Insanely Yummy

It’s all about food again.  As mentioned in the post below, my mom and dad drove up Wednesday night to see Hubster and moi.  We visited, laughed, drank some vino…and they cooked us dinner!  OH.EM.GEE. I can not even begin to describe just how delicious this meal was.  And you know what?  The two recipes were from Rachel Ray!  My mom is a cooking genius so really ANYTHING she makes is always insanely tasty.  But when I found out we were eating a Rachel recipe, I knew it was something I could tackle myself someday for a dinner party or when I’m craving some lemony goodness.  Seriously, sweet friendlys – YOU MUST TRY THESE RECIPES!  YUMMMMMM!  They are the perfect combination together – SO refreshing and pleasantly perfect.  The lemon risotto has fresh lemon zest in it – AMAZING!  You can omit the cheese and sugar in the risotto to make it more health conscious.  I’m running a lot more these days (trying to at least!) for my race training, so I don’t feel quite as guilty indulging, but we still decided to omit the sugar and we didn’t miss it AT ALL. 

Lemon Risotto and Orange Balsamic Chicken

(topped w/baby arugula)

We added the sweet pepper for visual appeal.  :o)

 

Lemon Risotto (source) 

Directions

Pucker up! This risotto is super-tangy but you'll still want to kiss it, it's so good.

Ingredients

• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small to medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese, a couple of handfuls
• 2 tablespoons slivered mint leaves
• A handful basil tops, shredded or torn
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, heat the stock and 2 cups water over medium low heat.

In a risotto pot or large skillet with a rounded bottom, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic to pan and saute to soften 3 to 4 minutes Stir in the rice and add the zest of 1 lemon. Heat the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine and cook until evaporated. Add in the hot stock, a few ladles at a time, and stir for a minute with each addition, to develop the starch and the creamy aspect. Total cooking time will be about 18 minutes or so. Keep adding stock each time the pan starts to become dry at the edges. While the rice cooks, peel and supreme or section the flesh of a lemon and finely chop. Sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon sugar. When rice is cooked to al dente, stir in the butter, lemon sections, juice of 1 lemon, the cheese and herbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

Orange Balsamic Chicken (source)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts or any combination of light and dark meat
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 scallions, whites and greens, finely chopped
• 4 cups baby arugula

Directions

In a large pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high to high heat.

Season the chicken liberally with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. When the oil is hot and ripples, add the chicken and brown for 5 minutes, then turn and sprinkle with rosemary. Cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

In a small bowl, stir together the marmalade, vinegar and stock and pour over the chicken. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and becomes a thin glaze. Add the scallions during the last minute of cooking time. Arrange on a serving platter and serve topped with arugula greens.