![Mushroom Risotto]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Aug 31, 2015 | Italian, Recipes, Rice & Grain Dishes, Side Dishes
If you’ve never had Risotto, now’s the time to try it. Yes, it’s most popular as an Italian style rice, but anyone can make it. Actually, I think it’s even easier to make than some of the other types of rice, the only difference being that you should spend a lot of time stirring it while it cooks.
The ingredients are simple: salt (I used Himalayan but you can use any, (especially sea salt) and pepper, fresh parsley (flat or curly), garlic, mushrooms, Saffron Road’s Artisan Roasted Chicken Broth, butter and olive oil and of course the great Italian rice, risotto.
It’s so easy to make and some people enjoy it as a meal all its own, otherwise it makes a wonderful side dish for any season. If you don’t like mushrooms you can even make it with other veggies like chopped asparagus. Want it vegetarian? Make it with Saffron Road’s Classic Culinary Vegetable Broth instead. Either way, it’s delicioso!
Bismillah & Buon Appetito!
INGREDIENTS
20 ounces button or Crimini mushrooms (2 small packages)
2 tablespoons butter (salted is fine if you pull back on the salt later in the recipe. Taste as you cook!)
3 cloves garlic, minced (be sure it is either organic or at least not bleached white on the bottom. There should be some hair/roots on the bottom of garlic to ensure it has not been bleached)
1 cup arborio rice (risotto)
1/2 cup half & half
1.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth (if you don’t have this, just make it with filtered water)
1 teaspoon sea salt (I’m biased towards the Sicilian ones, but any good quality one is fine)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh curly parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
DIRECTIONS
Wash mushrooms thoroughly by placing in a bowl with fresh cool water. Swish the mushrooms around and rub the tops with your thumbs to remove any dirt. Lift the mushrooms out of the water as opposed to pouring the water out. Brush off any excess dirt with a towel and dry them completely so they will brown properly when cooking.
In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the butter over medium flame. When it froths, add the olive oil, mushrooms and garlic, cook until all of the liquid from the mushrooms evaporate completely and they begin to brown.
Add the rice and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Add the half and half, broth, salt, pepper and parsley. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring continuously. Cover with a lid to finish cooking, about an additional 5-10 minutes on low.
Remove from heat and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese upon serving.
By Yvonne | My Halal Kitchen
[yumprint-recipe id=’80’]
![Classic Roasted Chicken with Seasonal Vegetables]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Nov 20, 2014 | By Season, Dinner, Entertaining, Fall, Poultry Dishes, Recipes, Winter
Everyone loves a classic roasted chicken and there are countless recipes in the world on to make the perfect one, and I certainly have my own that I stick to pretty much every time I have a craving for the comfort food that it is.What’s my secret?
Two things:
1) Butter and 2) fresh herbs.
They’re stuffed right under the bird’s skin and before roasting so that you don’t need to put much, if any oil on top or worry about basting the bird while cooking, either. You can also season the butter prior to stuffing it, but I simply season the top of the bird because it’s just less messy that way.
This beautiful bird below is a Crescent Halal chicken (whole roaster) that I purchase at my local Joe Caputo & Sons. They’re antibiotic-free, hormone-free, vegetarian-fed, 100% halal raised and processed (I’ve actually seen how it’s done, farm to fork both here and here).
I also tie the bird with cooking twine- once around the feet and once or twice around the body both vertically and horizontally so that it will cook more evenly and the wing tips don’t burn. You can also do this with turkey, on a much larger scale of course.
Speaking of temperature, it’s imperative to check the internal temperature of any meat and to do it away from the bone. It’s best to have a meat thermometer on hand for things like roasted chicken, turkey, pot roasts, lamb shanks, etc. All you have to do is know what’s the ‘done’ or ‘safe’ temperature for the type of meat and cut. In the case of roasted chicken, 165° F away from the bone (which is hotter) is considered safe by the USDA. Enter our giveaway here, sponsored by Crescent Foods, for your very own meat thermometer.
I also love to have vegetables with my chicken, pretty much any root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, especially in the Fall and Winter seasons, although I don’t cook them with the chicken (i.e. same pan); instead I put the bird on its own roasting pan and let it have its space and then in another part of the oven like on a separate rack, I let the vegetables roast with their own seasons, and of course olive oil and/or butter, too. It prevents the bird from sitting in oil while cooking and then worrying about all the separate cooking temperatures to deal with.
Enjoy the warmth of being indoors and cozy with family and friends over wonderful, delicious and healthy halal food this winter and give this recipe a try to see if it’ll be your go-to roasted chicken recipe, too.
[yumprint-recipe id=’52’]
![Linguine with Spinach, Mushrooms & Garlic]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Mar 5, 2013 | Dinner, Gluten-Free, Italian, Pasta Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian
If there is any one pasta dish you should make this week, it’s this one. Whether you’re a Meatless Monday subscriber (or any day of the week you plan to go vegetarian) or a strict vegetarian, this dish is savory, delicious and filling.
Perhaps the trick is using fully aromatic Crimini mushrooms whose texture is full and meaty, giving your mouth and your taste buds the illusion of eating meat. I simply didn’t have any meat in the refrigerator when I made this dish and we were too hungry to wait for anything to thaw before cooking. I’m glad we didn’t wait- this dish was a wonderful surprise and testimony as to what can happen in the kitchen when you use what you’ve got and pair ingredients that have complimentary flavors. In this case, spinach, garlic and mushrooms taste good in eggs (i.e. omlettes), over steaks and even in rice such as arborio. (more…)
![Slow Cooker Beef Stew: My Family Recipe for the Ultimate Comfort Food]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Dec 17, 2012 | American, Beef, Dinner, Recipes, Red Meat Dishes, Slow Cook, Stews & Curries, Winter
I always crave comfort food in the winter time, but right now as a nation and a global community, it looks as though we could all use a lot of comforting, whether it’s through the gathering together of a community or our small family meals we need to be there for one another and offer support, a lending ear or a shoulder to lean on.
The smell and taste of my mom’s recipe for her Classic Beef Stew is one that has been with me since I was a child. Although she was a working mom, on her shorter days or days off she would often begin making it early in the morning and put it in the crock pot to cook all day long so it would be ready by the time I arrived home from school. I still remember all of the ingredients by heart and how they looked on the kitchen counter as she prepared it. I also remember being in a bit of awe as to how it would all fit so neatly into her round crock pot with the glass cover that eventually began to steam underneath. Later in the day she made white rice on the side, which indicated that it was almost time to eat since that was the last thing to do before getting ready to serve what to me was the ultimate comfort: knowing exactly what to expect in this meal and feeling cared for, loved and comforted through every bite. (more…)
![CREAMY ROASTED VEGETABLE PASTA]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Sep 25, 2012 | American, Italian, Mediterranean, Pasta Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian
A day in the life of recipe testing goes a lot like this:
Creamy Pasta with Roasted Vegetables (more…)
