Shrimp Risotto

I had some shrimp and home made fish stock in the freezer that inspired me to make a risotto.  First step is to toast the arborio rice in olive oil.  Then add some minced garlic and deglaze with white wine.  After that, just keep adding hot stock until the rice is just cooked through and creamy.  I think the idea that you need to stir risotto constantly is a bit of a myth, but at the same time, it's not like you can leave it on the stove and go watch the game.  Once the rice was cooked through, I tossed in some frozen peas and a little butter to bring it all together.  I cooked the shrimp separately in a grill pan with salt, pepper and olive oil and added it on top.  A risotto is only as good as the cooking liquid that goes into it, and my fish stock gave it an amazing depth of flavor, with the peas and shrimp adding a sweet compliment.

Prime Steak Salad

Let me start off by saying, carnivores rule!  Anyway, over 90% of the "Prime" grade beef in the U.S. goes straight to restaurants and butchers.  So I was pleasantly surprised to find some Prime boneless ribeye steaks at my local Ralphs Fresh Fare the other day and decided to bring some home.  I wanted to let this beef shine on its own, so I seared it in a cast iron pan with just salt and pepper and let it rest before slicing it on a bias.  For my side dish I made a simple spinach salad with garbanzo beans and sliced roasted bell peppers and a lemon vinaigrette with lemon juice, dijon mustard and olive oil.  One bite of the steak and you could tell it why it earned a Prime grade.  It was tender and had a rich, beefy flavor.  The salad, which could have been an afterthought, actually brought a fresh, light counterpoint to the dish.

Roasted Chicken With Peach BBQ Sauce

With summer almost here peaches are in season, so I was trying to come up with an interesting peach-inspired dish.  I am a big believer that home made condiments can elevate an otherwise ordinary dish, so I decided to make a peach BBQ sauce to pair with some roasted chicken.  I made the BBQ sauce by sweating some chopped onions, minced garlic and chopped peaches in a pot and adding crushed tomatoes, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, paprika and cumin.  After letting it simmer, I broke out my trusty immersion blender and blended the sauce until smooth.  I then roasted the chicken in the oven with some carrots and yams.  The BBQ sauce was nicely balanced - sweet, tangy, savory, and you could definitely get a hint of the peach without it overpowering everything else.

Pork Cutlet With Corn and Bean Salsa

The Spring/Summer season means green beans and corn are abundant.  When you're dealing with fresh, in-season produce, the idea is to mess with it as little as possible.  With this in mind, I blanched and shelled some fava beans and took some fresh corn off the cob and dressed them both lightly with lemon juice and olive oil.  I paired this with a fried pork cutlet that I made by pounding some boneless pork loin chops thinly and breading them with a seasoned egg wash and panko bread crumbs (the key to a crispy crust is to double dip and bread the cutlet).  The light, citrusy salsa was a perfect compliment to the pork, which was super crispy but not greasy at all.