Meatless Mania: Butternut Squash Risotto

Husband is a carnivore. Not only has he banned me from seeing the movie Food Inc, but he has a similar ban on In Defense of Food or any other book that somehow might turn me into one of those liberal greenies (well, I guess I should say “further into one of those liberal greenies” as I grew up in the People’s Republic of Cambridge Massachusetts and I compost). I’ve implemented a mostly meat free diet when not with husband (weekday breakfast and lunches) and try to have one meat free day a week (currently Thursday). So I was shocked and amazed when husband requested a repeat of this Butternut Squash Risotto and suggested that even though it was meatless, we make it the entree!

Now here’s the truth about Julie and Risotto—I kind of hate it. Somewhere in my mildly anorexic youth I became convinced that Risotto makes you fat; so like cheeses, desserts and red meat, I cut it out completely. Fortunately, as I aged, I realized life is too short to worry about such silliness and I added most of these contrabands back into my life. However it is only lately, when Los Angeles gets down to a chilly 50 degrees, that I’ve started craving inner warmth in the form of food. Thus, a sudden interest in Risotto.

One would assume that since this recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen, it would be perfect. However, having made this twice, I must implore you to try the following changes:

1. Omit the sage or tone it WAY done. The first time I made this dish, I had no sage, left it out and the risotto tasted wonderful.  The second time, I added the full 2 Tablespoons of sage and it made the risotto taste a tad like Pine Sol.

2. Either double the squash cooking time or roast it. Both times the squash could have used some extra softening. I know you don’t want it mushy, but soft would have been nice.

3. Do not fear the constant stirring. I was petrified that I would burn the risotto if I wasn’t careful. Don’t be intimidated, it’s actually easier than it seems.

On the whole, this recipe is fairly simple and tasty. Even as a main course, both Husband and I were fully satiated. This dish is a keeper—particularly while I search for more meatless dishes that Husband will crave!

A note for other carnivores: the first time I made this, I served it as a side with pork.

Summary:
Difficulty Level: medium
Effort Level: medium
Cost: Inexpensive
Result: Tasty—definitely a keeper!

The Great Cookie Compromise: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s said that the key to a good marriage is compromise so husband and I put this idea to the test via our taste buds. You see, I believe that if a baked good does not involve chocolate, it’s likely not worth the calories. On the other hand, husband believes that oatmeal raisin cookies are God’s gift to his tummy. So I decided to try a recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies.

Maybe it’s because I grew up thinking that the best chocolate chip cookies were made from the recipe on the back of a Tollhouse bag or maybe I’m just a cookie purist, but when making simple cookies, I look for simple recipes; ones with the fewest steps and the fewest ingredients. So I was delighted when I opened Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and found his recipe for “Oatmeal Cookies” to which he said you could add raisins, dried fruit or chocolate chips.

Now I will be honest, I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Mark Bittman. I believe that people turn to cookbooks and cooking shows because they need help in the kitchen. While I'm sure some chefs do look for recipes, I think that the kind of person who would be drawn to a title like “How to Cook Everything” really doesn’t know how to cook anything. So while he is encouraging with his—go ahead and add 1 ½ cups of whatever you want to this recipe, it’s also a little daunting (although not nearly as frightening as when he was on the Today Show cooking a vegetable soup and told you to just add any vegetables in any amount.  Really? If that’s the case, then why is the Today Show paying you to be on the air???). With so much rope, one can easily hang themselves, or just be reduced to a puddle of neuroses on the kitchen floor. This is why I rarely use this book. If I don’t know how to roast squash, it’s not very helpful to be told to just throw it on a baking sheet and take it out when it’s done. Any idiot can figure that out, what I want to know is how long to cook something the first time I make it, not how to learn through experience.

Anyhow, I digress. Here’s how things went with this recipe:

1. Mark only calls for 1 stick of butter and 2 cups of oats. Most recipes like a 2 sticks butter, 3 cups oat ratio. I realize now this leads to a more cakey texture.

2. After the butter is creamed, everything is mixed by hand. Not a good idea after a tough arm workout at the gym. My arms are SORE now!

3. When told to “alternate between dry ingredients and the milk” I mixed 1 cup of the dry ingredients and followed that by mixing 1/3 of the milk. I’m not sure this is correct, but it seemed to mix fairly well.

4. I mixed the chips in after all the other ingredients were combined. This worked well for me, but if you want to cut down on your mixing, you could probably add them to the dry ingredients before combining with the batter.

5. Tasting dough that involves uncooked oats is a little nasty.

How did it turn out? Eh. Let’s just say simple may not have been the best way to go here. While I like the idea of a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, this is clearly not the best recipe. These cookies are exceptionally doughy and dry and seem to satisfy neither the oatmeal lover, nor the chocoholic.

In case you don’t have the cookbook, here is my adaptation of the recipe:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Alternate between the dry ingredients and the milk, stirring until completely combined. Add vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto the ungreased baking sheets and bake in the center of the oven until golden, about 12-15 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through. Cool completely on racks. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Summary:
Difficulty Level: Low
Effort Level: Low (though arm strength is needed!)
Cost: Inexpensive
Result: Dry. The hunt for the great cookie compromise recipe continues.

Following the omens: Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder

There are times in your life when it seems like the universe is telling you something; times when all signs point to the same thing and it appears that the great hand of fate is gently nudging you towards a destiny. Well, I had one of those experiences this weekend. I was planning my meals for the week, dreading a recycled week of chicken breasts, pastas and other good old standbys. Needing some inspiration, I opened a few magazines, and flipped through picture after picture of mildly inspired meals. And then I saw it: Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder in Real Simple. The picture alone could have sold me, but the truth of the matter isI have been dying to try out my slow cooker since someone graciously gifted it to Husband and me for our wedding. What more could I need? Well how about the following: a coupon for $1 off the needed Chili-Garlic Sauce AND a sale on pork shoulder at my local grocery store. What can I tell you? There are sometimes you need to follow the omens…

I couldn’t find a pork shoulder that was less than 4 ½ pounds, so I chose a relatively lean looking 5 pounder with the idea of doubling the recipe. Cutting the uncooked pork was definitely more time consuming than I had hoped and I learned yet another valuable kitchen lesson: bring big hunks of meat to room temperature before slicing and dicing. I left the pork shoulder in the fridge until minutes before cutting it into beautiful 2 inch pieces. What happened? Frost bitten fingers. Ok, maybe it wasn’t so bad, but damn! It was cold!

In addition to the temperature issue, I would suggest giving yourself more than the 15 minutes to prep the recipe. Cutting up the pork alone took me 20 minutes, but I had to stop a few times to warm up my hands and I was anal about removing the fat.

Here are some other things to consider:

• Play with the amount of salt. I eye-balled about half the salt recommended and still found the dish a little salty. However, Husband, who I sometimes think would be happy if just given a salt lick for dinner, disagreed.

• The Chili-Garlic Sauce is SPICY! I love spice, but if your taste buds are a little more sensitive, you might consider halfing the amount suggested. I went with the full 2 Tablespoons (which was actually 4 since I doubled the recipe).

• Double the vegetables. Not that I'm a green Nazi, but I do think this could have benefited from some extra heads of bok choi rather than just one (or two in my case).

I cooked the dish on low for 7 1/2 hours.

The result: pure genius! This dish was easy, took little attention and might very well be one of the best things I’ve ever made. I would put this head to head with my local Chinese take out any day! And the best part? It only costs about $2.50 a serving. It seems that listening to the universe can in fact yield beautiful rewards. Now if only it could guide me to monetary riches, I would be totally satisfied…

Summary:
Difficulty Level: Low
Effort Level: Low-moderate
Cost: VERY LOW!
Results: When the stars align, listen to the signs!

Note: If you do not have a slow cooker, this recipe can easily be adjusted to cook in a Dutch oven. Brown the meat, then toss it in the sauce and cook covered in a Dutch oven for 4-5 hours at 300-325.