Delicious Risotto, Literally - Golden Delicious Risotto

I am a product of American Pop Culture.  I admit it, I have come to terms with it, and accept this in myself.

Every time someone mentions Pork Chops, I hear Peter Brady's imitation of Humphrey Bogart in the back of my mind saying, "Pork Chopsh and Apple Shauce, ain't that Shwell?"  And thus it is that, through the Brady Bunch, I learned to equate apples with pork.  True, there is the proverbial whole roasted pig with the apple in it's mouth, but I don't normally roast a whole pig.  And by "normally" I mean never.  So, for me, it was the Brady Bunch. 

Now, I am not saying that I actually "eat" said apple sauce with my pork chops.  It's not that I think the combination particularly odd or anything.  After all, if Peter Brady thought it was "shwell", then it must be, right?  Cause it was on TV, right?  If it wasn't "shwell", then why would the writers give him that line?  No, it's simply because I rarely have apple sauce around the house, and if I do, it has usually been utilized for Apple Sauce Cake or Apple Muffins, or some such other tidbit of deliciousness.  But, I finally got to wondering about the pairing of apples with pork and decided to give it a try.

Now, me being me, I had to walk a path less traveled by; possibly not at all...  By anyone... Ever.  This led to a little experiment (you saw that comin' didn't ya?) with a Golden Delicious Apple.

Now I am not a big fan of the Golden Delicious Apple, simply because they are so sweet.  I loved them as a kid, but only when they were green.  And let's face it... Produce moves around this country so fast now days that the farmers don't pick things as green as they use to.  Which has it's pluses, but in this case, the Golden Delicious Apples in the stores are almost always fully ripe.  But for this recipe, I thought I could get away with the apple being on the sweeter side cause I was gonna hit it hard with a crisp white wine and "savor-ize" it up with some Parmigiano-Reggiano and Mascarpone. 

If those ingredients ring any bells you probably guessed right.... I made an Apple Risotto.

The verdict on the experiment?  I thought it was tasty... So did my little brother... Savory with a hint of spiced sweetness.  Then again, we both like Cheddar on our Apple Pie so this dish is a natural fit.  My sister-in-law is not a risotto fan, no matter what the flavor so she opted out completely.  Dad was on the fence and Mom hated it.  I don't know... I would call 2 "likes", 1 undecided and 1 "no" a fairly favorable reception considering this side dish's unorthodoxy.

I am still trying to decide if I should have forewent the "hint of cinnamon" and opted for a "whisper of nutmeg" instead.  Personally do not care for nutmeg with apple.  Mace, yes, Nutmeg, no.  I am really more of a Cinnamon person.  I love sneaking Cinnamon in savory dishes when no one is looking.  Any excuse to buck the "system" that has regulated poor Cinnamon to only sweets.  Nutmeg, on the other hand, shows up in Bechamel as well as Spaetzle, Quiche (Lorraine and Florentine) and Scalloped Potatoes (like Pommes de Terre à la Dauphinoise) with a frequency that attests to it's escape from the same predicament as the ill-fated Cinnamon.

Delicious Risotto

4 cups Chicken Stock
2 TB Olive Oil
3/4 cup Golden Delicious Apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 TB unsalted Butter
1 Shallot, minced
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc (I chose one in the Green Apple and Gooseberry range)
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 TB Mascarpone
1/16 tsp Cinnamon or 2 grates of Nutmeg (your choice)

Bring the Chicken Stock to a simmer in a small saucepan and dice the apple.

In a large skillet, heat 1 TB of the Olive oil over medium-low flame.

Add the apple and cook for about 10 minutes, just until it begins to soften slightly.

Remove the apple from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 TB Olive Oil to the pan along with the Butter.

When foaming subsides, add the shallot and sweat until soft.

Add the Rice and saute for a couple minutes, until it begins to smell nutty.

Add the Wine and stir until it is absorbed.

Begin adding stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring until each ladel-ful has been absorbed before adding the next.

After 10 minutes of cooking (when the risotto is about 1/2 done) add the diced Apple to the rice, then continue adding stock and stirring until the risotto is still a little al dente. (you may not use all the stock)

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, Mascarpone and Cinnamon or Nutmeg.

Cover and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes.

Stir everything together and serve.

Peter Brady was right, Apple and Pork really do play together well.  

So the next time you are serving Pork chops, or Pork Loin chops or even a Pork Tenderloin, I urge you to give this a try.

Yep, Pork Chopsh and Apple Rishoto, it's Shwell.

Mangia!!
~~

Funky Cabbage Flowers - Lumaconi al Forno con Cavolfiore

If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you are probably aware of just how much of a cheese head I am.  In fact I have never met a cheese that I didn't like.

Then again, there are 2 cheeses that I do not consider to be cheeses.  One is the so called "American Cheese".  While I will admit that it does have it's uses in some, though very few, culinary pursuits, I find the fact that it is often labeled as "Processed Cheese Food Product" to be extremely disturbing.  The other is the Brunost/Mesost/Mysuostur/Myseost (Brown cheese), usually sold under the red Ski Queen label as Gjetost.  (yay-toast)  This is a "whey cheese", like ricotta. Unlike ricotta, however, this whey is cooked down until all the milk proteins caramelize.  It's similar to what happens when you cook sweetened condensed milk to make dulce de leche.  This gives it a really sweet flavor and a texture kind of like cold peanut butter.  Eww!  Sorry, this "cheese" does not speak to my Scandinavian roots. Nope, not a bit.

Bring on the funk!

It's true, I like my cheeses funky.  The funkier the better.  Seriously.  Good cheese should take you to Funky Town, otherwise you are wasting your time.  Look at Parmigiano-Reggiano.  There is a reason people refer to it as stinky cheese.  YET, it is of such paramount importance in SO many dishes that it has been dubbed the "Undisputed King of Cheeses".  Then there is Brie, the Queen.  Somewhat more subtle, but she don't smell like roses either.  There is definitely a slight ammonia odor to Brie and to a larger extent Camembert.  Roquefort....  Really goes without saying.  Limburger?  I actually LIKE Limburger, 1950's cartoon tropes aside, spread on Rye with Brown Mustard and Onion.  YUM! 

Needless to say, I was all kinds of excited when I saw Food & Wine's Taleggio and Cauliflower Mac & Cheese.  I am all about Cauliflower; especially in pasta dishes.  I have to admit that it smells funny when you are boiling or steaming it, but the flavor is always so delicate.  Taleggio is the same way, it's a pungent smelling cheese with a decidedly delicate flavor.  It's a washed rind cheese made from autumn and winter milk, after the cows have been brought down from the high pastures in the mountains.  Think of it as an Italian version of Brie or Camembert, in a way.  As it ages, it becomes softer on the inside, to the point of becoming gooey.  I was intrigued with the idea of this funky couple gettin' down with some baked pasta.  Taleggio is an EXCELLENT melting cheese.

Besides, I can always use another excuse to eat Taleggio, aside from consuming it with fresh peaches.  LOL

Taleggio & Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

(adapted from Food & Wine)
1 Cauliflower, cut into florets
1 TB Butter
3 Tb Olive Oil
1 large Shallot, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tsp Rosemary, minced
Black Pepper
4 oz White Wine
12 oz Heavy Cream
6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
8 oz Taleggio, remove rind and cube
1 lb Lumaconi or Conchiglioni (go with the shells)
4 Tb Panko

Preheat the oven to 450F degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, break down the cauliflower into 1 inch florets.

Remove the rind from the Taleggio.

Cut into 1/2 inch chunks.

Cook the Cauliflower in the boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Move to cold water to stop cooking, then drain and let dry slightly.

Melt Butter with Olive oil in a large saute pan.

Add the Shallot and saute for 3 minutes.

Add Garlic & Rosemary, sauteing for 1-2 minutes more.
Add Cauliflower and cook for about 8 minutes, until it begins to brown.

Add White wine and cook until evaporated.

Remove the pan from the flame and add the Heavy Cream along with 4 oz of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, then stir to combine.

Add the chunks of Taleggio and stir. (The sauce will thicken as the Taleggio melts and pulls everything together)

Let the sauce cool while you boil the pasta.

Drain well.

Return to the pot.

Pour the unctuous Cauliflower & Taleggio sauce over the pasta.

Toss to coat well.

Spoon 1/2 of the pasta to a 13x9 inch baking dish and sprinkle with 2 TB of the Panko.

Spoon the remaining pasta over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 2 TB Panko.

Top with the remaining 2 TB Panko and 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake for 15-20 minutes (until it begins to bubble and brown)

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

MMMMMM  Creamy, Crunchy, Cheesy, Cauliflowery goodness.  Smellin' kinda funky, but tasting divine!

How funky is your Mac & Cheese?

Mangia!!
~~

A Close Shave With Dinner - Razor Clams

Ah, Pacific Razor Clams.  Available from Alaska to California.  Just to clarify, in case there is any confusion.  I am not speaking about the Eastern Razor clams, nor am I talking about Jack Knife clams (which are sometimes called razor clams) See, this.....

is a Jack Knife Clam from the east coast;
and this....

is a Pacific Razor Clam.

Though they are prolific up and down the northern west coast, they are a little hard to come by in the grocery store. If you want them, you usually have to go dig them yourself.  Which I have done several times in the long ago past.  I remember a couple trips to Longbeach Washington in the pursuit of said Razor Clams when I was a kid.  We always used the clam guns instead of shovels, because the shells of the razor clam are easily broken and when they break, they are razor sharp. (thus the name) 

If you have never been clam digging before, let me assure you that the term "gun" is misleading.  Let me assure you that no fire arms are used in the capture and demise of said clams.  A clam gun is a tube that is sealed at one end, except for a thumb hole.

Photo Courtesy of Willapa Marine Products

You find a divot in the sand (called a "show") where a clam has retreated by digging a hole with his "foot" and shove the tube into the sand.  You then place your thumb over the hole and pull the tube up.  Kind of like taking a "core sample" of the sand.  Except this core sample contains a razor clam. Once you have pulled the "core sample" you remove your thumb from the hole and all the sand falls out of the tube, along with the razor clam.  Now the fun begins, because they begin to dig back into the sand immediately, so you must be quick and dig through the mushy sand with your hands and grab the razor clam before it gets away! Needless to say, this sort of thing is a lot of fun for a kid; which is probably why I remember it so vividly.  Though I also remember that at the end of the day, I had sand in places I did not know I even had.

So what to do with razor clams?

Well, I have heard that you can make excellent chowder with them, but my personal favorite way to prepare razor clams is to simply bread them and fry them. 

Sadly, this is not really a recipe, just a procedure.  This is simply because the ingredients are few and there are no set amounts.  It merely depends on how many clams you are frying and how big they are. And lemme tell ya, some of them are fairly big. (as you can see from the above picture)

Razor Clams

Eggs
AP Flour
Kosher Salt
Lemon Pepper
Panko
Parmigiano-Reggiano (the undisputed King of cheeses)
shucked Razor Clams

You are going to have to dirty a lot of dishes for this.

First you need a dish that contains Eggs, that have been thoroughly beaten.

Then you need to prepare a dish with Flour that has been Salted and Lemon Peppered.

Thirdly, you will need a plate that is filled with a mixture of Panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. (I usually add about 1 TB of the undisputed king of cheeses per cup of Panko)

Finally, you will need a plate to place the Razor Clams on after all your dredging and breading procedure.

Whew!  Now that our mise en plas is in place, on with the clams!

The neck of the clam is extremely tough.

So grab a flat mallet, cause a spiked one is a little too much, and pound on the neck a little to soften the meat.

OK, now you will need to thoroughly dry the clams so that the flour will stick and not turn into goo.  This may require copious amounts of paper towels.

Once tenderized and dried thoroughly, it's time for a dusting of the flour mixture.

Then into the egg wash.

Then into the Panko...

You will probably have to press the panko to ensure good adhesion.

Then onto the plate.

Repeat with the remaining clams.... Lather, rinse, repeat.... You know.

If you need to make more than 1 layer of clams, separate your layers with waxed paper.
Once you have them all breaded, you will need to cover them and place them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the breading to "firm up".
I like to use Coconut oil for frying clams, but peanut oil works equally well.

Heat oil in a skillet and when it's nice and hot, throw in a couple breaded clams.

They cook quickly, so about 1-2 minutes per side is all you need.

Place them on a rack, set inside a baking pan, so any excess oil can drain off, and keep the breading crispy.

Store the cooked clams in an oven set on "Warm" if you have an oven that is capable, or with the oven light turned on, while you complete the others. (using the oven light is a great way to proof bread dough too)

Once they are all fried up, sit down and enjoy!

Mangia!!
~~