Destination Anywhere

Jerry selected this week's recipe, which can be read here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/risotto-with-crab-and-shrimp-risotto-al-granchio-e-gamberi.html

I made some changes to the recipe to bring the calorie count down. (And yes, I did look for brown arborio rice. No such thing) I only used one cup of rice to put the lean protein more to the forefront. I also only used one tablespoon butter in all, and used more wine when my fish stock (frozen from Whole Foods) ran out.

It was delicious, and we especially loved the taste, texture and color contrast of the shrimp. We ate it with a salad and roasted asparagus.

I had a hard time trying to convince Larry to not add Parmesan, citing the Italian rule about not adding cheese to seafood. He did add some to his portion, and amazingly, the sky did not fall. As far as I know Italy is still there, and I have to admit, it added to the dish. No, it did not overpower the delicacy of the fish and shrimp, just added a slight richness and complexity. Sorry, purists!

For further amusing reading on the Italian "thing" about cheese with seafood, go here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/magazine/30food-t.html?ex=1364443200&en=23c28225261631a7&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Shannon supplied the recipe for this week, and I loved it! It's vegetarian, but so complex in tastes and textures you don't miss the meat. I made some changes--added green beans and zucchini, used a can of chopped tomato with green chlili instead of fresh tomato; substituted spinach for the chard, and added a squirt of lime juice at the end.

Squash, Pepper, Chard, and Corn Stew

1 medium onion, diced
3 – 5 garlic cloves, chopped
¾ pound banana squash, peeled and cut into pieces about ½ inch wide (I used butternut, about 3 cups)
2 – 3 T olive oil (I used less)
1 t. Greek oregano
1 green pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
(I added 2 cubed zucchini and a cup diced green beans)
1 T. flour
2 T. chile powder
½ t. cumin
1 c. dry white wine
2 c. broth of choice
3 – 4 c. tomatoes, diced (I used a can of tomatoes)
½ bunch chard, blanched and cut into ribbons with the tougher stems cut away (I subbed spinach, added with the corn)
1 ½ c. frozen corn
¾ c. sour cream or yogurt to taste
Chopped cilantro and green onions for garnish

Very lightly sauté the onion, garlic and squash in oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot, then add oregano, red and green peppers, flour, chile powder and cumin. Stir together and cook for a minute or two longer.

Add wine, broth, and tomatoes, then cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add chard and corn, then cook for a further 15-20 minutes.

Taste for seasoning. If stew is too liquid, pour off liquid into a small saucepan and boil down until reduced and richly flavored.

Just before serving, stir in sour cream or yogurt. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and green onions.

I'm planning on becoming a pain in our new Senator's butt. You want to represent me, you're gonna damn well hear about MY interests, boyo. Democrats in MA--Don't get frustrated, get more active!

I love calamari when I've had it in restaurants, and I'd noticed that my local Whole Foods sells cleaned squid at a fair (for Whole Paycheck) price. So this weekend I bought a pound of just the bodies. I'll eat the tentacles when served them, but if I don't have to eat something that reminds me of spiders, I won't.

Squid are kind of scary.

I looked around for recipes for grilling squid, and found several that looked interesting. I decided I wanted to stick with Italian flavors this time. One recipe was in Mario Batali's Simple Italian Food, for a stuffed grilled calamari; and the other was a Bobby Flay recipe I saw online. I changed ingredients in both to suit my tastes and dietary needs but kept the basic technique, and they were delicious. Tomato paste is great to use as a low fat way to add flavor and moisture to recipes. A definite do-over. I'd happily do the stuffed ones again; and for the grilled plain ones, I think I'd grill them whole, then slice into rings for serving .

Grilled Stuffed Calamari (adapted from a recipe from Mario Batali)

12 large cleaned squid bodies

1 chopped onion
1/2 Tbs. olive oil
4 chopped cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1 Tbs. pine nuts
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 diced scallion
2-3 Tbs. tomato paste
2-3 Tbs. white wine
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan
chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste.

1. Put the calamari into a pot of water, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, and let very gently simmer for one hour. Drain, rinse in cold water to chill.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan. Saute the onion, and then add the garlic. Saute for 2 minutes, then add the sundried tomatoes, pine nuts and bread crumbs. Stir and cook until crumbs just begin to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients. Add just enough of the tomato paste and wine so that the mixture will lightly stick together. Let cool.

3. Stuff each tube with some of the stuffing, and use a toothpick to close the wide end. Lightly brush the outsides with oil.

4. Grill on a hot grill for 2 minutes each side. Don't overcook. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve.

Grilled Calamari (adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe)

8-9 whole squid bodies
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3-4 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley

Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

1. Using a sharp knife, slice open one side of each calamari body, so that you get flat triangles.

2. Weave each flattened calamari onto a skewer, so it lies flat.

3. Mix the vinaigrette from vinegar, oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Take out and reserve 1 Tbs. of it. Pour the rest over the calamari, making sure each is coated with vinaigrette. Marinate for 20 minutes.

4. Grill on a hot grill, 2-3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with the reserved vinaigrette and parsley before serving.

We're doing a new weekly challenge on SlowTrav, where every week we take turns posting a dinner recipe. I went first, with Smoked Paprika Roast Chicken. This was a recipe I found online, and changed just a tiny bit. I kept to the recipe, except I quartered a few small onions and threw them into the roasting pan and inside the cavity. The paste is a vivid red, and it turns the chicken a rich red, almost like tandoori chicken in color. I had a lot of paste, enough to coat the chicken, tuck under the skin, and smear a bit inside the cavity. The smell as it roasted was very smoky--my husband walked into the house very excited, thinking we were having his loved but forbidden smoked sausage. In any case, we all, including some last-minute guests, loved the chicken. Flavorful and moist, smoky, lightly sweet and spicy through the meat. (the onions were also very tasty) My 5 pound chicken took a bit more than two hours to cook. Because of the low temperature the skin didn't get very crisp, but no one minded. I wouldn't go to a higher temperature because the honey would burn, but you could perhaps turn it up for the last 10-15 minutes if you like crisp skin. Original recipe is here: http://elise.com/recipes/archives/004354smoked_paprika_roasted_chicken.php

Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

2 Tbsp smoked paprika (Plus a bit more for inside the chicken)
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp softened butter
2 teaspoons garlic salt (or 1 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 whole 4-5 pound roasting chicken
1 onion, quartered

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse the chicken off. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels (otherwise the paste won't stick).

2. Mix together the paprika, honey, lemon juice, butter, garlic salt, and pepper. Spread it over the entire surface of the chicken, then place chicken on a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle a bit of paprika into the cavity, and place the cut onion in the cavity.

3 Bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or more. You may need to adjust the time depending on how big your chicken is. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165-170°F for the breast and 180-185°F for the thigh. I like to cover the breast with foil for part of the time so it doesn't dry out.

4 Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carve and serve.

Sadly, there's none left for sandwiches!