Accidental Recipes

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Asparagus Risotto

1 bunch asparagus, rinsed, tough ends snapped off, cut into 1” pieces 2 Tbl olive oil 6 Tbl unsalted butter 1 onion, finely diced (or shallots) 1 1/2 cups arborio rice 1/2 cup dry white wine 5 cups of broth (veg or chicken), hot 3/4 cup Parmesean cheese salt pepper Blanch asparagus for 1 minute in boiling, salted water. Rinse under cold water until cool to the touch. Heat olive oil and 2 Tbl of butter in a medium pan until butter no longer spatters Add onion and sauté until translucent Add rice and sauté for 1-2 minutes until rice has absorbed most of the fats Add white wine and sauté until rice has absorbed most of the wine and liquid no longer appears on the bottom of the pan when you stir it. Begin adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time. Stir very frequently until liquid no longer appears on the bottom of the pan, then add the next 1/2 cup. Add asparagus with the last 1/2 cup of stock and stir. If rice is still too “al dente”, add 1/2 cup of hot water and stir until absorbed. Add remai

Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

1 medium onion 3 cloves of garlic, peeled, sliced thinly 1 lb carrots, washed and roughly chopped 1 Tbl coriander seeds, toasted 1 head cauliflower, washed and roughly chopped 6 cups of vegetable broth (chicken broth would work as well) Salt Pepper Thick Yogurt (greek style) Hot sauce of choice (Siracha, other) 1) Saute onions until soft and just beginning to color. 2) Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds 3) Add carrots, coriander and broth. Simmer for 15-20 min until carrots are just soft. 4) Add cauliflower and simmer for 10 min until soft. 5) Blend until smooth 6) Re-heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. 7) Ladle into bowls, top with tablespoon of yogurt dotted with hot sauce.

Butternut Squash, Kale and White Bean Soup

2-3 slices of bacon (optional) 1 cup diced carrots 1 cup diced celery 1 small to medium onion, diced 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, cubed 3 cups chicken broth (veg broth would work as well) 2 cups water 1 bunch of kale, rinsed well, trimmed of ribs. (you can dice the ribs and use in step 2 if you'd like, or not) Salt (just a bit, the bacon and the pecorino will add more salt) Pepper (I actually used Grans of Paradise here, but pepper does well enough) Small bunch of parsley (or rosemary sprig, or thyme, you pick) 1-2 cups of cooked white beans of your choice. If canned, rinse well. Pecorino cheese 1) Brown bacon in soup pot. Remove. Make yourself a BLT. 2) Saute carrots, celery and onion in the bacon fat. Use the diced kale ribs if you like. 3) Add butternut squash, and stir to coat with oil. Saute for 1 min. 4) Add broth and 1 cup of the water. 5) Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes or until squash is just soft (al dente for the pasta lover

Artichoke and Mushroom Ragout

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in 1/2 1-2 packages mushrooms (mini Bella is what I just used), cleaned and sliced 1-2 oz dried porcini 2 medium onions, diced 1 red pepper, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbl fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried) 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup dry white wine 2-3 lbs mixed heirloom tomatoes (cut in quarters of medium or larger, leave whole if small) 1-2 tbl basil (fresh, sliced or torn) Olive oil3 tsp butter 1) soak dried porcini in 1/2 cup hot water 2) sauté onions in olive oil in a large heavy pot until translucent 3) add red pepper and sauté until soft 4) add butter and sliced mushrooms, sauté until they have released their juices and just started to brown. 5) add chopped dried porcini, garlic and thyme, sauté for 30 seconds 6) add wine, bay leaf and reserved soaking water from porcini. Simmer on medium-high for five or so minutes. 7) add tomatoes and artichokes, bring to a simmer, trum down to lowest setting where you still get an occasional bubbl

Tomato Sauce

All purpose sauce for use in a range of recipes. 2-3 Tbl olive oil 3-4 large carrots, diced 1-2 stalks of celery, diced 2-3 onions, diced 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 cup of fresh parsley, chopped 1 anchovy, finely minced 2 Tbl concentrated tomato paste 1/2 cup dry white wine 4 28oz cans of tomatoes (chopped, diced, whole, or a mix) Thyme Oregano Salt Pepper Heat olive oil in a large pan Add vegetables and saute until onions are translucent Add garlic, parsley and anchovy and stir for 30 seconds Add tomato paste and stir to incorporate well, continue to cook for 1 minute Add white wine, and stir well. Cook for 1 min Add tomatoes, spices and salt and pepper Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to as low as possible while still getting the occasional bubble Cook for 30-45 min, stirring occasionally. You may have to play with the heat a bit, turning it up if the sauce is not bubbling once and awhile If your kids don't like the "bits" of the veggies, feel

Lasagne with Béchamel Sauce

Why Béchamel? Because it's the right thing to do. Plus, you should always have butter, flour and milk in your kitchen. Ricotta may not always be on hand. Ingredients: Bechamel 3/6/5 days in the year 3 cups whole milk. If using skim or low fat, substitute some half and half or cream to bring the fat content of the milk up. 6 Tbl of unsalted butter 5 Tbl of flour salt a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, or a pinch of pre-ground 1 box lasagne noodles 6 cups or more of your favorite homemade tomato sauce (with or without meat) 3-4 cups of freshly ground Parmesan cheese Olive oil Bring a large pan of water to a boil to cook the lasagne noodles. While the pan is heating, heat the milk or milk mixture in a separate pan over a medium heat until hot, but not boiling. Stir occasionally. While the other two pans are heating, in a third pan (5 cups or more capacity), melt the butter over a medium heat. Once the butter melts and stops bubbling, slowly add the flour while whi