Unphotogenic Sometimes Equals YUMMY

This little side dish is also from Simply Delicious: Vegetarian. (Heidi, thanks again!)

We needed something sort of filling to go with grilled fish, since it was 80 degrees last weekend. Ugh. Not my idea of January. But nice for grilling.

This is another recipe for tomato lovers, so "Sorry, Ickenham." Next time, I'd slice the potatoes even thinner, and pour over some white wine before baking it.

Potato Bake with tomatoes and oregano

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled, cut in half, then thinly sliced on a slicer
salt, pepper
12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 c fresh bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a large casserole or glass dish.

Heat 2 T oil in a large frying pan and saute onion until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add the potatoes and saute for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oiled dish. Arrange the tomatoes in a layer on top. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and oregano, and drizzle with remaining oil.

Bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Risotto, Non-White

I have posted my favorite Butternut Squash Risotto sometime last year. It was my absolute favorite risotto for quite some time. About a month ago, we made a plain, milanese risotto, and I had high hopes of really preferring the simplest form. Nope. I like 'stuff' in it. Butternut squash is still a fantastic choice.

However, Heidi gave us some Barnes N Noble money, and we went buying cookbooks. I picked out Simply Delicious: Vegetarian mostly for the pictures. I flipped through it and saw this risotto recipe but didn't expect it to really ring my bell.

If you need/want a risotto for red wine, then here you are. This was really, really, really, yummy. In my humble opinion. Shaw liked it too, but he preferred the second time around, when I made it with half arborio, and half quinoa. Experimentation. Before the recipe, let me just say: Tomatoes and butter = GOOD.

Risotto with tomato and fresh basil

1/3 c butter, split different ways, read on
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 c peeled and chopped tomatoes (I used whole canned, as it is winter)
1 3/4 c risotto rice
1/3 c dry white wine
3 c + simmering vegetable stock (or chicken, but veg is really good here)
20 basil leaves, torn at last minute, plus extra for garnish
1/3 c freshly grated Parmiggiano (need I type "freshly" again on this blog?)
salt, and freshly cracked pepper (this is the last time, I swear)

Set your stock to boil, then reduce to simmer. Melt 2 T butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chopping them up as you go, and mix well. Cook until tomatoes have broken down and mixture is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

Melt 2 more T butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and cook until it evaporates. Stir in the tomato mixture and basil. Begin adding the stock, 1/2 c at a time, until each addition has been absorbed and rice is tender, at least 18 minutes.

Stir in the remaining butter, parmiggiano and salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let rest for 1 minute. Garnish with extra basil and serve hot. With wine.