Lemony Seafood Risotto

I’m having a love affair with risotto. It’s easy, it’s versatile and it makes a truly elegant meal, even on an average Monday.

It’s also been a way for me to use up cups of homemade lobster stock, which I made and froze post-Christmas.

I had designs on a seafood chowder or some kind of soup, but a first, wildly successful attempt at this risotto left me wanting more – and now my stock supply has dwindled.

On the second attempt, I added a can of lump crabmeat for extra seafood flair. It was a good move.

(By the way, this is my first crack at “food styling.” Like?)

Lemony Seafood Risotto (Serves about 4)

1 1/2 cup arborio rice
1 large shallot, minced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced (or adjust amount to taste, I love garlic)
4 tbsp olive oil or butter
4 cups heated seafood stock
1/2 cup white wine (I like oaky Chardonnay)
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
1 lb. fresh or frozen (thawed) shrimp
1 can of lump crabmeat

Heat 2 tbsp butter or oil in a saucepan. Saute the shallots and garlic until golden brown. Pour in arborio rice and stir so that the shallots and garlic completely coat the grains. Add thyme, pepper, wine and lemon juice and stir until absorbed. Add 1 cup warm stock, stirring until absorbed.

Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, adding remaining liquid 1 cup at a time, until the rice takes on a creamy texture.

In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil or butter and saute shrimp until pink. Saute crabmeat in remaining oil. Chop shrimp into small pieces and stir into risotto mixture, then fold crabmeat into mixture. (For presentation, you may want to reserve several whole shrimp to top risotto servings.) Remove from heat and serve immediately.

January 23rd, 2012 | | No Comments »

Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna

I’m so glad this one worked out. Otherwise, I may have given up on lasagna for good.

Yes, I’m going to drop that bomb here and back away. I don’t like lasagna in its traditional form, probably because of my pickiness when it comes to the flavor, consistency and volume of tomato sauce. But drown something in alfredo or bechamel, and I’ll eat every bite.

I’ve been searching for new and innovative butternut squash recipes this winter. I’ve made too many bisques. A vegetarian chili with squash and black beans didn’t do it for me, and I certainly can’t make homemade ravioli every night. But a lasagna seemed like an interesting presentation.

Word of warning: I found this to be fairly labor-intensive. As in, not something you can whip up after working late. But I imagine it stores/freezes well if you want to make it in advance and reheat.

Despite the two hours of prep and cook time, this was a huge success – hearty and comforting without heaviness and regret. The roasted squash’s sweetness shines through every layer, melding with the just-enough creaminess of the white sauce and the nutty Parmesan.

I adapted my own twists on this Good Housekeeping recipe (no Swiss chard, more herbs in the sauce, the addition of minced garlic and shallots) but maintained the majority of it. Reworked steps after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

January 11th, 2012 | | No Comments »

Why I Hate New Year’s Resolutions

During the car ride to the grocery store yesterday, I facetiously tweeted: “Hope they haven’t sold out of vegetables.”

And then I walked into ShopRite to find this:

That was just the bagged salad display. The entire produce section was similarly decimated. Damn it, Resolutioners, save some for the rest of us.

It just speaks to everything I hate about New Year’s resolutions: the false urgency to end bad habits, the compulsion to stock the fridge full of healthy foods, the mad rush to the membership desk at local gyms. If you want to improve yourself, do it, but no one says you have to meet all your goals the second the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1. Do it bit by bit throughout the year. Make it manageable.

Maybe I’m just pre-emptively cranky because I know all the treadmills will be taken at Planet Fitness for the next four weeks.

January 3rd, 2012 | | 4 Comments »

BGR The Burger Joint, West Hartford

Southwest burger (NICK CAITO)

I think it’s safe to say West Hartford is overrun with burger places. So much so, that my blogger friend Steve Wood (of CT Museum Quest) is going through 48 of the town’s burgers in the next year as a blog project.

While reading Steve’s most recent results last night, I remembered that Nick Caito and I had visited one of the town’s newest spots, BGR Burger Joint, in early December. We had just sampled a $30 tea cocktail across the street at Treva (for work, really) and needed some food in our stomachs.

BGR is a cool place to grab a quick bite. A Virginia-based chain, the West Hartford restaurant is the first in Connecticut. The Farmington Avenue space is sort of music-themed, decorated with album covers and an early-90s soundtrack to boot (at least during the afternoon we visited.) It’s very casual. There’s no waiter service; you grab your order from the counter and choose a seat.

Burgers range from classic beef (“prime, dry-aged, all natural, hormone free, grain-fed” according to the website) to alternative proteins like turkey, lamb, ahi tuna and lobster.

Sides include fries (Yukon Gold; Idaho sweet potatoes); grilled asparagus spears or thick-cut, beer battered Vidalia onion rings. To drink: extra-thick milkshakes, fountain soda (West Hartford has one of those Coca-Cola “Freestyle” machines, with eleventeen billion flavor options) and beer and wine.

I wanted a beef burger, but I was holding steady with our week of vegetarian eating and I didn’t want to be the one who cheated. So I ordered the ahi tuna version, seemingly shocking the cashier when I asked for it to be cooked rare (how else would you eat it?)

Ahi tuna burger (NICK CAITO)

As you can see, it was a beautiful seven-ounce piece of fresh fish, seared lightly and topped with teriyaki sauce, grilled pineapple and BGR’s creamy, spicy “mojo” sauce. Like a maki roll on brioche instead of rolled in rice and nori. Probably one of the better tuna burgers I’ve had.

Nick went with the Southwestern burger, which the cashier described as less of a burger than the consistency of a packed Sloppy Joe. The meat was a bit loose, but contained plenty of flavor from chipotles, poblanos, onion and chilis, along with mojo, pepperjack cheese and black bean salsa.

I wasn’t crazy about the Yukon Gold fries (they were standard-cut and kind of bland) but I did love the array of condiments ready for the taking. Plenty of ketchup, mayonnaise, various mustards and my favorite fried-food enhancer: malt vinegar. And the fries can be topped with Parmesan, rosemary or roasted garlic for an upcharge, should you need a hit of flavor.

If you’re craving a burger in West Hartford, you can throw a rock and hit at least a dozen joints. Some are lackluster, some are wildly overpriced. BGR is in the middle; priced for a quick lunch or dinner but with plenty of quality offerings. Worth a visit.

BGR Burger Joint, 983 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford Center. 860-523-3152, bgrtheburgerjoint.com.

January 2nd, 2012 | | 2 Comments »

Ethiopian Cuisine at Abyssinian

If there’s one thing I love more than food in general, it’s trying new foods. Especially ethnic cuisines that I haven’t yet sampled. In the final days of 2011, I was able to check another one off my bucket list – Ethiopian.

I met several Hartford-area friends for lunch at Abyssinian today. Unfortunately, in the excitement of experiencing new things and catching up with my buddies, I took off my journalist hat. And that means I didn’t accurately note the proper names for our dishes. Apologies. I welcome intel from those familiar with the items!

If you’ve never had Ethiopian, prepare to get your hands dirty. Utensils disappear, to be replaced by trays of injera, a sour, spongy flatbread. You use pieces of the flatbread to scoop meat and vegetable stews. It takes some getting used to (and lots of napkins) but it’s a fun experience, particularly if you’re with a big group.

Appetizer: spicy collard greens cooked with cottage cheese (reminded me of spanakopita filling)

Ground beef balls, served with salad

An edible tray: injera with vegetables

Doro wat (see, I remembered mine!) - chicken stew with hardboiled egg

Spiced lamb bits

I’m looking forward to going back to Abyssinian and trying more delicacies. We tried to order sambusas (pastries filled with meat and vegetables) but were told the “sambusa guy was sick.” Next time, I may go for a beef or lamb dish – without utensils, it was difficult to pull the dark-meat chicken from the bone.

Abyssinian is at 533 Farmington Avenue in Hartford. 860-218-2231.

December 28th, 2011 | | No Comments »
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