Bacon and leek risotto with poached egg

August 25, 2011February 8, 2016 Belinda1 Comment

Serves 6

PREP TIME: 50 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

Recipe c/o Jill Duplex

So tasty and comforting!

Ingredients

6 large eggs

5 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 large)

1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice (about 10 ounces)

3/4 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh Italian parsley leaves (for garnish)

Additional finely grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Preparation

Bring large skillet of water just to simmer over medium-low heat. Sprinkle water with salt.

Working with 1 egg at a time, crack into small bowl and slide egg into simmering water.

Cook eggs until whites are cooked through but yolks are still runny, 3 to 4 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, carefully transfer poached eggs to medium bowl filled with ice water.

DO AHEAD Eggs can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate in same bowl of ice water

Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan; cover to keep warm. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally.

Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add leeks to drippings in pan; cook until soft but not brown, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer 2 generous tablespoonfuls leeks to small bowl; reserve for garnish.

Add rice to pan; stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup warm broth to saucepan; stir until broth is absorbed. Repeat adding broth and stirring until rice is tender but still firm to bite and sauce is creamy, stirring almost constantly, about 23 minutes total.

Add bacon, chopped parsley, butter, and 2 tablespoons cheese. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Meanwhile, heat poached eggs in medium skillet of simmering water just until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Divide risotto among 6 bowls. Top risotto in each bowl with poached egg.

Sprinkle egg with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with parsley leaves, additional cheese, and reserved leeks.

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Meat

My roasted fig, prosciutto and blue cheese baguette

August 23, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is fantastic with such an orgy of flavors and textures in the mouth.
Very simple, but make sure your ingredients are the best you can find.

1 French baguette
2 packs Italian thinly sliced prosciuto (Spend the money on the genuine Italian made prosciutto, not some trader Joes or any other store “knock-off)
6 oz St Agur, cheese, Gorgonzola or Roquefort, softened at room temperature.
8 fresh ripe figs
Raw or brown sugar to sprinkle on the figs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Slice the French baguette diagonally, wiping each side with a little olive oil and roast on a baking sheet till crisp. Turn halfway through the roasting. Be careful they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Lay the thin slices of prosciutto on a baking sheet topped with either a silicone mat or a piece of baking parchment. Roast at 400 degrees for about 6 – 8 minutes till the pieces are really crisp. Remove and set aside.

Slice each fig into 3 slices and set aside.

Set up your station and on another lined baking sheet, place the roasted slices of baguette, break up the slices of prosciutto and lay them over the slices of bread, then add the fig slices to the prosciutto. Sprinkle the fig slices with the sugar, keeping the sugared side facing upwards. Top the figs with generous slices of blue cheese.
Roast at 400 degrees for 5 – 7 minutes till the cheese is well melted and the figs are heated through.

Serve with lots of napkins!!

Gluten Free · Meat

Pork Chops in orange sauce

July 16, 2011August 24, 2021 Belinda

This is very simple and tasty

Serves 4
4 pork chops
salt and pepper
1 1/2 oz butter
2 tbsp olive oil
grated rind and juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp mustard
4 oz brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Rub the pork chops with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a frying pan. Add the chops and fry for about 5 to 8 minutes or until they are evenly browned.
Transfer to an ovenproof dish.
Mix together the orange rind and juice, mustard and sugar. Pour over the chops and cover the dish with foil.
Put into the oven and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the pork is cooked through. Remove the foil for the last 45 minutes of the cooking time. Serve the chops with the remaining juices.
I like to pour the juice into a saucepan and boil it down to about 1/2 of what you had originally, in order to concentrate the flavors

Do-ahead · Meat

Really light and tasty Osso Bucco

July 16, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is the very best Osso Bucco recipe I have ever made, and it’s also light and very easy. A real winner. You MUST make it!

Serves 4 – 6

3 lbs veal knuckle cut into 3 inch pieces, or 1 – 2 large pieces of ready prepared Osso Bucco veal for each person.
2 oz seasoned flour
3 oz butter
3 tbsp olive oil
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, peeled and sliced
2 onions, sliced
5 large garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp flour
8 fl oz dry white wine
14 fl oz veal stock (you can buy this frozen in Gelsons and other good supermarkets)
20 fl oz of a really good jar of Marinara sauce
3 bay leaves
2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper
2 oz Kalamata pitted black olives in brine, chopped

Garnish
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Roll the veal pieces in the seasoned flour. (Seasoned with salt and pepper)

Melt the butter and oil in a heavy cast iron Dutch oven or casserole dish with a lid, add the veal pieces and brown lightly on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan and fry the carrots, onions, celery and garlic in the butter remaining in the pan for 10 minutes, stirring

Stir the remaining seasoned flour into the vegetables and saute gently until the flour has cooked a little.
Stir in the white wine and stock and bring to the boil.
Add all the remaining ingredients, except the garnish, including the veal, season and mix well.
Cook for 2 minutes, stirring a lot.
Cover and put it in the preheated oven.
Cook for 3 hours or until the meat is almost falling off the bone.

Mix the garnish ingredients together and stir into the Osso Bucco just before serving so the lemon/garlic/parsley mixture is fresh and bright in the Osso Bucco.

Serve with Risotto Milanese or mashed potato.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Meat · Pasta · Sauces

My special bolognese sauce

June 15, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

Serves about 6

Olive oil and butter
1lb Sweet Italian Sausage, crumbled finely
1lb Ground pork
1lb Ground lamb
4oz small cubed pancetta
1 and 1/2 large onions diced finely
3 carrots diced finely
3 sticks celery diced finely
Garlic 3 cloves crushed,
Tomato paste (1/2 a small can)
1 x large jar of (San Marzano) marinara sauce
Whole milk (1 cup at least)
1 cup Chianti (at least)
1 tbsp fennel seeds, ground in mortar
fresh rosemary, chopped fine
salt and pepper

Chop fine all the vegetables and garlic and sauté in large pan of olive oil and butter.
Add the pancetta and ground fennel seeds and stir over moderate heat.
Add the sausage meat from the sausages, removing the casings and crumbling as fine as possible. Stir into vegetables and brown.
Add the pork and lamb and stir over a high heat to brown. Keep it all from sticking together.
Add red wine, milk and tomato paste and stir in Marinara Sauce. Stir well and lower heat and simmer for 1 and ½ hours.
Season and add parmesan cheese and cream if necessary before serving.
Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce and add more on top when serving in the bowls.
The milk is great and acts like cream and tenderizes the meat.