This light risotto is perfect for spring.  I was scared to attempt risotto; I thought it would be time-consuming and fussy.  This recipe will show you that it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or fussy.  And, I think it really impresses at a dinner party.  Served as a side to a fish or even on its own, it really does wow you!  Now, the original recipe is actually for a Seafood risotto, with baby squid and mussels…. I prefer it without those additions, so here is my version.  (I’ll add the notes for the original version).

As my first post in a looooong while, I hope this one dazzles you just like it dazzled me

Spring Shrimp Risotto

2/3 cup dry white wine

250g shrimp, peeled and deveined  [or use 454g shrimp if not using other seafood]

4 baby squid, cleaned and sliced [optional]

250g mussels, scrubbed and debearded [optional]

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1  3/4 cup arborio rice

6 cups hot fish stock [I use Campbell's low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth]

salt and pepper

chopped flat-leaf parsley or chopped chives for garnish

1/2-3/4 cups sweet peas, cooked [optional]

1.  Heat the wine in a saucepan until boiling.  Add the shrimp [and squid, if using], cover, and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove the seafood with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2.  Add the mussels to the pan, cover and cook 2-3 minutes until they have opened.  Discard any that remain closed.  Drain the mussels, reserving the juices, and remove the meat from the shells.

3.  Pour the stock into a saucepan, and keep the stock hot by having it on low heat.

4.  Use another saucepan for the risotto.  Heat the oil and butter in a second deep saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently , for 3-4 minutes until softened.  Careful not to burn the onion.

5.  Add the garlic, bay leaves, and rice.  Mix to coat the rice in butter and oil.  Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until the grains are translucent.

6.  Stir in the cooking juices from the mussels/seafood.  Then, gradually add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time.  Cook, stirring for 10-15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed, before adding the next ladle.  Continue this process with the remainder of the stock.  Be patient ! This may take about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your ladle.  The rice should look soft and creamy.

7.  Stir in the cooked seafood, cover, and cook for additional 2 minutes to heat through.  Season with salt and pepper.

8.  Stir in the cooked peas if using.

9.  Garnish with herbs and serve immediately.

Enjoy !

This recipe was adapted from the cookbook Frame > by > Frame Italian

About a six month hiatus from blogging.  Yikes! I didn’t know that a “break” would turn into a full-fledged six-month-long-disappearance from my blog.  What has kept me so busy?  Well…. I got married ! And then shortly after moved from the downtown core to West Toronto! And then shortly after went on a few travels — Bali, Hong Kong, Jamaica, New York …..   And so here we are.

Here is a lovely blurb about our wedding:

http://www.todaysbride.ca/articles/real-wedding-june-and-thomas-toronto-ontario

And the blog is still up and the posts will start to come back.  All it took was some sunshine and hot weather to motivate me to blog again.

Stay tuned !

My friend Michelle is a Paleo-genius.  She started eating Paleo or ‘caveman’ diet — a grain, dairy and legume-free diet that excludes nuts, refined foods, refined sugar and processed oils.  She is reaping tons of benefits, including increased energy and just feeling fantastic, and she’s inspired me to eat ‘clean’ and try some Paleo here and there.  I have to admit, I don’t think I have the willpower for a pure paleo diet, but her energy and enthusiasm for this lifestyle makes me want to, at the very least, learn more about it.  All I have to say is Michelle’s packed paleo lunches always look AMAZING: healthy, creative, and fresh….  if Michelle made my meals, eating paleo doesn’t seem so bad!

So, to start, we have my first ever guest post (yay!)  Thanks, Michelle, for these delicious cookies.  They are SO good, you don’t realize you’re eating a grain-free and dairy free treat.

Almond Choco Chip Cookies 

(all of these items are easily found at Bulk Barn)

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt (i.e. Real Salt brand)

1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips or chunks

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil or organic unsalted butter

1/2 cup raw honey (unpasteruized)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

Mix dry ingredient together and set aside or place in a mixer.  Mix wet ingredients in another bowl and set aside.

Let cool and enjoy! They taste even better the following day

I was told by TC that this is the BEST FISH SANDWICH he’s ever eaten.  Now, that’s pretty high praise!  I made this earlier this week, to use up some lime, cilantro, sour cream and frozen fish fillets that I had in the fridge.  I wanted to see if I could recreate that zippy-creamy flavor you get in fish tacos and fish sandwiches.  And as usual, this recipe, take from Tyler Florence’s “Ultimate” series, came out just about perfect.

I modified Tyler Florence’s recipe; for the lemon-herb mayo, I added sour cream to add some zing, and I also added lime and cilantro to the recipe.  Don’t let the long list of ingredients discourage you; this really was quite easy to make.  The fish is baked, and while its baking, you can make the sauce and the toppings.  This fish turned out sooo good, we plan on having it a regular in our rotation; sure, we’ll do it in a sammie, but we’ll also have it with salad or sauteed veggies for a  low-carb option.

a Perfect Fish Sandwich

4 fresh or frozen whitefish fillets (tilapia, cod, halibut); if using frozen, thaw the fish in the refrigerator

1 cup all-purpose flour (for dredging)

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 – 1 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 lemon, juiced

1 handful of each: fresh parsley, fresh basil, fresh chives – chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 buns (or a baguette cut into 4)

1 avocado

1 tomato, cut into thick slices

cilantro

lime

1 handful of arugula or other lettuce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put a large sheet tray in the oven and heat it for 1/2 hour.

Pat the fish fillets dry.  Set up a breading station with flour in one dish, beaten egg & milk in a second dish, and breadcrumbs in a third dish.  Season the fillets with salt and pepper.  Dip each fillet into the flour mixture first, then the egg mixture, then the panko.  Set aside on a tray at room temperature to let the coating stick.

Leave the fish on a tray for a few minutes at room temperature so coating can set:

Pull out sheet from oven, drizzle 1-2 tbsp of olive oil on the tray, and transfer the breaded fish to the tray.  Sprinkle the top of the fish with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  I broiled the fish for an additional 5 minutes to brown the top.

Combine lemon juice, mayonnaise, sour cream and chopped herbs in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Chill the mayonnaise.

Slice the bun/baguette in half and toast the bread in the oven until warmed.  Smear lemon herb mayonnaise on the bottom of the bun.  Stack sandwich with fish, a squeeze of lime juice, cilantro, avocado and tomato (and lettuce, if using).  Smear more mayo on the top half of the bun.

Enjoy !

This recipe was adapted from Food Network’s Tyler Florence Ultimate Filet O Fish recipe.  The recipe can be found here.

It’s been a busy two-months, hence the hiatus, and lots has changed in my life.  TC and I got married (!) and the wedding planning admittedly took up most of my spare time.  And because luxurious eating wasn’t exactly conducive to my wedding-dress-must-fit mission, the rest of my spare time was occupied by gym time + uber-healthy meals.  Explanations aside, the past two months have been a whirlwind of fun.  And the wedding day? Wow, what an incredible day.  Check out our photographer Joee Wong‘s website for a sneak peek!

And then, back to the topic of this post.  Bestellen.

We went to Bestellen a few weeks ago to celebrate my new hubby’s birthday.  A group of 14 of us signed up for the Bestellen Family Dinner, drumroll…….  a whole suckling pig as the showstopping main, and a bevvy of pre- and post-pig goodness.   The large mural-slash-butcher’s textbook along an entire wall at the back of the dining room gives it away; “it” being the meat-heavy menu and vibe of chef Rob Rossi’s west end restaurant.  Rob Rossi is the Toronto-chef who won our hearts as the hometown boy via Top Chef Canada.  And lucky us, Chef Rob carved up our little piggy.

The family dinner started with what my friend described as ‘the best Arancini I’ve ever had’.  Perfectly smooth & creamy, and then perfectly golden crisp, these risotto balls were pretty darn amazing.

A fluffy brussels sprout salad, with sweet pear and earthy walnuts was dressed with a lemony vinagrette.  For me and JL, who love brussels sprouts, this dish was super.  The ribbons of brussel sprout, the shavings of salty cheese (pecorino?), and the zippy dressing were a match made in heaven.

And then the sides came out, one by one.  Buttermilk biscuits.  Roasted Squash.  Parmesan mashed Potato….  the suspense was building…

And then there was the pig.

I have to admit, it was quite a sight.

And the carnivores that we are, we devoured every little bit of that pig.  The roasted pig was perfect.  Crispy, flavourful skin to start, and then you get to the tender, juicy pork.  My, it was really, really, really good.

And as mentioned before, we had Chef Rob himself carve up the pig.  What a treat!

And with bellies full, we squeezed in some pecan pie and sang Happy Birthday.  For TC, I think it was perfect way to celebrate… with great food and great friends.

Bestellen is located at 972 College Street, Toronto. 

I had completely forgot about this recipe!  This basil shrimp stir-fry used to be one of my go-to-recipes, and one of my favourites… Now that I’ve remembered, it’ll definitely be inserted into our meal rotation.  I made this the other day, and the fresh flavours of basil and lime .. well, they transported me back to Thailand.  Not only is it healthy and quick to prepare, but the bold flavours are intensely satisfying.  Don’t let the long-ish list of ingredients deter you.. it really is very easy to make.  I would recommend chopping all the vegetables and set them aside, because once you start the stir-fry, you’ll be adding the ingredients to the pan quickly.

Thai Basil Shrimp

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp water

2 tsp Southeast asian fish sauce

4 tsp brown sugar

3 tbsp grapeseed oil (or other cooking oil)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp peeled, grated fresh ginger

1/2-1 tsp red chile flakes

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch dice

1 medium yellow pepper, seeded, cut into 1-inch dice

1 jalapeno chile, thinly sliced into rounds (optional)

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, fish sauce, sugar.  Set aside.

Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic, ginger and chile flakes, and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds.  Add the shrimp and stir-fry until pink but still translucent in the middle.  Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon.  Set aside.

Add the onion, pepper and chile flakes to the hot pan.  You may need to reduce heat to medium, careful not to burn the vegetables.  Stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Return the shrimp to the pan, along with the soy sauce mixture.  Bring to a boil, and stir-fry until the sauce glazes the shrimp, about 1 minute more.  Add the tomatoes and stir until coated with sauce, about 15 seconds.

Remove pan from heat, stir in the basil and lime juice.

Serve immediately over jasmine rice.  For some added crunch, serve with fresh bean sprouts on the side.

adapted from FoodNetwork.com

Now that fall is just around the corner (insert sad-face), I’m thinking about roasts, root vegetables and stews.  How can it be? The glorious sunny weekend that we just enjoyed turned into today’s grey and overcast skies?  Yuck.

Roast chicken is by far, one of the easiest roasts to do, in my opinion.  No need to get the timing perfect – unlike some beef or pork roasts, too much time will leave you with a well-done, and tough, dinner.  So chicken is just more forgiving.

This recipe is a classic.  It’s from Marcella Hazan, legendary Italian cook and cookbook author, who is widely considered to be the ‘godmother’ of Italian cuisine.  I want to get some of her cookbooks and try out these well-known ad well-loved recipes.  This roast chicken recipe calls for chicken, lemons, salt and pepper.  Really, that’s it !   Believe me, the chicken comes out moist, juicy, and with a lovely hint of lemony goodness.  And believe me, it’s of course way better than the store-bought roast chicken.  Serve it with a crisp green salad, or a side of roast sweet potatos, and you’ve got yourself a fabulous dinner.

Roast Chicken with Lemons (courtesy Marcella Hazan)

one 3-4 pound chicken

two small lemons

salt

fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out.  Remove any bits of fat hanging loose.  Let the bird sit for about 10 minutes on a slightly tilted plate, so that all the water drains out.  Pat it dry all over with paper towel.

Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers all over the outside, and inside the cavity.

Wash the lemons and dry them with paper towel.  Soften each lemon by rolling it on the counter while pressing firmly down with the palm of your hand.  Puncture the lemons with a fork or toothpick or metal skewer; puncture it about 20 times.

Place both lemons inside the birds cavity.  Close up the opening with toothpicks, or with cooking string.  Close it well, but don’t make it absolutely airtight, as the bird may burst!  Run kitchen string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends.  Leave the legs in their natural position, without pulling too tight.  If the chicken skin is unbroken, the chicken will puff up as it cooks, and the string serves to keep the thighs from spreading apart during cooking and splitting the skin.

Put the chicken into a roasting pan, breast facing down.  Do not add cooking fat of any kind; this bird is self basting so it won’t stick to the pan.  Place it into the upper third of the oven.  After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over so it is breast-side up.  When turning the chicken over, try to avoid breaking the skin, again, if the skin is intact, it puffs up nicely for a lovely presentation.  However, if the skin breaks, don’t worry, flavour and moistness are not affected.

Cook for another 30-35 minutes, then turn the thermostat up to 400F, and cook for an additional 20 minutes.  Calculate between 20-25 minutes total cooking time for each pound.  If you are doing two chickens, say a total of 6-8 pounds, adjust the time according to total pounds, and add the cooking time to this latter part (cooking at 400F).  There is no need to turn the chicken again.

Bring the chicken to the table whole, and leave lemons inside until it is carved.  The juices that run out are lemony delicious!

Enjoy!