Lemony Summer Squash Risotto
July 28, 2015
Aunt Suzy says . . .
There has been an abundance of beautiful summer squash at our farmer’s markets and produce stands lately, so when this recipe from the NY Times “recipes for health” showed up in my Facebook feed recently, I knew I had to make it. I’ve made quite a few of Martha Shulman’s recipes from that column over the years and they are always reliable and delicious. (You’ll also see I made a couple of adaptations to the recipe cuz that’s how we roll here!)
If you know us at S&SK, you know how much we love lemon. You can see all kinds of “lemony” recipes, both sweet and savory, on our blog. I predict this one will be a favorite up here in the Minnesota branch of our cooking team. If you love risotto and love summery, lemony dishes, this one is a winner!
Ingredients
7 to 8 cups chicken (or vegetable stock for vegetarian)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 pound summer squash, diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
Zest of one small lemon
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, preferably lemon thyme
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Heat the stock in a pan and keep just below a simmer for use in the risotto.
In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil till it shimmers over medium heat and then add the onion and saute till translucent. Add the summer squash and a little salt. Turn up the heat and saute a further 5 min until the squash is just starting to get soft. Add in the rice and garlic and give a few stirs to coat with the olive oil and create the signature nuttiness of the rice in this dish. Add the wine and stir till absorbed.
Turn down the heat and add about 1/2 cup of the hot stock. Keep at a low simmer, and stir until the stock is absorbed by the rice. Repeat by adding 1/2 cup stock at a time, stirring till absorbed until the rice is just about cooked through, about 25 minutes total. Add some more stock, the lemon zest and juice, the thyme and the Parmesan. Stir to blend. The dish should be creamy, not too dry and not too wet and the rice should be al dente. Best served in bowls with a refreshing glass of lemony Pinot Grigio.
Notes on ingredients: Two medium squash added up to one pound for me with apologies for not measuring the amount of diced squash before adding it to the pan. I used one yellow squash and one striped zucchini. I used Pinot Grigio for the white wine, but a Sauvignon Blanc would work well too. Avoid anything with oak in it like a California Chardonnay. Use the best quality Parmesan that you can find for the flavor and creaminess that really makes this dish. We recommend grating it yourself vs. buying it already grated.
Pasta with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts
October 27, 2011
Aunt Suzy says . . . .
I saw this recipe in Food & Wine this month and since it has fall vegetables paired with some of my favorite aromatics and ingredients, I thought I’d give it a try. I thought it sounded good, but was delighted by how delicious it was – it way outstripped my expectations! Of course, I made adaptations – I can’t help but tinker! I thought this would be too difficult to eat with bucatini, so instead used a my favorite small pasta shape, fusilli bucati. I think other small pasta shapes would be excellent, or you might want to try the bucatini of the original recipe. (Actually, I think this would make a great side vegetable dish without the pasta.) You might be inclined to skip the toasted breadcrumbs, but I would advise against this. They added both flavor and texture and, to me, really made the dish. A bonus is that this took only about 30 minutes start to finish! We served this with roasted salmon and an Italian Orvieto white wine. I will definitely make this again!
Ingredients
3/4 pound cauliflower florets, cut in 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
3/4 pound brussels sprouts, halved or quartered if large (about 3 cups)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, finely diced
2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme
Directions
In a small skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and transfer to a bowl and set aside.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1/4 cup of the oil on medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add the cauliflower and brussels sprouts and season with salt and black pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the oil to the skillet along with the onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, rosemary and thyme; cook, stirring, until the onion is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat until the cauliflower and sprouts are tender, about 3 more minutes. Keep warm.
Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the vegetables and cook over moderate heat, tossing, until the water is nearly absorbed. Remove from the heat and stir in the 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Serve the pasta in wide bowls, passing the bread crumbs and additional cheese at the table. (Alternatively, you can skip stirring the cheese into the pasta and add it instead to individual servings along with the bread crumbs.)
Kohlrabi & Cabbage Slaw with Herb Dressing
July 23, 2011
Aunt Suzy says . . .
I’ve been wanting to make a kohlrabi salad ever since seeing a recipe on a blog last year. I recently bought a beautiful kohlrabi – something I’ve never eaten nor cooked with – at the farmers’ market and came home to find this recipe in the Wall St Journal Saturday “Off Duty” section. It looked even better than the one that inspired me to buy the kohlrabi! We really enjoyed the sweetness and juiciness the kohlrabi added to this slaw. It’s a perfect accompaniment to something grilled, shown above with grilled salmon and our spring farmers market potato salad. Note that for a salad like this, all quantities are subject to your taste!
Slaw Ingredients
1/2 medium green cabbage, cored and shredded (about 2 cups)
1 green or purple kohlrabi, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 red onion, cut in half moons (about 1/3 cup)
Quarter and core the cabbage, then cut in thin strips. Peel the kohlrabi and shred on the big holes of a box grater. Place both in a colander and add the salt. Place the colander over a bowl, cover with a towel and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours to expel excess moisture.
Herb Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup EV olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste
Whisk the olive oil, mustard and lemon juice in a bowl until slightly emulsified. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to blend.
Assembling the Slaw
Squeeze any excess moisture from the cabbage-kohlrabi mixture. Place in a large salad bowl and toss with the red onion. Add the herb dressing and toss to thoroughly blend all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt, black pepper or lemon juice as necessary.
Sweet & Savory Kitchens 