Spinach and Goat Cheese Baked Risotto

I think most people when they think of risotto (and that's if they think of it at all...) would consider it a "restaurant food."  I know that I always loved to order the creamy rice dish (preferably with lots of shrimp and scallops in it) when I'm eating at Italian restaurants that are not the Olive Garden (nothing against the OG and its amazing salad and breadsticks, I just can't remember it ever being on the menu...).  I guess risotto is intimidating because it's supposed to be so hands on in its preparation (read: constant stirring for long periods of time).  Enter: baked risotto.  All of the yummy, creamy, heart-warming goodness and none of the arm-cramp-inducing stirring.  And, when you add garlicky, sauteed spinach and tangy goat cheese to the mix, you end up with something glorious.  Thank you to Martha Stewart and Jamie Oliver for your recipes, when I married them together, they made quite a delicious baby!


Spinach and Goat Cheese Baked Risotto
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided (plus more for serving)
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
2-2 1/4 cups hot water
1/2 cup homemade or low sodium canned chicken stock
kosher salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
5 1/2 oz fresh spinach, washed and dried
ground nutmeg, preferably fresh
a big handful or two of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lemon, zest removed and reserved
7 oz. soft goat's cheese, crumbled 



Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon each of oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring to coat the grains with oil, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until it has completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, the stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.  Pour rice mixture into an ovenproof baking dish and cover.  Transfer to the oven, and bake, covered, until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, 20 to 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, place an additional tablespoon each of olive oil and butter along with garlic in a large skillet over medium heat.  When butter is melted, add spinach.  Cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted down.  Season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste.  Chop finely or blend up in a food processor.  Cover and set aside to keep warm.
When rice is cooked through, remove from oven and stir in spinach mixture, 2 additional tablespoons butter, a good squeeze of lemon juice, Parmesan and half of the goat cheese.  Stir until butter and goat cheese is melted and rice is creamy.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.  Spoon into bowls and top with additional crumbled goat cheese, a sprinkle of lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.  Serve immediately as a main dish or hearty side.  

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart's Oven-Baked Risotto and Jamie Oliver's Spinach and Goat Cheese Risotto from Cook with Jamie

French Style Lentils

It seems like lentils get a bad rap.  They have some sort of reputation as bland and something to be forced down (like only someone as mild as "pigeon and oatmeal loving" Bert from Sesame Street would sing the praises of lentils).  Well, I'm here to dispel that myth.  Lentils are delicious, healthy, economical and can have a real earthy, French Peasant flair to them--especially when prepared in this manner.  Inspired by a dish from the Barefoot Contessa (which was inspired by her favorite Bistro in Paris), the use of a mustard-y vinaigrette stirred into the lentils makes for something really spectacular. Serve as a side, main course in bowls or alongside some chicken sausages and pretend you're enjoying them in the French countryside.

French Style Lentils
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 leek, white and light green parts, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 carrots, peeled and 1/2-inch diced
1 parsnip, peeled and 1/2-inch diced (optional)
1/2 cup celery, finely diced 
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup green lentils
4 cups water (or chicken stock)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 whole onion, peeled
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large dutch oven/soup pot.  Add the leek, carrots, parsnips (if using) and celery and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, set aside.

Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.  In the same pot, combine, lentils, 4 cups of water or stock, thyme and onion and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, add the reserved vegetables and simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender.  Remove from heat and discard the onion (you can also drain off the liquid if you prefer your lentils as more of a side dish and less "soupy").  Stir in the butter.  Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper.  Add to the lentils, stir well.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  The longer the lentils sit, the more salt and pepper you'll want to add.

Roughly adapted from "Barefoot Contessa's How Easy is That?"

Pad Thai Time!

When we lived in Southern California a few years ago, Jay and I tried just about every Thai restaurant our meager dining out budget allowed. Even though there were plenty of tempting dishes on the menu, I was always hard pressed to try anything else besides Pad Thai, especially on a first visit to a place. Maybe it's silly, but it seemed like a really good measuring stick (we like to do the same thing with pizza places and compare pepperonis--even though I'd always prefer vegetarian, heaven help me if a pizza comes with canned mushrooms...ick! ick! ick!).

Anyway, I have come to realize that making Pad Thai really is easy and after attempting lots of recipes (some even have included ketchup--not so sure how traditional that is!), I think I've landed on a keeper. I have adapted my recipe from Mark Bittman's NY Times column "The Minimalist" along with one from "Everyday Food."

Oh, and this came together in just under 30 minutes! That's even faster than I can get to my nearest Thai restaurant!

Pad Thai:

serves four
8 oz. dried rice noodles (the fettucini width is my favorite)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

sauce: (*see note*)
4 tablespoons tamarind paste (check the Latin foods section)
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla--found in Asian foods section)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, thinly sliced (or 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion)
4 scallions sliced into 1" pieces, white and green parts divided
2 eggs, well beaten
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups bean sprouts, divided
lime wedges
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

thinly sliced meat or tofu, seasoned with salt and pepper or as desired (**see note**)

In a small sauce pan, combine tamarind paste, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and chili garlic sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over rice noodles. Stir to separate and allow to soak until just softened, about 5-10 minutes (check them frequently, you want them very "al dente," otherwise they'll get mushy during stir frying--a mistake I've made all too often!). Drain off water and toss with one tablespoon of oil to keep them from sticking together.

Heat two teaspoons oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Stir fry shallots, garlic and white parts of scallions until onions are crisp tender and fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add beaten egg, season with salt and pepper. Scramble until just set. Remove eggs from pan and set aside.

Add remainder of oil to pan over high heat. Throw in softened noodles and pour sauce over top. Stir fry until noodles are heated through. Add cooked meat, egg mixture, two cups of bean sprouts and half of green scallion pieces. Stir to combine one last time. Divide into bowls and garnish with remaining bean sprouts and scallions, lime wedges, cilantro and crushed peanuts.
Serve immediately.

*A recipe I came across uses a sauce with extremely accessible ingredients. If you can't find tamarind paste and fish sauce, you can give this alternative a try:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce
about 1/8 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (Sriacha) or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Add to the noodles at the same step as the original sauce.


**Tonight, I used pork chops tonight and grilled them while I was stir frying the pad thai so that I didn't have another step of cooking in my wok. You can also stir fry the meat or shrimp in the same pan as the rest of your pad Thai. Just add a step in between scrambling the egg and stir frying the noodles. Also, most traditional in pad Thai is shrimp and tofu, but use whatever you please or leave meat out all together.