Archive for Side Dish Recipes
Salud Napa’s Lemon Risotto
Posted by: | CommentsA short time ago we introduced you to our friends from Ceja Vineyards and the Salud Napa blog, and featured a beet salad recipe video from chef Gerry Castro. That was only the beginning of a three course meal! The second part of the meal is this delicious, tangy lemon risotto with peas topped with parmesan cheese.
You will need: 4 cups of chicken broth, 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic (one or two cloves) , one chopped onion, 1 cup of arborio rice, chardonnay white wine, sweet peas (frozen is fine), Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, one lemon (juice it and zest it), butter, salt, and pepper.
First, warm the chicken broth, juice and zest your lemon. Add the olive oil into a hot pan, add the chopped onion, add the chopped garlic, and stir while cooking just until tender. Add the arborio rice and cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes. Next, add the white wine, and stir together for a minute to let it absorb. Add approximately 3 generous ladles or about 3 cups of chicken broth, and turn the heat down to a simmer. Add salt and ground pepper, and cooks while stirring for about 7 minutes, or until the rice is al dente. Add the lemon zest, peas, a generous amount of butter and a few splashes of lemon juice. You may add more chicken broth if needed. At the end, top with grated parmesan cheese.
Next up, part 3, a to die for sirloin steak with red wine sauce. Stay tuned!
Kurt Gutenbrunner’s White Asparagus Recipe
Posted by: | CommentsWhite asparagus has a very short growing season, and is typically seasonably available in May or June. You may possibly be able to purchase a Peruvian variety of it at other times of year. What makes it white? It is grown with the dirt mounted around the stalk, depriving it of light. Because of this lack of sunlight, it is unable to produce chlorophyll to make it green. Lacking bitterness and milder in flavor than its sun exposed green sister, white asparagus does need to be peeled, as the outside is quite tough. What lies beneath is tender and heavenly.
Austrian Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner is chef/co-owner of the NYC treo of restaurants Wallsé, Café Sabarsky, and Blaue Gans. In this video he shares his recipe for a simple white asparagus with vinaigrette.
Recipe courtesy of Kurt Gutenbrunner and New York Magazine:
3 pounds, about 16 pieces white asparagus
1 ½ tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ounces butter
1 small piece of baguette or white bread
Drape a dish towel over a large, inverted mixing bowl. (1) To peel asparagus, grip the spear with three fingers, protecting the tip, and lean it against the bowl to prevent it from breaking. With a swivel vegetable peeler, remove the thick outer layer starting just below the tip, turning the spear as you peel. Peel them well, as the skin can be tough and bitter. (2) Trim approximately one inch off the woody end of each spear. Add the salt, sugar, and butter to 4 quarts of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. (3) Add the bread, which helps eliminate bitterness, and the asparagus, and cook for about 8 minutes, until cooked through but still firm. Remove asparagus and dry on a towel. Serve at room temperature with an herb vinaigrette (made with good extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice) or hollandaise sauce.
White Asparagus with a Blood Orange Reduction
Posted by: | CommentsWe were thinking that between the Superbowl beefy food, and Valentine’s chocolates, perhaps a short detox is in order! Bored with steamed broccoli and even slightly tired of roasted vegetables, we are putting a shout out for new, creative ways to serve seasonal veggies and in this case, fruits.
And we so proudly announce to you a new crush, on the blood orange fruit. For those not familiar, the blood orange is a wonderful winter fruit. An offspring of the traditional sweet orange, blood oranges are typically native to Sicily and Spain, and are harvested from early to mid winter. Their deep red flesh comes from a pigment called anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant present in açaí, concord grapes, cranberries and raspberries. How do they taste? Less acidic than other oranges, blood oranges tend to have a rich, both sweet and tart flavor, with berry undertones. While shopping, choose a heavy feeling blood orange with a thin skin for the juiciest fruit. A slight green tinting of the rind is fine. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to one month, or on the counter for approximately a week.
Our video today features the lovely host Carolyn Jennings from Chic Tv with chef Cedric Tovar from the NYC Park Avenue Peacock Alley Restaurant. He whips up a gorgeous looking braised white asparagus, and serves it with a dressing made from blood orange juice. Click the “read more” to watch the video and for the recipe.
