Happy Easter

This was weird. This was the first Easter that I have not celebrated with my sister and her family. Just Chris and I this year. Even the cats were snoozing for most of the day.

But what do I make for dinner???

We started with the world's smallest antipasto tray. Just enough for 2 of us and we wanted to save room for dinner. This was a small container that I picked up at Fresh Market.

The entire dinner came from The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook. The recipes resulted in perfect dishes. Roast Rack of Lamb with Whiskey Sauce. Pan-Roasted Asparagus and Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes.

Roast Rack of Lamb with Whiskey Sauce.
Ingredients:
1 rack of lamb (8 ribs), frenched and well-trimmed of fat.
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon oil

Whiskey Sauce:
1 shallot, minced (~3 tablespoons)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon flour
5 tablespoons Scotch whiskey (or another type)
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and preheat to 425º.

Pat lamb dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Carefully lay the lamb in the skillet, meat side down, and cook until well browned 3 to 4 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium, and, using tongs, hold the rack upright to brown the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Transfer the lamb to the hot baking sheet in the oven and roast for 12-15 minutes until the center reaches 125º on an instant-read thermometer (for medium-rare).  Transfer lamb to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the fat remaining in the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering.  Add the shallot and rosemary and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour until incorporated.

Off the heat, slowly stir in 1/4 cup whiskey, scraping up any browned bits, and let sit until bubbling subsides about 1 minute.  Carefully return skillet to medium heat and simmer until whiskey has almost completely evaporated 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in the broth and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly and reduced to 1/3 cup, 3 to 5 minutes.

Off the heat, discard the rosemary sprig and whisk in the remaining tablespoon whiskey, parsley, butter, lemon juice, and any accumulated lamb juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cut the lamb racks into individual chops by slicing between the ribs, and serve with the sauce.

Next time I will let the meat get to 128˚. It was not too rare but a touch more cooking would not have done any harm. And I will double the sauce. We ended up with just enough. I do not think more would have gone to waste.

Pan-Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients-

1 tbsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
lb fresh asparagus spear, trimmed  
Salt and pepper
1 tsp lemon juice


Method-
Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add half of asparagus to skillet with tips pointed in 1 direction and add remaining asparagus with tips pointed in opposite direction. Using tongs, distribute spears in an even layer. Cover with a lid and cook until asparagus is bright green and still crisp about 7 minutes.
Uncover, increase heat to medium-high and cook until the asparagus is tender and browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Using tongs to transfer spears from center skillet to edges of skillet to ensure even browning. Season with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with lemon juice and serve. 
 

 Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients-

2 oz mild cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
1 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 oz potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 thick
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Method-
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425˚. Toss cheddar and 1 tsp corn starch together until well combined. Toss Parmesan and remaining 1/2 tsp corn starch together until well combined in a second bowl.
Heat oil in an 8-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, cream, potatoes, salt, and pepper, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until potatoes are nearly tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Off heat, stir in cheddar mixture and press potatoes into even layer, removing any air pockets. Sprinkle Parmesan mixture evenly over top and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to wire rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

We had a nice Chianti on the wine rack. Perfect pairing!

And dessert? I decided on just one pie. I think Chris liked Rice Pie best so that is what I made.

 This is my favorite pie recipe for Easter. Click here to try it yourself.







 

Parmesan Risotto

 

Tonight I had my first Vodka Gimlet since this whole virus situation started.  Both Chris and I are still going to work every day so we are not experiencing the #stayhome way of life. We get up, go to work, come home and hunker down.

Grocery shopping has taken on a new life. If the parking lot is not crowded I will go in. Twice this week I have pulled into Bishop's Market and did not stop because I know the size of the store and there were too many cars in the lot to be sure there would be a 6 ft social distance between other shoppers. Crazy times! Next week I will order my produce online from Bishops and sit in the pick-up line.

 

Tonight for dinner I made what has to be my favorite Saturday night dinner. Breaded Pork Chops. I pan fry them and finish them in the oven. Always moist!

But the star tonight was the Parmesan Risotto. The recipe is from The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook. Spot On Risotto.

Ingredients-

2 1/2 cup water

2 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 small onion chopped or 2 shallots chopped

salt and pepper

3/4 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Method-

Bring water and broth to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove heat, cover and keep warm. 

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until grains are translucent around edges, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2 to 4 minutes.

Stir in 2 cups reserved warm broth. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed about 12 minutes.

Stir 1/2 cup reserved warm broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes. Repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 times, until rice is al dente, you may have broth leftover. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and parmesan.

French Onion & Beef Strudel and Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

 

The food we had tonight was cooked yesterday and Chris had to heat it up when he got home. That is how we roll. I have bit of a commute so to prepare dinner when I get home would result in eating at 8 or 9 o'clock, which is too close to bed time!

I have been making this French Onion and Beef Strudel since March of 1994. I found the recipe in one of those cookbooks that they sold at the check out counter. The original recipe calls for an 8 ounce can of Crescent Rolls. I had Phyllo dough in the freezer so I used that instead. The results, well lets just say there is only a little left over.

Ingredients-
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white onions, thinly sliced
6 ounces beef sirloin, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup beef broth
1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Method -
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl combine mozzarella cheese and 1/4 Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions. Cook and stir until the onions are a rich, golden-brown color. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving dripping in pan.
Add beef to skillet. Cook and stir until evenly browned; 2-3 minutes. Return onions and any juice to skillet. Add flour, brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, and beef broth. Cook and stir (scraping bottom of pan) for 5 minutes or until almost all the liquid is absorbed.
Grease a cookie sheet. Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Slightly overlap long sides of 2 triangles together to make one large triangle; press to seal. Repeat until you have 4 large triangles. Place triangles in a row, all pointing the same direction and overlapping, on the cookie sheet. Press to seal. Spoon onion mixture down the center in 1-1/2“ wide strip, leaving about 1” at top and bottom. Sprinkle with the cheese mixture. Bring side points of crescent rolls over the filling to create a braid-like appearance. seal ends. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until deep golden brown.

And there was the Tomato Soup, I always am afraid we might not have enough for dinner (this is something I inherited from my Mom!). The recipe was from The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook. This was perfect with strudel and I have a portion leftover for lunch. I only made a couple of changes in the original recipe. I left out the garlic and chives.

My version of Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup, from The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook.

Ingredients -
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 (28-oz) cam whole peeled tomatoes
2 slices of Italian bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp brandy
Salt and pepper

Method -
Heat 1 tbsp oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice and mash with potato masher unil no pieces are large than 2 inches.
Stir in bread and sugar, bring to simmer, and cook until bread is saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Process soup using immersion blender or regular blender with remaining 1 tbsp oil until smooth, about 2 minutes. Return soup to saucepan.
Stir in broth and brand and bring to brief simmer. Adjust soup consistency with extra broth as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken and Rice

From The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook we have Chicken and Rice. The recipe called for chicken thighs. The chicken thighs at the store were very sad looking so I opted for 2 bone-in breasts. I cut the breasts in half and then followed the recipe. Even though this was cooking for 2 we still had leftovers!

Chicken and Rice, from The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
salt and pepper
4 (5- to 7- ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced (I didn't use this)
3/4 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/8 tsp dried
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 3/4 cup broth, rice and 1/4 tsp salt in bowl. Cover and microwave until rice is softened and most of the liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with the paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium ovensafe saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
3. Pour off all but 1 tsp fat from saucepan. Add onion and 1/4 salt and cook over medium-low heat until soften and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup broth and wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in parcooked rice, breaking up any large clumps, and bring to simmer. Place browned chicken skin side up on rice, cover (Use ovensafe cover for the pot), and bake until rice is cooked through and the chicken registers 175 degrees, about 25 minutes.
4. Using potholders (saucepan handle will be hot), remove saucepan from oven. transfer chicken to serving platter and tent chicken loosely with aluminum foil. Fluff rice with fork, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.