bbq wine burgers

no photo, sorry. but i whipped these up on tuesday night and they went over really well, so i wanted to share the recipe with you all. (it's kind of hard to photograph a burger without a bun in an attractive way.)

to keep this dish gluten-free i used sweet baby ray's bbq sauce and sargento shredded cheddar cheese which are both gluten-free products. i also ate my burger sans bun, but i didn't miss it.

ingredients:
1# 97% fat free ground beef
salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons of sweet baby ray's bbq sauce
1 tablespoon of red wine (i used pinot noir)
1/2 cup sargento shredded cheddar cheese
olive oil

directions:
salt and pepper the ground beef to taste, and then gently mix it using your hands. divide evenly into three chunks, and then further divide these in half so that you end up with six even sized balls of seasoned ground beef.

flatten out three of the balls into very thin patties. top each patty (in the center only) with cheddar cheese (as much as it will comfortably hold) and then flatten out the remaining three balls into patties. top each of the already cheesed patties, and then using your fingers pinch the edges together and smooth them out so that none of the cheese can escape. repeat for the other two burgers.

mix together the bbq sauce and wine in a small bowl until well-combined. then lightly brush one side of each of the burgers and place them sauce side down in a lightly oiled pan over high heat. brush the top side with sauce and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes. then flip and cook 4 to 6 minutes more. baste throughout with the sauce until it's gone. enjoy!

notes:
this was my first forray into making something for me that my husband could also eat and not notice the difference. it worked. the sauce is delicious and cutting it with the wine decreases the sweetness (so if you like it sweet, add more bbq, but don't eliminate a liquid all-together because it keeps it "brushable"). i usually add egg and onions and panko to my burgers, so this "purist" approach was a departure for me, but it was very good. vj ate his with a nice whole grain bun, and we both enjoyed potatoes on the side. this could easily be done on the grill as well as in the house.

chicken and risotto milanese

i love the flavors of italy, and find that i'm most open to exploring dishes from that country than from any other. i think the reason is that italians don't seem to be rigid with their culinary traditions...they are open to exploration, and i find that encouraging.

this is a dish i've had several times in various restaurants over the years. i've seen countless recipes for it here and there, and have even cooked several of them. however, my take is simple and light, which is what i love about cooking with lemon and basil. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do!

ingredients for the risotto:
1.5 cups arborio rice
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt

ingredients for the chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup panko bread crumbs
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
olive oil
salt and pepper

special equipment:
a meat pounder
plastic wrap

directions:
in a small pot heat the chicken stock and the saffron over low heat. you just need to keep it warm throughout the cooking process.

in a large pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat (it's better if this is lower than you think it should be...so if you are unsure, turn the heat down) add the onion and some salt and sweat the onions until they are glassy. add the rice and stir until it smells nutty, then add the wine. stir until the liquid is incorporated, and then add 1/2 cup of the stock. stir and let the liquid plump the rice. continue adding the chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until all but 1/2 cup is incorporated. (be sure to stir the rice regularly, and don't let it get too dry...the more you stir it, the more the starches will break down, which is what makes that beautifully creamy sauce.) once there is 1/2 cup of stock remaining, add in the cheese, stir, and then the last 1/2 cup of the stock. turn off the heat and let the residual heat help the rice absorb the remaining stock.

while the risotto is cooking...

trim the chicken breasts of any fat and tendons, and then using a sharp knife, slice them in half lengthwise so that you have two very thin chicken pieces. place one piece between two sheets of plastic wrap, and then pound with the meat pounder until it is very thin. remove, sprinkle with salt and pepper and then set aside. repeat with the remaining three pieces of chicken.

in a small shallow bowl mix the panko, lemon zest, basil, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper together until well-blended. break the egg into another shallow bowl and whisk well. dredge the chicken first in the egg, then in the panko mixture. make sure that each piece of chicken gets an equal amount of the lemon zest and the basil.

heat olive oil (about 2 tablespoons to start) in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. place two of the chicken pieces into the pan and cook until lightly browned on the first side, then flip and cook until browned on the second side (because of how thin they are, they will likely not need more than 4 minutes a side...but test their doneness by seeing how they bounce back when you poke them). repeat with the remaining two chicken pieces.

serve over the risotto, and sprinkle with more basil and cheese to taste. enjoy!

notes:
this dish is my take on a classic...there are ingredients here that aren't commonly used (or at least weren't until recently) in italy...like panko. but i find that making things the way i think they taste best means i'm always happy with my food, and i'm sure you will be too. the chicken is simple and clean. the risotto is steeped with the exotic flavors (and colors) that saffron imparts...they would be good separate, but are excellent together.

pasta fresca

simple, easy, and carbalicious. this is a great pasta dish and one i "created" the other night with ingredients we had on hand. it's a bit of a jumble, but it came out really well.

ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 bunch asparagus, cut into chunks
1 block smoked fontina, cut into cubes
1 pound of pasta
3 tablespoons coarse dijon mustard
1/4 cup chicken stock
olive oil
salt and pepper

directions:
cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water.

meanwhile, heat olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a large pan over medium heat. add the red pepper and asparagus and sautee for about 6 minutes until slightly soft. make a "well" in the center of the pan and add in the dijon mustard and chicken stock and mix with a spoon, then toss the vegetables into it.

add the pasta, and the cheese, and mix through. enjoy!

notes:
i did say simple. you could do this with almost any vegetable, and i'd actually intended to put sausage into it, but completely forgot. so try that out and let me know how it goes!

pulled chicken bbq sandwiches

sorry for the photo-less post, but these sandwiches weren't too photogenic...they were delicious though, so i knew i had to share.

these are dead simple to make, and actually fall into the "fast" category that my posts rarely meet. the hardest part is shredding the chicken, which isn't really "hard", but gets old fast.

i never cook chicken like this because i've always assumed that it means that it will be flavorless. i've since been proven wrong, and for these sandwiches it really is the fastest and best way.

ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
5 tablespoons of ketchup
2 tablespoons of yellow mustard
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
hamburger buns

directions:
fill a pot with water and heat over medium high heat. submerge the chicken breasts and boil until cooked through. discard the water and place the chicken onto a cutting board.

using two forks, shread the chicken by pulling it apart into "strings". it helps if you cut the chicken into chunks first as it prevents the pieces from being too long.

in the same pot, add the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, and sugar and cook over low heat - whisking - until combined and smooth. add the chicken back in and stir until well coated in the sauce.

serve on buns with a salad and oven fries and enjoy!

notes:
i like how complex these four ingredients taste when put together. these are classic bbq sauce ingredients, and this sauce errs more on the vinegary (carolina) style than some others. i prefer that bite...but if you'd like it sweeter simply add more sugar, or halve the mustard (the vinegar helps with consistency, so i'd keep this the same).