Assembling a great meal.....

while cleaning out the kitchen.

As previously mentioned, the past few weeks we have been cleaning out our freezer/ fridge/ pantry/ and porch-farm in an effort to save money, get creative, and clear out food before we leave for the beach. Here is tonight's creation. By the way, please excuse the bad lighting, we are redoing our kitchen lighting, and right now we have one light bulb.....the joys of home ownership.

Fisherman's Wharf Rub: My fantastic mother-in-law buys this for us at a store in Maine. It is essentially oregano, lemon, parsley, garlic, and salt. It is the perfect rub for fish.

+ Frozen Easy Peel Shrimp: We buy this when it is BOGO at Harris Teeter. It is good for making meals in a jam.

+ Tomatoes/Basil: from our porch farm, sprinkle a little salt, perfection.

+ Brown Rice Pilaf= Voila! Assembled.

Lemon Zucchini and Artichokes

Because I wanted to cook from my garden....

Lemon Zucchini and Artichokes on Rice

• 1 cup of basmati rice
• 1 tb of butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup of white wine
• 1 squeezed lemon
• 2 zucchini (or one GIANT one given to you by a fellow gardener)
• 1 cup of grape tomatoes, yellow and red
• 2 cups of green/yellow beans
• 2 cups or 1 can (drained) artichokes
• 1/2 cup of chopped basil
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Romano cheese to taste.
  

1. Boil 1 cup of basmati rice in 2 and 3/4 cups of water (a dab of butter or a little olive oil)
2. Chop veggies, and salt the zucchini.
3. Saute the chopped shallot and garlic in 1 tb of butter until translucent.
4. Add white wine, lemon, and zucchini. Saute until the zucchini is medium softness.
5. Add grape tomatoes, beans, and artichokes, saute until cooked.
6. When finished, plate and sprinkle basil on top of each serving.
   
7. Add salt/pepper/ Romano cheese to taste.

Tonight we feasted on...

Shrimp and Asparagus Lemony Risotto

Risotto Liquids:

• 3 cups of veggie broth
• 1/2 cup of white whine
• 2 tb of fresh lemon juice

Other Ingredients

• 1/2 Vidalia Onion
• 1/2 cup of Italian/Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1 lb of Shrimp
• 2 tb of fresh lemon juice
• Olive oil
• 1 bundle of asparagus, chopped
• Salt and Pepper
• Romano Cheese

1. Throw 1 tb of olive oil in saucepan, Heat med. Saute Risotto until it slightly darkens.
2. Steadily pour any of the risotto liquids on top. Stir, whenever the risotto looks dry, add a bit more; the order does not matter. When near the end, add chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
   
3. After 8 minutes on the risotto, add 1 tb olive oil in a different pan, saute shrimp, drizzle lemon juice. Cook until pink, remove from heat. The shrimp can sit in lemon oil and heat a little more.
4. Steam asparagus, you can do this in a steamer or in the microwave (put them in enough water to cover and cook for 2.5 minutes).
5. Mix shrimp, asparagus, risotto, add salt/pepper to taste, and sprinkle romano cheese on top.
   

We enjoyed with champagne to celebrate the end of the school/work year, but that might make a sommelier gasp.

AAM's Meal

When I drove to Williamsburg, while AAM attended law school, I often ended up cooking upon arrival, as well as meals for the next week. Throughout those years, AAM worked hard, and I loved learning how to cook, so this was not an odd relationship. However, this became a big focus of time. So, on one visit, he surprised me. AAM called his dear sister, who directed him over the phone on the basics of cooking with this recipe I will always be thankful because she gave us a wonderful weeknight meal, which will always remind me of his triumphant face upon his first creation.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of wild shrimp
• 2 broccoli stalks
• 2 cups of rice (whole or white)
• 1 bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tb mesquite seasoning
• salt and pepper
• Gratin Container (Crate and Barrel makes wonderful and affordable gratins, which I use all the time for different dishes)
  

1. Cook the rice.
2. With 5 minutes left, steam the chopped broccoli.
3. When finished, mix the rice with 2 cups of cheddar cheese
4. Peel shrimp, put in bowl, and mix with mesquite/Cajun/or spicy seasoning
5. In a gratin individual container, put 1/2 cup of rice mixture, broccoli, and top with 5 or so raw shrimp. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Cook @375 for 15 minutes. **Be sure to use an oven mitt to remove gratin containers.

Cooks for 5 or 6 .... or for 2, and then lunch for a few days.

Veggie Fried Rice

In the spirit of the previous posting, I must be honest. Last night, I had the best of intentions. I was going to make a Ginger Bass with Garlic Spinach recipe. But after a wonderful day spent with my brother and his wife, I realized I forgot to go to Harris Teeter, and all I could do was muster enough energy to dial for Moo Shu Veggies. So, instead of giving you the wonderful recipe I was going to try for you, I will give you my version of veggie fried rice. This recipe is more of a meal then a side, with a emphasis on veggies and healthy and less on fried. It is absolutely wonderful, but just don't forget to grocery shop before!

Ingredients:

• 2 tb seasame oil (separated)
• 3 large eggs beaten
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1.5 cup of frozen peas
• 3 tb minced ginger
• 4 cups of broccoli
• 1/2 lb chopped asparagus
• 2 carrots sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced (or get a garlic press to make your life easier forever)
• 4 cups of spinach (at least)
• 3 cups of cooked brown rice
• 2 tb. of soy sace
• 1 tb hot sauce
• 2/3 cup of toasted sliced almonds (amazing addition)

1. Heat wok at medium, add 1 tb of oil, Cook eggs scrambled. 2 minutes. Remove from wok.
2. Add more oil to wok, throw in green onions and ginger. Saute until onions are soft.
3. Stir in broccoli, asparagus, carrot, garlic, stir fry 8-10 minutes.
4. Stir in spinach and peas, until cooked
5. Throw in rice, soy sauce, hot sauce and almonds.
6. Place veggie fried rice mixture in bowls with a bit of egg on top.

If you don't have a wok, you can use a large skillet. However, I recommend purchasing a wok because it is useful for many types of cooking, especially messy cooking. Since there is a lot of chopping in this meal, two people working cuts down the amount of time. It could take just 20 minutes, and there will be plenty leftover for a few workday lunches.

Dutch Risotto, blaspheme!

The other night, after procrastinating on a textbook chapter pretty much all day, I decided to venture into creating Dutch Risotto. No, there isn't actually anything authentically Dutch about Risotto, or Dutch Risotto, but I have concluded that is decidely what I created. Using the Moosewood Simple Suppers cookbook, an amazing cookbook, I found a recipe for beer, risotto, cheese and broccoli-- and thought: Brilliant!

1. Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan, add half a cup of chopped onions and let them saute until transparent.
2. Add two cups of risotto. Let the risotto brown.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, warm veggie broth.
   
4. Pour one beer over the risotto, and here is the Dutch part... Amstel Light seemed to flavor it perfectly. While stirring, let the risotto absorb the Dutch import.
5. Once the risotto has been absorbed, add veggie broth a cup at a time.
   
6. Chop broccoli. Either steam the broccoli in a steamer, or put a little water in a bowl and microwave it for 5 minutes.
7. Toss in the broccoli, two cups of cheddar cheese with the risotto. Let the cheese melt.
   
8. Salt and pepper to taste

With this recipe, I added tomatoes. But, I think the acidity of the tomatoes took away from the yumminess. All of this took twenty minutes, a perfect weeknight meal. My husband, A, confirmed later that night that it is excellent reheated...