Month: March 2017

Steak Pizzaiola with Orzo

Posted on by RaDonna Ridner-Thurman

Steak Pizzaiola is a classic Italian dish with fresh tomato sauce. It’s often served with steak or sirloin. You can serve it with potatoes, rice or even spaghetti but we love it with orzo. Orzo is a rice shaped pasta and I love the texture of everything together – a bite steak, the fresh tomato sauce and the small pieces of pasta just go together perfectly.

This is one of the first dishes I made when we got married. Justin and I both love this dish and now Atticus does too. It’s fairly easy to make and I love it year round – especially in the summer time with fresh garden tomatoes. But, any tomatoes will work – I used Romas this time because that’s what I had on hand.

I love that it is naturally dairy and egg free and you can easily make it gluten free as well. I also love that it incorporates fresh ingredients which really come through when you sit down at the table to enjoy it. It is quite an easy dish to make. You could also use just about any cut of steak. We like ribeyes and they were on sale so that it what I used last night.

 

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Cooking with Fresh Garlic

Posted on by radonn5bg

If you’ve ever talked to me about food or cooked with me – you know my obsession with fresh garlic. If I post a recipe on here or share a recipe with you personally, and it calls for minced garlic/chopped garlic/garlic in any form  – I ALWAYS intend for that to be fresh garlic! Fresh garlic makes such a difference in so many meals. The minced garlic that you get from the store is not a good substitute and will not render the same delicious flavors from your recipe.

Cooking with fresh garlic can also be a little tricky. You want to make sure that your heat is not too high or your garlic will turn brown. Brown garlic can taste fairly rancid and you loose the delicious garlic taste and fragrance. So when cooking it by itself in a pan, add a little oil to your pan and cook it for about 30 seconds over medium low. And, you want it stay white the entire time. The idea is for the low heat to bring out the fragrance and taste of the garlic. Usually in most recipes you add something else to the pan that will cook with the garlic and it becomes tender and the flavors can meld together.

I know chopping your own garlic can be so intimidating. I have been to many “kitchen gadget parties” where they try to sell something to help with chopping garlic. I will tell you – it is so much easier and less clean up to just do it yourself with a chef’s knife and a cutting board. It may feel awkward at first but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be chopping garlic like a pro! I made this little video below to try and help show a step by step on chopping garlic at home. I would love your comments and thoughts!

Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Posted on by RaDonna Ridner-Thurman

 

I absolutely, positively love risotto. I love any type of risotto. Plain risotto made with chicken broth and a little onion and butter or the fancy kind like in

this recipe. For the longest time I was intimidated to make it because it can be complicated. But – I have finally perfected making it and we eat it as often as I have the time to cook it! Now, many of the recipes that I post on this blog are quick and easy foods that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. That is not the case with this meal. I usually allow for about an hour of total prep and cooking time. And let me tell you – it is worth every single minute. Also, when cooking risotto, make sure you that can give it your undivided attention. This is not one of the dishes where you can start it and walk away. You must stay close by, especially during the stirring portion which takes 30 minutes. I really hope I haven’t discouraged you from trying this recipe! It is so delicious! And – you can find every single ingredient at your local wal-mart. Yes, even the dried porcini mushrooms. I use the earth balance vegan butter so that my husband can eat it. He can’t eat dairy but he can tolerate goat’s milk/cheese. I leave out the goat cheese for my little guy as he is highly allergic to all types of animal milk/dairy.

I found this recipe in the Italian Food and Wine Quick From Scratch cookbook. I honestly didn’t change much of anything from their recipe. But, I have included a LOT more details in the instructions. If you are a seasoned cook, I hope you thoroughly enjoy this recipe. If you’re nervous, just take your time and if your first batch doesn’t turn out well then try it again! My first couple of tries with risotto weren’t terrible but it was definitely edible. It takes time to figure out the right texture that you want. The creaminess along with the flavors are amazing!

 

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