Asparagus and Turkey Bacon Risotto

Asparagus and Turkey bacon Risotto

Asparagus and Turkey bacon Risotto uses one my favourite vegetables and the smokey, but lean flavour of turkey bacon. I love rice anytime of year. My mom, Nilde is the ultimate chef of rice. She can take the simplest ingredient and incorporate it into the dish. When last I visited she made a zucchini flower rice which was devoured by all.

It’s a little cooler today, and I want some comfort food and we both love rice. When we are in Italy, we often eat a rice salad in the summer; I make my own version which I will share in another post. Rice is one of the most important staples in the world and cooked by many cultures. I found some interesting facts about this comfort food and you can read them at http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat54/sub343/item1580.html

If we are not feeling well, it is also a good food. Boiled and eaten with a little olive oil and grated cheese cures many stomach ailments. Sometimes my nonna would serve it in a chicken broth for extra comfort. I hope you enjoy this dish with the turkey bacon flavour.

I use a turkey bacon and fresh asparagus from the local market. A little olive oil gives it an added level of flavour.

The rice begins with some onion and olive oil; each grain of rice is toasted in the oil. Then we hit it with a good white wine.

Oh the colours of love.

After 10 minutes, we marry the bacon, asparagus and rice.

The liquid added a little at a time; here it just hits the pot.

I plate it and then will add some more cheese and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Asparagus and Turkey Bacon Risotto

Course Main Course

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Rice

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion thinly diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup grated parmigiano
2 tbsp butter

The Asparagus and Turkey Bacon

6 slices turkey bacon finely sliced and diced
1 bunch baby asparagus
1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

The Rice

Warm up your broth.
Place a pot on medium heat.
Put in your olive oil and onion. Soften the onion.
Add rice and toast it for a minute.
Now add in the white wine.
As soon as the wine evaporates, begin to ladle in the warm broth. Keep stirring and ensure that the broth evaporates before you add more broth.
Continue these steps until your rice is at your required taste. We like it al dente, but it is your choice. Don't make it too mushy.
After 10 minutes add the asparagus and bacon. Continue ladling the hot broth.

The Asparagus and the Turkey Bacon

Rinse asparagus under cold water.
Check out this short video on how to clean asparagus :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lymoBafFwso
For this recipe, I cut the asparagus diagonally into small bites.
Put the turkey bacon into the pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Once the bacon starts to brown throw in the asparagus.
Cook for a minute leaving the asparagus crunchy. It will cook more in the rice.

The Assembly

Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the element and add in the butter and cheese. In Italian we call this mantecare.
Plate on a large platter or individual plates. Use some basil as a garnish and drizzle a little more olive oil over the rice.

Recipe Notes

I love Gennarao Contaldo's simple method of making risotto and you can watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOBihHeZuXE

June 22, 2018June 22, 2018

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Vegetable-Sausage Foil Packs

Vegetable-Sausage Foil Packs are perfect for the grill. This recipe can also be done in the oven which makes this a keeper. I am using Italian Sausage today, but I have also used Kielbasa (Polish Sausage) in the winter months.

Sausages are my favourite anytime of the year. When I was pregnant with my eldest daughter, I craved them every day. The on-going joke was that the child would look like a sausage. There is something about Italian sausages which is comforting. I remember chef Emeril Legasse saying that “pork fat rules” and I think he is right. The fact is that sausages have been part of our diet for over twenty centuries, with the first ones dating back to Greece. Most sausages then were made and dried.

Every country has famous sausage recipes and every family has one. This is a nice cultural overview of sausages: http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/45/

Today, my Vegetable-Sausage Foil Packs keep me in my outside kitchen and make clean-up a breeze. I like a white wine with sausages; I am having a local Riesling with mine today. It is a Niagara wine: Cave Spring 2014 Riesling Estate.

First I create the foil packs and I have included an easy method in the recipe for you. It is a quick and great video.

Next I cut, chop and dice the vegetables.

Simple ingredients for the dressing: balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning and olive oil.

Next to going to an Italian butcher for sausage, these are the best. They can be purchased at Metro or Food Basic and they are Canadian. I like the fat content of these sausages and are as close to homemade as you will get. They are also very large in size; they come in hot, mild and fennel flavour.

Everything is mixed with the dressing.

Packets on the grill.

Opened on the plate, these packets make clean-up a breeze. Everything is perfectly caramelized. That little bit of balsamic vinegar makes everything sweet and helps to roast the vegetables to perfection.

Vegetable-Sausage Foil Packs

A favourite anytime of the year, but nice on the grill and easy to clean-up.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

4 Italian Sausages
4 assorted peppers ( cut lengthwise into large pieces) I used yellow, orange and red
2 large onions sliced
4 cloves garlic quaretered
1 package fresh mushrooms halved
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning with chilli peppers, fennel, oregano
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Cut the sausages into quarters.
Assemble the vegetables and cut accordingly.
Divide the meat and vegetables evenly into 4 packets.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3yDbf2PLAQ
It's very important to crease and foil properly.
Mix the Italian Seasoning, olive oil and vinegar.
Drizzle evenly into packets.
Seal the foil tightly.
Grill, covered on medium heat for 30 minutes.
Serve with fresh bread, rice or noodles.

June 12, 2018

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Grilled Eggplant roll-ups

Grilled Eggplant roll-ups are fun to make and the grill makes them easy to prepare. I take egg plants and slice them lengthwise. To make even slices, I use a mandolin and put the slices into a large bowl and salt. Then I add 2 tbsp of olive oil and toss them; let them sit for 20 minutes and discard the water. Now, all the slices go straight on my grill.

Eggplants

It is both my Sicilian and Calabrese roots that put eggplants quite often on my table. Eggplants are packed with vitamins and minerals; they are a good source of dietary fibre. Sometimes they are an acquired taste, but this recipe is a no fail for you to fall in love with eggplants. Most of the bitterness comes from the skin of the eggplant; I take a potato peeler and remove some of the skin by scoring it in 1/2 inch sections. If you like, you can remove all the peel. The salt will also remove the bitterness; the longer the eggplant sits in salt, the less bitter it becomes.

A quick read on eggplants: https://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/pubs/0203/eggplant.html

The barbeque is a staple at my house all year, but from March to October it does most of the work. We are just getting ready to open the pool; you can see my owls that supposedly scare away the birds.

The eggplants sliced and placed in a bowl with salt and olive oil. Let them sit there for an hour.

Look at the colour on the grill.

Look at the grill marks and only 2 tbsp of olive oil. Cover these up and refrigerate until ready to use.

Fresh ground veal is the key to this dish; veal has a more delicate taste.

Take out the grilled eggplant from the fridge. Put the meat on the fattest edge of the eggplant and stuff with a bocconcini.

Neatly rolled-up.

I had some sauce with eggplants that I made a few days ago; put some marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. Start lining up the rolls.

All ready for the top layer of sauce.

Ready for the oven.

Eggplant roll-ups

Stuffed with veal these little roll-ups are hearty.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 8

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

Grilling the eggplant

2 medium eggplants
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

The filling

1 lb ground veal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup cold water
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 cups marinara sauce
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
extra olive oil for drizzling
350 gr bocconcini

Instructions

The Eggplant

Wash eggplant and remove both ends.
Slice eggplant using a Mandolin. I used the 1/8 setting.
Put eggplant in a big bowl.
Add salt and olive oil and toss with your hands.
Let it sit for at least one hour
Drain liquid and put directly on grill.
It grills quickly; I flipped each slice after 30 seconds.
Place on a platter and wrap with aluminum foil.
I refrigerated it over night. It helps soften the eggplant, but retain its shape.

The filling

Place veal, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt,egg,water,garlic,parsley in a bowl and mix.

The assembly

Slice bocconcini in half.
Take a 9 X 13 inch pan and place one cup of marinara sauce on bottom.
Place eggplant slices on a cutting board.
Scoop one tablespoon of filling on fat end of eggplant slice.
Set a bocconcini in the centre.
Roll and place in pan.
Once the pan is full, pour another cup of marinara sauce over the rolls.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Cover with tin foil.
Place in a 375 F oven for 30 minutes.
Remove and add 4 tbsp of Parmesan Cheese over top.
Return to the oven uncovered for another 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes

You can also substitute mozzarella if you don't have bocconcini.

This dish can serve as a main or a side. I ate it as a main with rice.

April 24, 2018

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Roasted Tomato and Corn Soup

Roasted Tomato and Corn Soup tastes like it has cooked for hours. Serve it to company or sit with a mug of this by the fire. I love anything that involves tomatoes and living in Canada’s Tomato Capital, makes me smile everyday.

Nonno and Tomatoes

I reminisce about my nonno Salvatore a lot; he had his dreams coming to this country from Italy and they were all fulfilled. When I think of him I love remembering his skills as a farmer. When he purchased his house at 581 Parliament St. in Sault Ste. Maire, his one request was a large lot to plant his garden. It was in that garden that we got a glimpse of his expertise.

The tomato plants all started inside the house from seeds that nonno and nonna dried out the previous year. They were planted with love and care and it was almost an assembly line. We helped put the dirt in the tiny cups and then the seeds went in. No, there were no greenhouses in those days to go buy the plants.

One thing that sticks out the most was the large barrel of manure that sat in his backyard. Now that was not cool, when we brought non-Italian kids to the house. As the weather got hotter, we avoided that barrel, and yes it was animal feces; a farmer friend of his delivered the cow dung and nonno accepted it each year. Like clock work he churned that barrel every few days. My nonna’s cooking aromas seeped out of the window and masked the smell of the fermenting barrel.

One thing I know for sure, he grew the best tomatoes on the block and I loved eating them any way nonna and mom prepared them. These days I experiment with a variety of recipes. I love roasting vegetables and I often roast tomatoes to give them another depth of flavour.

I think you will enjoy this recipe.

These are strawberry tomatoes that I buy at a local greenhouse. Roasting them will intensify the flavour.

The roasting is done and it leaves the vegetables caramalized.

They go straight into a pot of stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

I love to use frozen corn when I don’t have fresh. Toast it and add it to the soup after you purée it with a hand blender.

The tomato purée and corn.

Serve it with small crostini with swiss cheese and a little balsamic glaze.

Roasted Tomato and Corn Soup

The roasted tomato flavour highlights this soup.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 4

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The tomatoes

4 cups small tomatoes such as cherry I used strawberry
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning that includes red pepper chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

The Corn

2 cups corn I use frozen
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

The Soup

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

The baquette cheese crostini

1 small baquette
1 tsp olive oil
sliced swiss cheese

Instructions

The Tomatoes

Set oven to 375 F.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the tomatoes in half.
Dice the onion and peel the garlic.
Toss tomatoes, onions and garlic with Italian seasoning, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Place in oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

The Corn

Remove corn from freezer and thaw at room temperature.
Place in a frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Toast the corn on medium heat.
It should be golden brown.

Assembly

Place the stock in a pot over medium heat.
Add the roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic right to the broth.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and pulse with a hand blender.
Add corn and return to heat just to warm.
Slice some baguette and toast it on a grill by brushing it with olive oil.
Add some swiss cheese over the tops and melt on the grill.
Serve the mini cheese crostini over the soup.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

April 20, 2018

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