquid has absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, nuts, the 1/2 cup of cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and toss. Season the pasta with pepper and serve with 3 scallops atop the pasta. Yield: 6 servings (about 1 1/4 cups pasta with 3 scallops).

Nutrition Information (per serving): 616 calories; 21.8 g. fat; 40 mg. cholesterol; 598 mg. sodium; 53.3 g. carbohydrate; 7.2 g. carbohydrate; 30 g. protein

Result: A dressed up spaghetti meal that suites the wine-lover best. Because the pasta absorbs nearly the entire bottle of wine while cooking, the pasta is flavored beautifully with wine. Therefore, be sure to use a bottle you love! A Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot would be my choices here. While I served this pasta meal with seared scallops you could certainly opt for a vegetarian meal, or switch the protein to shrimp, chicken, or even a red meat…the flavors are very versatile. Enjoy!

Recipe and picture from PreventionRD

As Valentine ’s Day quickly approaches, we thought that we would share something we stumbled upon that is fun and unique, SprinkleBakes Red Wine Lollipops! With just a few ingredients, this could be a great way to share your love of wine with your special someone! Visit SprinkleBake’s website for the recipe!

Risotto usually requires endless stirring, but slow cookers can do a lot of the work, with surprisingly good results.

• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
• 3 tablespoons water
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups arborio rice (14 ounces)
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 5 cups baby spinach (5 ounces)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
• Freshly ground pepper

Turn a 6- to 7-quart slow cooker to high. In a saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. In a skillet, cook the sausage with the water over moderately high heat, breaking it up with a spoon until the water has evaporated and the sausage is browned, 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the slow cooker.

In the same skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits until the wine is reduced by half, 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook until all of the wine has been absorbed. Scrape the rice into the slow cooker. Add the hot broth, zucchini and salt and cover. Cook for 1 hour, stirring once halfway through. The risotto is done when the rice is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off the slow cooker.

Stir the spinach into the risotto until just wilted. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the grated cheese, season with pepper and serve immediately, passing additional cheese at the table.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

More and more wineries in California are producing Rhône-style blends, merging the power of Syrah with the fruitiness of Grenache, and often adding earthy Mourvèdre—a combination that works exceptionally well with this rich risotto.

ACTIVE: 35 MIN TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 30 MIN
SERVINGS: 6

CONTRIBUTED BY BETH HENSPERGER FROM WWW.FOODANDWINE.COM