ernesthon

12 Apr 2012

Cooking this Week: Zucchini Risotto

Zucchini, like cauliflower, is one of those neglected vegetables that doesn’t seem to get much of the attention at the supermarket. I was a little hard pressed to think of a recipe that used fresh zucchini, so I made myself try making it with risotto.

Because zucchini has such a high water content, it helps to salt it when it is thinly sliced and allowed to drain. This is true for lots of “bland” vegetables. The water trapped in them essentially steams the vegetable rather than searing, which is a major component of developing flavor (that’s why frying and grilling is generally tastier than boiling and steaming). By removing some of the water through osmosis before cooking, the zucchini will have the opportunity to brown if the pan is hot enough that the water in it evaporates as it is frying.

To prepare risotto, you need good arborio rice. This is a super short grain Italian rice that is high in starch. Longer grain rice doesn’t have the starch content to create the creamy sauce of a risotto, and will be lacking in texture. The rice is sauteed with onions and olive oil over low heat to toast the grains before stock is added- this partially cooks the rice and prevents the water from turning the grains mushy in the final dish. The toasting is done when grains are translucent. Then stock is added bit by bit with regular stirring to bring out the starches and prevent sticking.

To finish, I added thinly julienned sun-dried tomatoes, plenty of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of good olive oil.

photos:ernesthon

2 Feb 2012

Cooking this Week: Menemen

One of my favorite comfort foods when I was growing up was a dish of eggs and tomatoes that my mother would cook to eat with rice. When I visited Turkey 2 years ago I was surprised to find that there is a dish there that was remarkably similar, called Menemen. I was inspired to make it the Turkish way this week with the addition of spicy banana peppers. Done right, the eggs are scrambled into soft curds and mixed into juicy cooked tomatoes; it’s perfect for a bowl of rice or with some crusty bread.

photos:ernesthon

22 Oct 2011

I was inspired to make a new vegetarian dish last week when I saw that the farmer’s market at Union Square had some nice fresh Arugula. I rarely use anything but baby spring arugula, which is much milder and more tender, and hardly ever outside of a salad. To give the dish some heartiness, I roasted together some fingerling potatoes some cipollini onions, and few slices of tomato. I spiced it up with a little bit of chili powder and toasted cumin seed. Finally, I cracked a whole egg on top and put it under the broiler in the oven until cooked but still runny like a rich sauce.

I was inspired to make a new vegetarian dish last week when I saw that the farmer’s market at Union Square had some nice fresh Arugula. I rarely use anything but baby spring arugula, which is much milder and more tender, and hardly ever outside of a salad. To give the dish some heartiness, I roasted together some fingerling potatoes some cipollini onions, and few slices of tomato. I spiced it up with a little bit of chili powder and toasted cumin seed. Finally, I cracked a whole egg on top and put it under the broiler in the oven until cooked but still runny like a rich sauce.

16 Oct 2011

Cooking this Week: a Summer Harvest Dinner

Now with summer’s end comes some of nature’s finest produce - especially for big flavorful fruits such as tomatoes and peaches. I haven’t cooked in a while and wanted to make a big meal to celebrate this season before the long winter when I’ll be again stuck with staler imported produce.

Gazpacho - One of the easiest soups to make because it requires no cooking at all. I used very fresh, vine-ripened organic beefsteak tomatoes, cucumbers, vidalia onion, and some spices, really good virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar. Gazpacho is one of those things that you can’t skimp out on the ingredients and have to make it in season, because its taste is very dependent on what you put in. One very very important thing is to never use tomatoes that have been refrigerated… nothing destroys the flavor of a tomato more effectively than a refrigerator!

American mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes from the farmer’s market, fresh basil, blanched and chilled green beans, with a mustard, cider vinegar, and thyme vinaigrette

I made a big pork shoulder roast that I broiled in the oven to make crackling and then slow roasted for 6 hours. I threw in some onions and fingerling potatoes with fresh rosemary for side dishes.

Peaches were also irresistible at the market - big stone fruit reach the peak of their ripeness in August and September and I could smell the fragrance of the peaches in all the farmer’s stalls. I made a cold peach and mint chutney to serve with the pork, helpful because it gives a good punch of acidity to cut through the fat.

Warm Peach Compote - Obviously, peaches are an amazing ingredient for dessert. I slow simmered the peaches in cinnamon and cloves syrup, sweetened with a bit of honey, and added a pinch of crushed black pepper. I served this with vanilla bean ice cream.