Tag: half and half
Risotto with Leftover Chicken Stew
What do you do with leftover stew??? Well, I have an amazing way to transform stew leftovers!!! Why not make a risotto?? I needed to pat myself on the back- this is brilliant. The risotto has amazing flavor thanks to the stew…I love coming up with ways to reuse my leftovers and make completely different dishes…
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1 cup leftover sauce and vegetables from the stew
- 2 to 3 cups warm mushroom or chicken stock
- ¼ cup half and half
- Salt
Heat a medium sized frying pan with the oil. Add the Arborio rice and sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cup of leftover stew and stir on medium heat for a minute. Add 2 cups of broth, mix well and cover with lid and cook for 10 minutes on a low heat. Take lid off and add more liquid, stir and simmer, covered with a lid for another 5 to 7 minutes. Take the lid off and continue cooking, while stirring till the rice is cooked through. Add the half and half. Check for seasonings and add salt if necessary. Serve warm.
Thyme Pecorino Risotto with Pan Seared Scallops and Arugula
I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year than with some delicious scallops. We all love scallops in our family. Especially with some delicious risotto. A lot of people are intimidated to make risotto- but one needs to have a bit of patience. The method is quite simple and the flavor combinations are limitless. I decided to add fresh thyme and Pecorino cheese in this dish. I love Pecorino for its delicious punch of flavor.
The scallops are super easy to make. All one needs is a good non-stick pan, some delicious olive oil and salt and pepper. The pan needs to be screaming hot and the scallops are done in minutes. To complete the meal, I dressed some delicious arugula with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
The whole meal was very easy to make and didn’t take very long. Try this in the New Year…. a great start!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 4 cups chicken broth, heated
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 cup Pecorino cheese, shredded
- Salt
- Pepper
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil on medium heat. Add the shallots and cloves and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the thyme and rice and sauté for a minute. Add the chicken broth half cup at a time, stirring constantly on medium heat. Keep repeating the process till the rice is cooked. Add the half and half and cheese. Taste for seasonings and add the salt and pepper.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 12 large scallops or more
- Salt
- Pepper
Heat a large non-stick pan and add the oil. Saute the scallops on high and brown on both sides, about 2 minutes each (depends on the size of the scallops). Serve on top of risotto.
Arugula Salad
- 3 cups baby arugula
- Juice of half lemon
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Toss the arugula with the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Add a cup of tossed greens on top of the scallops and serve.
Roasted and Mashed Butternut Squash and Potatoes with Cheddar Cheese
This is one of the sides I came up for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I was in Trader Joes, as usual, and came across already peeled and cut up butternut squash. I am quite lazy and usually never pick up a whole one- so when I saw a package of organic cut up squash- I was thrilled.
I usually always make some kind of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. There is also some kind of sweet potato or butternut squash dish. I wanted to combine the potato and butternut squash and come up with one dish.
Usually for a mashed dish, potatoes are boiled and then mashed. I decided to roast pieces of butternut squash, potatoes and garlic with some olive oil, salt and pepper instead.
Once the vegetables were soft, I ran them through a food mill and added grated cheese, half and half and fresh sage. I baked the dish once more with some grated cheese on top. It was simply delicious! Roasting the vegetables instead of boiling them gave the dish a more intense flavor. It was creamy and the sharp cheddar cheese and sage made it taste like a fabulous holiday side.
I was thrilled with this concoction- please try it for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
- 1 pound cut up butternut squash (Trader Joes has it already cut and peeled)
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut up same size as the squash- about 2 inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, whole with skin
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a lined cookie sheet, add the squash, potatoes and garlic cloves. Drizzle the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or till the pieces are tender. Take out and let cool. Run the roasted mixture through a food mill or a potato ricer.
At this point the mixture can be refrigerated up to 2 days.
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided
- ½ cup half and half
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4 generous servings. Recipe can be doubles.
In a serving bowl, add the butternut squash and potato mixture. Add ½ cup cheese, half and half, salt and sage. Mix well and check for seasonings. Sprinkle remaining of the half cup cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes.
Creamy Shrimp With Penne
- 1 to ½ pound penne, cooked al dente
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh thyme
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup clam juice
- 2 cups homemade tomato sauce or a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 pound medium shrimp, deveined and peeled
- Salt
Heat a wide saucepan with olive oil. Add the shallot, garlic and thyme and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the white wine and clam juice to deglaze. Bring to a boil and add the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Lower the heat and add the half and half and shrimp. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or till the shrimp are cooked. Add salt and cooked penne. Mix well and check for seasonings. Serve hot.
Roast Brussel Sprouts and Haricot Vert
I served this with the salmon. I am not sure if brussel sprouts are still around, but if you can find them- they are delicious with the green beans. I added walnuts and cranberries to the mix and came up with a delicious recipe.
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Mexican Style Shrimp Stew
Yum, yum. I know stew sounds weird in the summer but this one takes almost no time to make.. especially since it is make with shrimp. I crave spicy foods in the summer- with super loud flavors.. this definitely fits the bill….
- 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 1 dry ancho chili, seeds taken out
- 2 chipotle chilies, seeds taken out
- 1 New Mexico chili, seeds taken out
- Juice of one orange
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 green onions
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- Salt
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 1 cup roasted corn
Add the chilies, orange juice, chicken broth, green onions and garlic into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or till the chilies are soft. Add to the blender with the cilantro and blend till smooth.
Heat the same saucepan with the olive oil on medium heat. Add the blended sauce and bring to a boil. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes on medium heat. Add salt and half and half. Check for seasonings and cook on a simmer. Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and gently cook till the shrimp is done but not over cooked. Check for seasonings and serve with Spanish rice.
Sausage and Peas Risotto with Tomato Salad
Okay, time to change it up- how about some Italian fare? Lets start with some delicious risotto?? Don’t be intimidated, at all.. it is not as hard as it looks- definitely try it.. especially with all the lovely tomatoes in the farmers market…
Tomato Salad
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
Add the tomatoes to a medium bowl. Add the olive oil, salt and garlic. Mix well and let sit while the risotto cooks.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pack chicken sausage, casings off and crumbled
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ½ cup white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
- 4 cups chicken broth, heated
- Salt
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on high heat, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shallot, garlic and thyme. Saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and white wine. Stir and cook for a minute. Start adding the hot broth a ladle at a time while stirring. Add more broth as the liquid cooks off. Continue to cook until the rice is al dente- about 20 minutes. Add salt, frozen peas, half and half and the cheese. Continue to stir on low heat until the peas are heated through. Check for seasonings and serve hot with tomato salad.