Dinner on the Table with a Little Help from my Blogger Friends

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beef, beef & broccoli, beef stew, beer stew, caramelized onions, cauliflower soup, cheesy cauliflower soup, chicken, Guinness stew, oriental beef & broccoli, stew

This past week has been somewhat challenging for me in terms of getting dinner on the table. If it were up to me, I’d be happy with a bowl of cafè-latte and some toasted baguette slices slathered with some salty butter to dunk into my hot drink. I’d even settle with a bowl of cereal topped with banana slices or berries. But what kind of mother would I be if that was indeed what I served my girls? Oh, not to mention hubby’s reaction! So, I turned to my blogger friends for some inspiration. The only criteria was that there were few ingredients involved, and it had to be simple and quick.

The week started off with this fast and simple Beef and Broccoli, thanks to Conor over at One Man’s Meat. This is a favourite of both my girls when we do take out. His recipe is actually called Easy Oriental part 8 – Take out the take-out with Beef and Broccoli. And Conor delivered. Served with fragrant Jasmine rice, it was easy indeed and oh-so-better than take-out any day!

The next evening featured Caramelized Onion Herbed Chicken from Bam’s Kitchen. I have to admit, Bam had me at caramelized onion! Served alongside some mashed potatoes, this chicken was tender, juicy, delicious, and so simple! How good does that look? And it tastes even better!

Hump Day was a real bummer. Being out and about most of the day, I came home with a chill I just couldn’t shake. A lie down under a warm and cozy blanket didn’t do it. So I turned to Sandra, over at Please Pass the Recipe, and her Cheesey Cauliflower Soup.  Served with broiled baguette slices topped with sharp cheddar, this flavourful soup was cheesy, velvety, comforting! Oh, that did the trick all right. All warmed up after that yumminess!

On the menu for last night’s dinner was Spezzatino di manzo alla birra, pere e mostarda. Oh all right! I’ll give you the English version, although I think it sounds fabulous in Italian. Beef stew with beer, pears and mustard. You will even find the French version of Margherita’s stew over at La petite casserole. I used that gorgeously black Guinness beer for this stew. Served with smashed red and yellow baby potatoes with a little butter, this out-of-this world stew was fantastic! Oh-so-flavoursome and just perfect!

So, thank you my friends for helping me feed my family in a proper manner. And now you must be wondering what I’ve got planned for dinner on this final day of a most difficult week? Why, left-overs of course. After all, it’s Friday! Have yourselves a wonderful weekend!

My Dad’s Risotto con Porcini

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mushroom risotto, porcini mushroom risotto, porcini mushrooms, risotto, risotto con porcini, vegetarian risotto

Having been pretty much raised by my dad, most of what I know about Neopolitan food comes from him. My mom passed away when I was 8 years old, which left my father to raise 3 children on his own. Having lived most of his life being cared for by either his own mother or his wife, he suddenly found himself on the other side of the table. Not knowing much about cooking, he had no choice but to jump in blindly and make sure we were fed. And fed we were!

He was an amazing cook. Truly. I can clearly remember his oh, so delicious stuffed peppers, which to this day I cannot seem to recreate. Perhaps I’m chasing a futile memory. And his lasagne. He would wake up early Sunday morning to make his tomato sauce. Then he would patiently roll tiny little meatballs to fill his lasagne with. Out of this world! I’m not sure how he managed to make such delicious food and I was too young to realize at the time what an undertaking this must have been for him. Fortunately, he was able to retire in his early 40’s to take care of me. I say fortunately, but it did come at a price. Having left Italy after World War II to work in the coal mines of Belgium, he was able to receive a substantial Belgian pension all because of his sick lungs.

One of my favourite dishes that my dad made was his Risotto con funghi Porcini. Porcini mushroom risotto. I’m not sure how he came to make such a delicious Northern Italian dish, but oh man it was good! So much so that I would request that dish as my birthday meal time and time again. It was the last birthday meal he made for me, when I was pregnant with my first, before he passed away. In my mind, I never imagined my dad not being there. I took it for granted that he would always make his risotto for me and therefore I never learned how he made it. Lucky for me though, my hubby did. Hubby would sit at the kitchen table and watch my father make his risotto. He watched and took notes of everything my dad did, timing his every move. And I am ever so thankful. It was hubby who took over with the making of this favourite dish of mine. There were many birthdays that I requested this dish and hubby came through every time. Funny thing is, I never made this dish myself. I can’t explain why. It’s my comfort dish. And I think it was all the more comforting because it was made by my dad, and then my hubby. Last night, I finally came around and decided to have a go at it. And you wouldn’t believe what hubby said. “Wow! It’s better than the one I make. Your dad would be really proud!”.

My Dad’s Risotto con Porcini

4 or 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

2 or 3 shallots, minced

Dry porcini mushrooms, a small handful

2 cups of Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice

½ cup or so of white wine

6 to 7 cups of chicken stock, warm

1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, maybe a little more

Salt & pepper to taste

A few notes on the ingredients. You can use frozen porcini if they’re available, although I found them to be nowhere as flavourful as the dried porcini. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh porcini where you live, by all means use them.

I mentioned 6 to 7 cups of warm chicken stock. Because I use the soaking water of the porcini mushrooms, which I encourage you to do seeing as all the mushroom flavour is in there, I really only needed about 6 cups of stock. My theory when it comes to cooking with wine: use one good enough that you would drink. Trust me when I say there’s nothing better than having a glass of wine while making this risotto as you pretty much need to hover over it and constantly be stirring. It’s really not that bad if you’re sipping a good wine! My dad made his own wine and therefore used his, which was a heavy-bodied wine. I use whatever white wine I have on-hand, which this time around happened to be a BC Chardonnay from the Okanagan Valley, Mission Hill.

Begin by soaking the dry porcini mushrooms in a small bowl with about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of warm water. Let soak for about 15 minutes and then chop the mushrooms, reserving the mushroom water.

In a medium-sized pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion and shallots. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and then add the rice, stirring, ensuring that it gets coated with oil.

After about 3 minutes, add the white wine and stir. Wait until it has been absorbed by the rice, and then add the mushroom water. Once that has been absorbed, begin to add the warm chicken stock, ½ cup at a time. My ladle holds about ½ of liquid so it worked out perfectly. As you add your ½ cup of stock, you do need to keep stirring. I mean you need to constantly keep stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue to add ½ cup of stock at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice mixture is creamy and al dente. This will happen after about 6 cups of stock, but do check it after 5 ½ cups.

Once it’s done, al dente, remove from heat and stir in the parmesan. Check for salt and season with pepper. Serve immediately, sprinkled with freshly grated parmigiano over the top. Oh, so cheesy-creamy yummy! Mmmm!

Wheat, Sugar & Dairy-Free Banana Porridge

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banana porridge, coconut porridge, coconut-banana porridge, dairy-free breakfast, dairy-free porridge, Danielle Walker, gluten-free breakfast, gluten-free porridge, porridge, wheat-free breakfast, wheat-free porridge

It is the start of a new year. And with the start of a new anything, we all like to begin things on the right path. Right path might not be the appropriate word here, perhaps more like a different path. I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions. They don’t work for me. And rather than make some and then feel like I’ve failed, I just don’t make them. I also believe that every day of every year should be no different than New Year’s day. Every day should be a new beginning, one where I try my very best.

Then the New Year rolls in. And like it or not, I do feel like it’s a chance to start fresh. Forget the past year, time to move on. And without making those impossible-to-stick-to resolutions, I tell myself that I will try my best. Try my best to be a better person. Try my best to find my way. To make different choices. To make healthier choices.

Making healthier choices usually involves food, and with the help of a new cookbook which I received as a Christmas gift, I look forward to making different choices with my meal planning. Not all the time, just sometimes. Against all Grain, by Danielle Walker, is a book consisting of gluten-free, grain-free & dairy-free recipes. After a quick glance at most recipes, I also noticed that they are sugar-free, with natural honey being the sweetener of choice. Danielle also blogs at againstallgrain.com, where she posts lovely recipes and chronicles her recovery from an autoimmune disease.

So, talking about new beginnings and starting fresh, I would like to share with you from Danielle’s book a delicious start to your day. Banana porridge. Both my daughter Charlotte and I just loved this porridge, welcoming its warmth and richness on the arctic mornings we’ve been having.

Banana Porridge

½ cup of raw cashews

½ cup of raw almonds

½ cup of raw pecans

Pinch of sea salt

2 cups of coconut milk

1 ripe banana

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Place the nuts in a large bowl and sprinkle with sea salt. Add enough cold water to cover the nuts by at least 1 inch. Cover and let soak overnight. Drain the nuts and rinse 2 or 3 times, until the water runs clear.

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the porridge into a saucepan and heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until warm and slightly thickened. You can eat as is. Or you can add some sliced banana, a sprinkle of cinnamon and drizzle with some honey. Oh, how yummy!