Executive Chef Todd English
Beet & Goat Cheese Risotto
Recipe compliments of Todd English.
Number of servings (yield): 12
Ingredients
- Risotto:
- 1 pound box risotto
- 1 large Spanish onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 quarts vegetable stock
- 5 pounds beets (beet juice)
- 1 pound roasted baby red beets, diced * see below
- ½ pound roasted baby yellow beets, diced* see below
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup crumbled humboldt fog goat cheese
- To Taste salt
- To Taste pepper
- Pesto:
- 1½ cups shelled and toasted walnuts
- ½ cup walnut oil
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup spinach leaves
- ½ cup Italian parsley leaves picked
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- To Taste salt
- To Taste pepper
- 4 cloves smashed garlic
Instructions
- Method- Roasted Baby Beets:
- Wash beets well and cut off tops.
- Place in a shallow roasting pan, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and cover with tin foil. Cook until tender (about 30 minutes) remove from heat and set aside.
- Method- Risotto:
- Peel and dice 5 pounds of beets, and using a juicer, juice the beets.
- Take beet juice and place in pot and simmer over low flame.
- Melt in 1 tablespoon of butter and add diced white onion, slowly cook for 10 minutes, add salt and pepper.
- Once onions are translucent, slowly add risotto and stir until mixed together -about 1 minute.
- Slowly add vegetable stock, one 4-ounce ladle at a time and continue stirring and adding risotto slowly so that the liquid gets absorbed before adding more.
- Once risotto is ¾ cooked, start to add beet juice and continue to stir.
- Add juice until risotto is bright red color and risotto is 95% cooked (about 20 minutes).
- Fold in diced roasted red and yellow beets and remove from heat.
- Fold in remaining butter and parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside for plating.
- Note- risotto should be served promptly.
- Method- Pesto:
- Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend and chop until it has a pesto consistency – a bit chunky.
Presentation-
Plate risotto and top with ½ tablespoon of pesto and top with crumbled humboldt fog goat cheese and drizzle with remaining reduced beet juice.
Polpette Ubriache ~ Drunken Meatballs
There’s something about the name of the dish that makes it irresistible. You could also make these meatballs in a white wine sauce – use whichever you prefer.
Number of servings (yield): 4
Ingredients
- 750g each ground Sirloin beef
- 75g homemade breadcrumbs
- Handful finely chopped parsley
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 egg, beaten
- 25g grated Parmesan
- 1/2 glasses red wine
- Salt and pepper
- Black olives
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the ground sirloin with the breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, beaten egg and the grated Parmesan and red wine.
- Judge the mixture, if it is too dry add more red wine, or if wet add more breadcrumbs and cheese.
- Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Using the palms of your hands, form the meat into small balls and push a black olive inside each one.
- Roll each meatball into a bed of breadcrumbs and place on a greased baking pan.
- Bake at 350 for 2o minutes or until golden brown.
Scaloppine Di Vitello ~ Veal Scaloppini
Number of servings (yield): 2
Ingredients
- 2 thin slices veal
- Flour
- Margarine (or butter or olive oil if preferred)
- White wine
- Slice of lemon
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a frying pan, heat margarine.
- In a plate of flour, dust the veal slices until lightly and completely covered.
- Add the veal to the margarine and cook until golden on one side, then turn and cook until golden on the other side as well.
- Add a small glass of white wine and allow to evaporate over a high flame. Cook for several more minutes until the sauce as thickened.
- Serve with a slice of lemon dipped in fresh parsley as a garnish.
Crostata Di Fragole ~ Strawberry Crostata
Courtesy of Chef Maria, Capri
Ingredients
- For the Pastry:
- 300 g Flour ‘00’
- 130 g Butter
- 70 g Sugar
- 1 Egg + 1 Egg Yolk
- Grated peel of One Lemon
- A pinch of Salt
- For the Cream:
- ½ ltr Milk
- 2 Fresh Eggs
- 4 Spoons of Sugar
- 2 Spoons of Flour
- Grated Peel of One Lemon
- For the Topping:
- 500 g of Strawberry
Instructions
- For the Pastry, put the flour on the table and make a hole in the middle, in the hole put the eggs, the butter cut into little cubes, the sugar, the grated peel of lemon and the salt and mix with your hands for 10 minutes so you can make a ball.
- Then put it in a cloth in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- When it is firm, put on the table with the flour and spread it with a rolling pin.
- For the Cream, in a casserole put the sugar with the eggs and mix all with a wooden spoon so as to form an even mixture, then add the flour slowly while stirring all the time.
- Slowly add the milk and the grated lemon peel and mix everything.
- Put the casserole on the fire and continue to stir. When the mixture begins to boil the cream is ready.
Kids Cooking
Chloe & Siena’s Recipes
Pasta Aglio & Olio
Well, they say April showers bring May flowers. And to get even more flowers you can try this yummy pasta treat from Italy!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil 1/2 cup
- 1 cup garlic (chopped)
- Spaghetti (cooked)
- Dish (do not eat!)
Instructions
- Take your dish and add the spaghetti.
- Drizzle some olive oil on top of the pasta.
- Sprinkle some garlic on top of everything.
Fresine Al Pesto ~ Pasta With Pesto
Number of servings (yield): 4
Ingredients
- 1 Bunch Fresh Basil, leaves only, not stems
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 60 g Pine nuts
- 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- 100 g Pecorino, grated
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt, to taste
- 400 g Fresine
Instructions
- Prepare the pesto either with a mortar and pestle or in a blender/food processor.
- First blend together the garlic and pine nuts. Add the washed basil little by little and start to add a bit of olive oil.
- Next, add the grated cheeses and blend. With the blender on, add the rest of the olive oil slowly so that the sauce expands.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
- Add the pasta with the pesto sauce and toss together for a moment to combine, then serve.