Like fried shallots, crispy leeks are a wonderful way to add a bit of texture to a dish.
Crispy Leeks
One bunch leeks, white parts only, cut into circles
One cup Canola Oil
Pinch Salt
Heat the oil to a high heat, add leeks and fry until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a napkin lined plate. Add a sprinkle of salt and serve immediately.
I used this ‘garnish’ as a way to add some salt and savory to a dish with sweeter elements. You can make this in advance and add it to loads of meals such as eggs or a southwestern salad. You can also add other elements to this such as red onion and cilantro and make it a dip (or top a creamy soup with it for some texture).
This makes a rather small portion so feel free to double it.
Bacon-Corn Ragu
One thick slice of pancetta, cut into crispy dice (can be crisped in advance)
Two slices bacon, diced
Three-fourths cup roasted corn kernels
One shallot, minced
One garlic clove, minced
In a medium skillet, saute pancetta and bacon on high heat until crisp and the fat is rendered. Remove from pan and add shallots and garlic and saute until glassy. Add corn and bacon and heat for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately. If you would like this to be slightly spicy, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne.
Well folks, I am running out of things to be grateful about this summer. This has everything to do with the fact that we just broke the record for the number of days over 100 yesterday. The heat is literally erasing summer’s previous amazingness from my memory. The fond memories of Lake Austin, walking Town Lake, tennis, pool parties, cook outs, warm summer nights on a patio, melons, strawberries, and corn are fading away as we slowly disintegrate from the heat. Basically, unless you are physically submerged in water – cold water at that – you have to stay inside. On the bright side, inside we have stoves and central air. So, as I find myself seeking the familiar, I find myself day-dreaming about corn. This was a risotto that I had been wanting to try out for a while, and I am so glad I did. It was superb and made this record-breaking summer a bit more bearable for a little while. You can pair this with whatever you like or serve it on its own with a simple salad. I chose to make a dish of the risotto, U-10 scallops, a lovely Bacon-Corn Ragu, and Crispy Leeks.
Risotto can be tricky and can make you think it is a feat, but really it just takes effort and knowledge. NEVER add cream to your risotto, risotto gains its creamy texture from the breakdown of proteins around the rice. Every step of making risotto is vital in breaking these down (toasting, stirring, warm liquid being added in small amounts, more stirring, etc). So be patient, and cook with love. The end result of risotto is a rich, creamy, comfort food that is hard not to want to make every night. A good risotto will expand on your plate when you spoon it down. Just FYI.
Note: I made a corn stock and added in corn puree to really capture the corn flavor (in addition to incorporating corn kernels). Both ingredients can be made ahead and used within a couple of days. Alternately, you can make do without either. Risotto will take some time, so be prepared. This is a better dish to make on the weekends, and the leftovers are fantastic.
Sweet Corn Risotto
For the Broth:
Two Quarts Chicken or Vegetable Broth (or water)
One large white onion, quartered
Six Roasted Corn cobs, halved
Three Corn Husks
Five cloves garlic, gently smushed
One tablespoon thyme leaves
Place corn into an oven heated to 350 F and roast for approximately 30 minutes (a little under won’t hurt). Peel down the husks and allow to cool so that the corn can be handled. Remove the kernels from the cob (trying to get as much milk as the cob has to give). Reserve the kernels and milk in a bowl and set aside. In a large stock pot, boil 2 quarts of chicken or vegetable stock or water. Once boiling, add the roasted cobs, about half of the husks, a large onion, 5 cloves garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme. Reduce heat and simmer for a few hours to make stock. Once done, strain well and reserve liquid.
For the risotto:
One cup Arborio Rice
One cup White wine
Two quarts corn stock (or chicken stock)
One slice of pancetta (about 1/8 inch thick), cut into small dice
One white onion, finely diced (can also use shallots or yellow onion)
Four cloves garlic, minced (optional)
Three tablespoons butter
One cup Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese
One cup Sweet Corn Puree
Squeeze of lemon (optional)
Black Pepper
Pinch Salt
Heat a bit of oil in a large pan or dutch oven. Once a high heat is achieved, throw in the pancetta and cook until fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove pancetta to a napkin lined plate, reduce heat and after a few minutes add the butter to the pan. Once melted, add garlic and onion (season with a pinch of salt) and cook a few minutes, then add risotto and allow to toast (make sure that the risotto is spread over the pan surface to toast evenly). Toast for a minute or two, then stir and toast for a minute or two more. Hit the pan with one cup of the wine.
Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm. Heat a bit of oil in a large pan or dutch oven. Once a high heat is achieved, throw in the pancetta and cook until fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove pancetta to a napkin lined plate, reduce heat to medium and after a few minutes add the butter to the pan. Add onion (or shallots) and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. then add risotto and allow to toast (make sure that the risotto is spread over the pan surface to toast evenly). Toast for a minute or two, then stir and toast for a minute or two more. Hit the pan with one cup of the wine. Add one cup of wine and stir until evaporated. Once most liquid is absorbed, add about three-quarters of a cup of broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently to constantly. Repeat until broth is gone and risotto is creamy and tender; you may need to warm more broth or use more wine than stated to fully cook the risotto. Stir in the corn puree and the corn kernels. Stir in cheese and remaining tablespoon of butter. Taste and then season with salt and pepper, and a small squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately.
Named for the french name of one of the fillings, arugula, these pizza pockets are a superb alternative to heavy, meaty alternatives. I have adapted this recipe from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe I saw a while back. They are a great addition to parties or a good family pleasure on a budget. I like to serve mine with a selection of basil pesto, meaty marinara, and spicy marinara. There are a couple of advantages to this meal: it can be thrown together pretty quickly if you have frozen turkey and pizza dough in the fridge; it is pretty healthy but also indulgent; it tastes great; you can make it on a but and under time restrictions (make the filling in advance); and, kids will love it.
Rocket Pockets (aka Turkey Arugula Pizza Pockets)
adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
One batch store-bought or prepared pizza dough
One pound ground Turkey
One tablespoon each: Ground Pepper, Italian Seasoning, Herbs de Provence
One to two teaspoons crushed red pepper
Two large shallots, minced
Four cloves garlic, minced
One-Half cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
One-Third Cup mozzarella or Fontina (optional)
Three-Fourths of a package of room temperature cream cheese (reduced fat is fine)
Salt
One egg, cracked and beaten
Basil pesto
Meaty Porcini Marinara
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to a thin 20 by 12-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise. The cut each half into 8 equal rectangles. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized, heavy skillet. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until glassy. Add the ground turkey and season with pepper, salt, herbs, and red pepper. Cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the arugula and cook until wilted. Turn off the heat, remove pan from burner and stir in the cheeses. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
Brush pesto across the tops of the rectangles, leaving the outer half-inch plain. Spoon topping onto one side of each of the rectangles. Brush the edges of the rectangle with egg wash. Close the rectangle of pizza dough over the topping. Use a fork to seal and crimp the edges. Place the pizza pockets onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each pizza pocket with egg wash. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauce of choice heat over low heat in a saucepan. Serve the hot pizza pockets with the meaty marinara and basil pesto alongside for dipping.
This week’s cooking spree continued with homemade “meaty marinara.” I call it this because marinara is traditionally a tomato sauce and a Bolognese is a meaty version of marinara in a round-about-way. But, to the dismay of Italian cooks everywhere, I made a bastardized version of both and have chosen to call it meaty marinara. It was my first ever attempt at making either marinara (not surprising since I do not eat marinara) or meat sauce, and it was really – ummm -incredible. This accompanied turkey and arugula pizza pockets, but it would be wonderful tossed with fresh pasta and a bit of cheese, tossed with gnocchi, or made into a pizza sauce. If you choose to use Porcini, you will need to be dried as they only grow in Italy and must be imported. You can either grind them or you can reconstitute them in liquid before adding them to the sauce. This is a great sauce to make and then let hang out on the stove whilst you turn your attention to something else. Additionally, it gets better the longer it sits and this includes fridge time. Make a big batch and freeze it or use it to make three different dishes over a three or four day span.
I fear I must apologize as this “recipe” was concocted in true Andiland style. I threw stuff in a pan (without measuring as always) and then adjusted as necessary. The measurements I provide below are guesses at best, feel free to adjust to your preferences.
Note: I did not add celery to my Soffrito, only garlic, onions, and carrot. I did use celery seed in the sauce as a replacement. You can use whichever you like.
Meaty Porcini Marinara
Two slices Bacon
1/3 pound of Hot Italian Pork Sausage (bulk)
Four Large Shallots, sliced
12 Cloves Garlic, whole and slightly crushed (skin removed)
3/4 Tube of Good Quality Tomato Paste
Two Tablespoons Butter
Red Wine (I used a Malbec), about a half a cup
Beef Broth, about 2 and a half cups
Chicken Broth, about a half cup (this was added to thin the sauce out some and is optional)
About a quarter cup of porcini mushrooms, either ground or reconstituted
Three tablespoons Herbs de Provence and Italian Seasoning, split
A couple good pinches of salt
Three tablespoons black pepper
One large carrot, diced
One tablespoon celery seed (or a few stalks of celery cut into large dice)
One tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (adjust according to preferences)
12 campari tomatoes on the vine, halved and gently squeezed of seeds
Fresh torn basil for garnish
In a large dutch oven, heat a couple glugs of olive oil over a medium heat high. Once fat is smoking, add bacon (or its porky sub) and all to crisp. Then add hot Italian sausage and brown slightly. Push meat to the side and add the soffrito (carrot, onion, garlic, celery seed) with a touch of salt. Once the onions turn glassy, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, HDP and Italian Seasoning, Crushed Red Pepper, Tomato Paste, Ground Mushroom, and give a good stir to mix everything well. Then add in wine and broth (in 1:2 ratio), reduce heat and cover. Allow to simmer for a few hours (I cooked it for about four hours). Adjust seasoning as necessary. Once you are ready to serve, use an immersion blender to partially puree the mixture. Top with basil and serve or reserve for use with pasta else.
A few ideas of uses for this sauce:
Dipping Sauce for Pizza Pockets
Sauce for pasta and veggies
Lasagnameat sauce
Served individually with a little bit of cheese and fresh basil
Pizza sauce
With the week off of work, I really should be gracing the gym with my presence for seven hours a day. Instead, I am cooking amazingness and not helping my clothes fit better. This lovely little plate of pure delight was my lunch yesterday. Yes, I spoiled myself and it was incredible. The summer melon and corn sing sweetly and are the perfect complement to the subtly sweet scallop. The jalapeno gives it that little kick that takes your mind away from the sweetness and the avocado lends a richness and all together…well…you know where this goes. It was fantastic; a light, crisp, perfect lunch. I wish I could cook lunch at home every day! If you have the time to make fried leeks or fried shallots, I would highly suggest it so that you have a nice textural contrast. Though I made this for lunch, it would be a perfect dinner as well. From start to finish it takes about 15 minutes or less (less if the puree has been made in advance).
Note: Scallops can be tricky to cook – you want to make sure that they are translucent inside (without ever looking inside) so that they are not rubbery. They are sensitive to different stove tops, different pan types and obtaining the perfect sear can be difficult with too much or too little oil or butter. As you can tell from the picture, my scallops this time were almost perfectly cooked. They were perfect inside, but I did not achieve the nice sear I was looking for. I was a bit heavy handed with the oil.
Seared Scallop with Sweet Corn Puree and Avocado-Watermelon Relish
Serves Two (One scallop per person)
Two U-10 count Scallops, patted very dry
Salt
Pepper
Two inch chunk of watermelon, cut into a rectangle
One-Third of a Jalapeno, Minced
Juice of one-third whole lime
One third avocado, small dice
Small amount of Fried Shallots (optional)
One Third Cup Sweet Corn Puree
Make the Corn Puree first and set aside. Next make the relish by cutting the watermelon and avocado into very small, uniform dice. When cutting the avocado, it is easiest to cut it in the skin then remove all at once with a large spoon. Gently toss the watermelon and avocado with the minced jalapeno, salt, fresh cracked pepper, and lime juice. Set aside.
Heat a small amount of oil or butter in a heavy skillet on a high heat. Make sure the scallop’s abductor muscle has been removed and that the scallops have been patted dry. Season each side with salt and pepper. Once the fat is smoking, add the scallops, ensuring that they are not touching. Sear on each side for about a minute and a half (adjust for thinner scallops) then remove and serve promptly.
To assemble the dish, place the desired amount of corn puree on the bottom of a plate or bowl. Top puree with the scallop. Then top everything with the watermelon mixture. If using fried shallots, sprinkle those around the plate (can also use dried onion for a bit of crunch).
Another beauty of this insane heat (please do a rain dance everyone), is that it means that summer corn is in season and fabulous as always. Is there a bad way to serve corn? I honestly do not think so. This wonderful green-husked, annoyingly silky beauty has filled the bellies for centuries regardless of budget. Incidentally, corn goes into just about everything you eat, or ingest, and even into vehicles this day in age (I will spare you the rant), but I prefer to think of corn the way that mother earth (or nature) intended it to be…REAL, WHOLE, WONDERFULLY LUSCIOUS, Corn Kernels from a COB, and – just for a shout out to the south – this includes the creamy milk the cob renders. Summer stalks are a shining example of corn’s ability to make a silky sweet puree that can pair with a lovely dab of butter for a hint of richness. To me, summer is defined as: the simple luxury of a good quality ingredients shining in their element. Being that corn is in season, and I have the week off, this was my lunch today. I can promise this beats any Lean Cuisine you can imagine – it was a superb 35 minutes of cooking, eating, returning for seconds, and looking at the plate wishing for thirds. Perfect for my staycation and for this too-hot-to-handle-summer in Texas.
Notes: I used coconut milk as my “cream.” I do not use much dairy and only had Soy Milk on hand, I decided that coconut milk would add a better richness and contribute more to texture than my alternative. If you use dairy and have it on hand fee free to sub whole milk, half and half, or cream for the coconut milk. Also, feel free to add as much butter as you like and season a bit less according to taste.
Sweet Corn Puree
One Cup Roasted Corn (use frozen in a pinch)
One-Third Cup Coconut Milk
Nice pinch of salt
Black Pepper To Taste
One Tablespoon Butter
One Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Boil Coconut Milk in a small sauce pan. Once bubbling, add corn, salt, pepper, and butter. Reduce heat and simmer for 4-6 minutes. Add Cayenne and any additional seasoning and spoon corn mixture into a food processor. Process until smooth. Serve chilled as a soup, or reserve to incorporate as a sauce for fish or chicken, or incorporate into sweet corn risotto.
The only redeeming quality about having 100 plus degree temperatures for forty straight days is knowing it is officially summer. Summer produces tomatoes that are to die for, no pun intended in this heat. Farmers come to market boasting the seasons best attribute – these red globes of sweet, sweet pleasure. Every time I leave the market, I find myself worrying about hurting my precious bounty as if were my own child I were protecting from bruising. Just looking at an heirloom tomato on my kitchen counter makes me want to call off whatever obligations I had and make a plate of food deserving of its glory. This is a lovely way to let summer ingredients shine and satisfy your urge to fill your mouth with one of the best natural flavors on earth – the perfectly ripe, sweet, succulent, juicy tomato. Needless to say summer heirlooms can turn even the most avid tomato-hater into a convert in no time (and if they cannot turn you, I highly suspect that you club baby seals or hate puppies). Kidding aside, I almost missed my work out class on Friday because I could not stop eating this ridiculously amazing salad.
Panzanella is a salad that is quite common throughout Italy. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of versions but it traditionally is a method for using up old bread. If you do not have any day old bread, you can either buy some or omit it (though then the name changes “pane” being Italian for bread). It is perfect for a light dinner or lunch or served as a salad along side a more substantial main or as a stand alone appetizer. I used what I had, but feel free to play around with it and add items like red onions or fresh mozzarella cheese.
Arugula Panzanella Salad
Serves Four
One recipe Simple Arugula Salad
Two or Three large Summer Heirloom tomatoes (gauge number on size of tomato), cut into one inch pieces
Day old Italian Country Bread or similar, cut into half-inch pieces
One tablespoon olive oil (or flavored of choice)
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Extra shaved cheese such as Pecorino Romano if desired
Spoonful of Caramelized Onions, minced red onion, or thinly sliced shallot (Optional)
On a baking sheet, combine olive oil and bread and toss to coat. Toast in an oven for about 5 minutes, then toss and continue toasting until the outside is crunchy and the inside remains soft. Whilst the bread is toasting, combine the arugula salad and tomatoes in a large bowl. Gently toss with Salt and Pepper to taste and drizzle just a touch of good olive oil and toss once more. Once bread is toasted, combine into salad mixture and add additional cheese tossing, gently, one more time. Enjoy the simple pleasure of summer tomatoes and forget about the ridiculous heat for a few minutes!
Beautiful market heirloom
Eating in Andiland 
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