Tag: Side Dishes

Nani’s Pesto Risotto

I love risotto and have been making it quite often lately. I am no expert at it, but have been pleased with most of my results. I made pesto risotto last night and declare it a winner and it will definitley become a family favorite recipe. Risotto is labor intensive, so plan your meal accordingly. I served the risotto with plank grilled salmon, letting Mr. Nani tend to the grill while I stirred the risotto!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Arborino rice
  • 4 cups good quality chicken broth (I use Penzey Spice chicken soup base)
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup pesto
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Put the broth in a saucepan, bringing it to a boil. Keep it simmering on the stove. Using a medium sized skillet, lightly saute the onions, pepper, and mushrooms in olive oil. Add the rice and stir constantly until rice begins to brown. Now add enough of the chicken broth to cover rice and vegetables and continue stirring. As the broth is absorbed, add more, stirring frequently. You may or may not use all of the broth or you may need a bit more. Once the risotto is creamy and al dente, stir in the pesto and parmesan. Remove from heat and serve.
Delicious!

Lemon Chive Brussels Sprouts

Lemon Chive Brussel Sprouts
Lemon Chive Brussel Sprouts
Brussels sprouts aren’t always a favorite of children, but they are sometimes intrigued by these tiny little cabbages. They are certainly full of flavor and here is a nice easy recipe that enhances their flavor with just a hint of lemon and chives. Although this may not become a family favorite recipe, I am sure the adult tastes in the family will love it.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed (see tip below)
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill weed or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Place Brussels sprouts in a 2 quart saucepan; add enough water to cover. Bring to a full boil and cook over medium heat until Brussels sprouts are crisply tender (12 to 15 min). Drain water and return sprouts to pan. Add remaining ingredients; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 4 to 6 minutes.

Nani Tip
To trim Brussels sprouts: remove any loose or discolored leaves, cut off stem ends, leaving enough stem to prevent outer leaves from falling off during cooking.

Skin-On Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Here is another favorite recipe from my Mom’s files. Garlic mashed potatoes are really popular now. My Mom used to make them before they became a staple on every restaurant menu. I think the secret is roasting the garlic first. Try these, they are worth the extra time for the garlic roasting.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 6 cloves of garlic
  • 2 pounds red potatoes
  • 1/2 cup warmed milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

Directions
To roast garlic cloves cut off tips, leaving cloves attached at the base. Roast at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until soft. Remove dry skins and set aside.
Scrub potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Salt lightly. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until fork tender. Drain potatoes then return to pot. Add roasted garlic, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mash until smooth.

Continental Green Beans

Green Beans
Green Beans
Here is another one of those old fashioned favorite recipes from my Mom’s recipe collection. They are easy and a nice change from the green bean casserole.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup bacon, diced
  • 2/3 cup onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups canned tomatoes
  • 2 cups French cut green beans, drained
  • 1 can French fried onion rings

Directions
Saute bacon and onions until bacon is cooked. Mix all ingredients except onion rings together and place in a casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour @ 350 degrees. Top with the onion rings during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Monica’s Mexican Beans

Mexican Beans
Mexican Beans
My daughter has a friend, Monica, who is from Mexico and cooks totally awesome and authentic Mexican food. She shared her favorite bean recipe with us. It is simple and plain, but delicious. It has taken my daughter and I quite a few attempts to perfect these beans. One of the secrets is using the right kind of beans. You must use Peruano bean (also know as mayo coba). Pinto beans don’t work. You can sometimes find these beans in your local supermarket or at a Mexican market. Another tip is to slightly overcook the beans. This makes them smoother and creamier. (see my updated tips below)

Ingredients

  • 1 bag of Peruano beans (Mayo Coba)
  • 3 serrano chiles, (more or less depending on preference)
  • olive oil
  • salt

Directions
Cook beans according to package, add salt to taste. As mentioned before, slightly overcook beans. Don’t drain them unless you have an excess of water. Remove the stem from the peppers and fry the whole peppers in a skillet in a small amount of oil until they are brown and soft. Add beans to hot pan with chiles and smash together. Add more water if needed to make the beans smooth and creamy. They should be the consistency of apple sauce. Monica recommends mashing them a little in the pan before pouring into the skillet, this helps reduce splattering.

Nani Tip:
I have been cooking my beans in the crock pot. Put the beans in the crock pot and cover with at least 3 inches of water over the top. Add more water as they cook to keep about an inch of water on the top. Cooking time will vary with crockpot. You can use high or low. My crock pot takes about 8 hours on high. Just be sure to cook them til they are very well done. They shouldn’t be hard at all. Do not drain off excess water. I was having trouble getting the beans mashed up, so I have been using my electric mixer and mixing the beans in the crock pot until they are fairly smooth. Then I pour them into the frying pan and mix them with the peppers. Add more water if necessary, they shouldn’t be too thick. They will thicken when they set.

Nani Tip
Cooking peppers in the pan can create some unpleasant fumes, so you can roast them in the oven. I then just add some olive oil to the pan along with the peppers and beans and heat through.

Nani Tip
As mentioned the Mayo Coba beans aren’t sold in all stores. In the midwest Cub Foods carries them and in the Southwest Safeway carries them.

Tomato Basil Pasta

Tomato Basil Pasta
Tomato Basil Pasta
This favorite recipe is great for potlucks.

Ingredients

  • 1 box penne pasta, cooked
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
  • 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
  • 2 Tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Directions
Heat oil in skillet, add garlic and prosciutto and saute for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in olives, vinegar, salt and pepper. Transfer drained pasta to a serving bowl, gently toss sauce and basil to the pasta. Garnish with pine nuts and serve at room temperature.

Nani Tip
To toast pine nuts, put them in a small dry skillet over medium heat and toss frequently until golden brown.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

<Loaded Mashed Potatoes Loaded Mashed Potatoes[/caption]This favorite recipe is a delicious variation of plain mashed potatoes. It can easily be made ahead and reheated. Beats that last minute mashing!

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds medium baking potatoes
  • 1 cup milk
  • 12 ounce container (1 1/2 cups) French onion dip
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup Asiago cheese
  • 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon

Directions
Peel potatoes and cut into eighths. Place in large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to saucepan. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes with milk. Blend in dip, salt and pepper. Place potato mixture in shallow 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon. Heat @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot.

Grandma’s Old Fashioned Au Gratin Potatoes

This is an old family favorite recipes for au gratin potatoes.  My Grandma used to make them and they would quickly disappear.  There were no seconds as everyone took very generous helpings on the first round!

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 medium potatoes, cooked and chilled with skins on
  • ¼ pound butter
  • 1 pint half and half
  • ¼ pound cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Parmesan cheese
  • celery seed, salt, pepper

Directions
Shred peeled potatoes. Butter a 9×13 inch pan and put half of the potatoes in pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and celery seed. Next, add all of shredded cheese. Put another layer of potatoes, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Cover generously with Parmesan cheese.

Heat half and half with butter and pour over potatoes. Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Frijoles Charros

Frijoles Charro

I found this recipe in the Penzey spice magazine and have made it several times and shared it with others. It has become a favorite recipe for Mexican flavored beans. I really love this recipe. The credit for it goes to Chris Kraft of Tucson, AZ. It is a delicious combination of flavors that really works. This recipe introduced me to epazote, a Mexican herb. Apparently it has been used in Mexican cuisine for thousands of years and dates back to the Aztecs. It is said to relieve the gassiness that can be created from eating beans. Not sure if it works, but I have been adding it to some of my Mexican dishes and soups and do enjoy the flavor it adds. Also I have made this without the bacon, creating a vegetarian version of these frjioles.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pinto beans, dry
  • 14 cups water, divided
  • 1 Tablespoon dry epazote
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 fresh chili peppers, roasted and chopped (like Anaheim, pablano,red chili, jalapeno)
  • 4 strips thick bacon
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
Place the beans in a large pot with 7 cups of the water. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered for 1 to 3 hours. Pour off the cooking water, rinse the beans and add 7 cups of fresh water, epazote, garlic and half of the chopped onion. Simmer until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hour.
Add the salt for the last 30 minutes.
Roast the chili peppers in a 400 degree oven until the skin browns and bubbles. Let cool, peel off the skin, discard the skin and seeds, and chop the peppers. Set aside. While the beans are simmering, fly the bacon until almost crisp. Remove the bacon from the frying pan and drain the fat from the pan. Add the olive oil and when the oil is hot, add the remaining 1/2 of onion, tomato, garlic, and roasted pepper. Cook for 1 minutes. Now add to the beans along with the bacon and cilantro. Simmer for 5 more minutes.