Coming soon: All about Italian food

Andrew and I just returned from our three-week honeymoon in Italy. We ate very well (would you expect any less?) and I have lots to share with you about the delicious delicacies we sampled from the top of the boot to the bottom. From giant gnocchoni stuffed with ricotta to cannolis topped with pistachios, Italian food was delightful and inspired.

I can’t wait to share more with you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here’s a little something to hold you over:

Comfort food: Asparagus & rice

When the too-short asparagus season hits New Jersey each spring, I’m always reminded of one of my favorite dishes from childhood. For me, asparagus is the defining ingredient in the ultimate comfort food: asparagus and rice.

My grandmother’s specialty, asparagus and rice was often enjoyed as a side dish. But now that Andrew and I eat so little meat, I’m always on the lookout for veggie-packed dishes that are filling enough to constitute a full dinner. This simple, fresh combination of asparagus, onion, garlic, cheese, and rice is the perfect May meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. asparagus, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup uncooked rice (white or brown)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, freshly grated

Directions:

Cook rice. In a separate pan, heat oil. Saute garlic and onion in the oil until translucent. Add asparagus and cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Remove pan from heat. Stir in cooked rice and cheese. Makes two meal-sized servings or four side dish servings. Enjoy!

Grow your own scallions

Did you know that scallions, also called green onions, are hydroponic? That means they can grow in water alone — without the help of soil. Try this technique to save on groceries — and exercise your green thumb:

Next time you use scallions in a recipe, keep the bottom stumps and roots intact. Sit them in about an inch of water in a place where they’ll get plenty of sunshine. As long as you change the water daily and the scallions get lots of light, you’ll see growth in a few days!

The Spaghetti and Meatballs Necklace

Remember back in 2010 when I wrote about Italian food-inspired clothing? Consider this the second installment.

The Etsy seller inediblejewelry is serving up food-focused accessories. Here are my favorites:

Not quite good enough to eat, but certainly good enough to wear.

Thanks to Young House Love for the head’s up!

Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna

It’s been too long! Between a busy work schedule and a mini-break to Washington this month, I’ve been sticking to old staples for dinner and not trying out too many new recipes.

But, inspired by some no-cook lasagna noodles in the pantry, I finally decided to make a recipe I’d been saving for months. This lasagna eschews tomato sauce and ricotta in favor of a creamy Romano cheese sauce. A hearty serving of white wine, plus super-flavorful artichokes, packs this dish with a delicious punch.

Adapted from Taste of Home:

Vegetable mixture

• 1 pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 1% milk
• 2 cups shredded Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup white wine

Assembly

• 9 no-cook lasagna noodles
• 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions

For the vegetable mixture, melt the butter in a large skillet. Toss in the mushrooms and saute until tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the artichokes, wine, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until liquid is evaporated.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until the sauce is smooth. Then gradually add the milk. Bring the sauce to a boil and stir until it has thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in the Romano and wine.

Spread a thin layer of sauce onto a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. On top, make three layers: three noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and the vegetable mixture. Top with left over mozzarella. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Serves 12.

Jamie’s Great Italian Escape

I’ve been busy with work lately, so I haven’t been experimenting with many new recipes. But that doesn’t mean Italian food has been off my radar. Andrew and I are planning our honeymoon to Italy, so we’ve been reading guidebooks, scanning travel websites, and watching videos about all things Italian.

A few weeks ago, we came upon the TV series Jamie’s Great Italian Escape, which follows a summer of travel through Italy with British chef Jamie Oliver. The series is full of fantastic-looking food paired with dry Brit wit — and it even inspired us to go to Sicily. Most, if not all, of the series is available on YouTube.

Here’s the first 10 minutes of the first episode:

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

I made frozen yogurt today — on a whim.

It’s been spring-like here and I’d just gotten back from a walk around the neighborhood. The sudden craving for something sweet and creamy hit, but I had no ice cream fixings (heavy cream, milk, etc.).

I did have Greek yogurt.

I searched online for a frozen yogurt recipe made with nonfat Greek yogurt. It was a tougher mission than I thought. Most fro-yo recipes called for full-fat or 2 percent Greek yogurt.

Finally, I found this Raspberry Frozen Yogurt recipe on Yummly. It was perfect for me — I always sweeten my Greek yogurt with raspberries, so I had the key ingredients on hand. (The original recipe calls for sugar, but I prefer honey as a sweetener.) Below is my tweaked version of the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• 6 ounces frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup honey

Directions: Put all the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. (If you’d like the ice cream to be seedless, you’ll have to strain the berries first.) Then transfer the mixture to the ice cream maker and process for about 10 minutes. Serves 2.

Substituting Ingredients

My mom gave me a great, unexpected Christmas gift that I’ve been meaning to tell you about since the holidays. It’s a slim paperback called Substituting Ingredients — and it’s already been a lifesaver for me in the kitchen.

If you don’t like a particular ingredient (celery is a deal breaker for me), can’t afford it, or just forgot to pick it up, this book guides you through the process of substituting it for another. Your recipes won’t suffer — in fact, they might be even more suited to your taste.

Recently, I was halfway through a recipe that called for cayenne pepper. That’s one of maybe four spices we don’t own (I checked the spice drawer and the overflow spice shelf!), so I turned to the book. Cayenne has two potential alternatives: ground hot red pepper or chili powder. I used chili powder (one of our best-loved spices) and never knew the difference.

I also used the book as a money saver during our Shepherd’s Pie extravaganza last month. One of the ingredients in the Italian Shepherd’s Pie is poultry seasoning. As someone who rarely cooks meat, I knew I didn’t own it. But according to the book, I could make my own poultry seasoning with a mix of marjoram, parsley, sage, and other spices I already owned. No more shelling out for a spice I’d only use once!

Along with listing substitutions for everything from anchovies to zucchini, the book also offers measurement equivalents, guides you through common kitchen disasters (the dish is too salty!), and provides recipes for simple household cleaners. This book should be a kitchen staple. Before adding yet another cookbook to your shelf (I’m guilty of that too!), think about picking up this handy guide.

Italian Shepherd’s Pie

We had a full house last weekend when my family came for a visit. Being overachievers, especially in the kitchen, Andrew and I decided to make three different types of Shepherd’s Pie for the occasion.

We’d made Shepherd’s Pie before using a quirky and spicy recipe from the New York Times that calls for currying the meat to create an Indian-style dish. Andrew also found a traditional Shepherd’s Pie recipe seasoned with Colman’s mix.

And I was tasked with finding and making the third dish. Naturally, I Googled “Italian Shepherd’s Pie” to see what I’d find. There were thousands of results, but I selected the first recipe from Rachael Ray.

Instead of topping the Shepherd’s Pie with the traditional mashed potatoes, this recipe called for a cheesy pasta top. It’s a unique and tasty take on Shepherd’s Pie. Here’s my tweaked version of the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat mini penne
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups shredded provolone
• 1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400.
• Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the ground beef and crumble it, cooking until brown, about 10 minutes.
• Add the vegetables and cook about 5 minutes until tender. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock, tomato paste, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the vegetables are cooking, place a medium-size saucepot over medium heat with the butter. Once the butter melts, add the flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the milk and the rest of the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened. Then take the pot off the heat, add the cheeses and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese to the drained pasta and mix until coated.
• Pour the beef and vegetable mixture into a large, oven-safe baking dish. Top that with the cheesy pasta, spreading to completely cover the meat and vegetables. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Risotto for one

It’s no secret that I love risotto (Exhibit A, Exhibit B). It can be a time-intensive dish, so my tendency has always been to make risotto in bulk.

But after a few delicious risotto meals recently, I realized I didn’t have enough ingredients left to make any of my favorite risotto recipes without buying more supplies. The idea of risotto for one was born.

I scoured several risotto recipes for larger groups and tweaked them to fit my ingredient supply. This risotto is deliciously simple and just the right size for one. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• A few tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• A few tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Directions:

• Warm the stock in a pot over medium heat.
• In a separate pot, melt the butter. Cook the onions in the melted butter until soft.
• Pour a bit of olive oil into the pot with the onions. Add the rice and stir until it is nearly translucent. Pour in the wine and stir until it is absorbed.
• Begin adding stock to the pot, half a ladle at a time. Stir the stock as it cooks. When the stock is nearly evaporated, add the next half ladle. Continue until you’re out of stock.
• Taste the rice. If it’s not cooked, you can continue the process with warm water.
• When the rice is cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the cheese with some salt and pepper to taste.
• Let the pot sit covered for two minutes. Serve with a bit of your favorite herb sprinkled on top.

Note: This is a basic risotto that can be eaten as is or you can add your favorite veggies. For me, this was about using the ingredients I had to create a simple meal. I ate the risotto plain — and it was perfect!