The Need To Know Dish That Is: Risotto

If you've ever seen any of Gordon Ramsey's TV shows, a plate of risotto will eventually appear. Whether it's being served on one of the reality cooking shows he hosts or a dish served at one of the restaurants he critiques on his other reality shows, if you make a bad risotto, you will hear about it from Scotland's angriest celebrity chef. This is because when done right, risotto is a real crowd-pleaser. After rice was introduced to Italy in the 14th century, risotto became a popular northern Italian rice dish. Arborio rice, a short-grain rice named after the town of Arborio in Piedmont Italy, is traditionally used in risotto recipes, as it is high in amylopectin and low in amylose, two starches found in rice. This ratio gives the rice the ability to absorb liquid and release starch, which gives risotto its creamy consistency. The recipe below will allow you to see what the fuss is about risotto without having someone call you a donkey in the process.

Ingredients

500 g arborio rice
250 g white wine
250 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
60 g butter
1.5 to 2 L warm chicken broth
1 onion, finely chopped

1. In a large saucepan, soften the onion in half the butter over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat well. Add the white wine and reduce until almost dry.
2. Add the chicken broth, about 250 mL at a time, stirring frequently until the liquid is completely absorbed before adding more broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 18 to 22 minutes or until the rice is al dente. Add more broth, as needed.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat and add the cheese, the remaining butter, and the toppings of your choice (green peas, asparagus, shrimp, etc.). Stir until the texture is very creamy. Adjust the seasoning.
4. Divide the risotto into bowls. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Shepherd's Pie

Let's get this out of the way now - a true shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb; when ground beef is used, it's called a cottage pie. Over time, ground beef became the filling of choice, and lamb was used less frequently. This is why the two names are used interchangeably.  Originating from the British Isles in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, shepherd’s pie was a way for people to save and make their money, and leftover food last longer. Early versions of the dish used a pastry shell at the bottom and top to hold everything together; over time, potato slices were used at the bottom, eventually making their way to the top as mashed potatoes. So if you ever see ground lamb (or ground beef) on what constitutes a sale nowadays, use the recipe below. 

Ingredients

1 kg Russet potatoes, peeled
700 g ground lamb or beef
225 g carrots, diced
200 g canned chopped tomatoes
125 g white mushrooms (optional)
30 g butter
15 g flour
5 g frsh sage, chopped
240 mL beef stock
45-60 mL milk
5 mL Worcestershire sauce
2 onions
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Place whatever meat you're using in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with no cooking oil, and gently cook until the meat begins to brown.
2. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and continue gently cooking everything for about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two. Gradually stir in the beef stock and the tomatoes and bring everything to a boil. Add the Worcestershire sauce, the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. In another pot, boil the potatoes in salted water until they're tender, then drain thoroughly, and mash, beating in the butter, some salt and pepper to taste, and enough milk to give the potatoes a good consistency for piping. If you don't have a piping bag to spread the mashed potatoes, there are alternate ways to do it.
4. Stir the mushrooms (if using) into the meat and taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Pour the meat into a shallow ovenproof dish. Pipe the potatoes evenly over the meat. 
5. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until it's piping hot and the potatoes are golden brown.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Red Beans and Rice

Nowadays soul food is used to describe any well-loved homemade comfort food. Traditionally, soul food is food rooted in African American culture in the southern United States during the time of slavery. Slaves were given food that was low in quality and nutritional value, foods that their masters didn't want to eat for themselves. Using the techniques they learned before being snatched from their homelands, enslaved Africans adapted their traditional recipes with the resources available. These methods became the basis of the soul food dishes we know and love today. There's a lot to like about red beans and rice. It's a classic soul food dish that's tasty, a great source of fibre and protein, and can be made relatively cheaply. The end of February may be the end of Black History Month, but that doesn't mean it's the end of enjoying Black culinary delights.

Ingredients:

300 g dry red beans
200 g long grain white rice, uncooked
265 g Andouille sausage
10 g salt, or to taste
7 g smoked paprika
5 g chopped parsley
3 g dried oregano
3 g dried thyme
2 g garlic powder
2 g onion powder
1 g cayenne pepper
1 g freshly cracked black pepper
20 mL cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions
2 ribs celery, diced
1.5 bay leaves
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced

1. Soaking beans helps them cook faster and breaks down some of the complex sugars that make beans hard for some people to digest. The night before, add the dry beans to a large bowl and fill the bowl with water. Allow the beans to soak in the refrigerator overnight.
2. When it's time to start cooking, slice the sausage into rounds. Add the cooking oil and sliced sausage to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the sausage pieces are browned. Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a clean bowl. Set the cooked sausage aside in the refrigerator.
3. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot that the sausage was cooked in. Sauté the vegetables over medium heat until the onions are soft, allowing the moisture from the vegetables to help dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you stir. Add the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, black pepper, and bay leaves to the pot. Stir and cook for one minute more.
4. Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Add them to the pot along with 1.4L of water and give the pot a brief stir to combine all of the ingredients. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring everything up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the pot boil for one hour, stirring occasionally. Replace the lid every time you stir.
5. After boiling for one hour, the beans should be tender. Begin to smash the beans with the back of a spoon against the side of the pot. Continue smashing the beans and letting the pot simmer without a lid for 30 minutes to thicken the pot.
6. While the beans are simmering, add the rice and 700 mL of water to a saucepan. Place a lid on top, turn the heat on to high, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice rest for 5 minutes without removing the lid. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
7. Once the red beans have thickened, add the cooked sausage back to the pot along with the chopped fresh parsley. Stir to combine. Taste the red beans and add salt to your liking.
8. Serve the red beans in a bowl with a scoop of rice and a sprinkle of sliced green onions.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Caesar Salad

Everyone and their dog believes the Caesar salad has something to do with Rome's most recognizable emperor Julius Caesar. This is not the case. You may be even more surprised to learn that the Caesar salad didn't even originate in Italy, ancient or otherwise. The most commonly accepted origin of the famous side salad claims it was named after an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini who threw it together out of necessity when his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico was busy and he had to serve his customers something. Traditionally prepared and served tableside, the original recipe has spawned numerous variations from restaurant to restaurant as its popularity spread. On the Ides of March, consider paying tribute with the recipe below, with a shot of tequila for authenticity.

Ingredients

1 romaine lettuce
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 thick slices of day-old bread
1 egg yolk (NOTE: There is a risk of infection by salmonella bacteria, as it can be found in eggs with cracked or improperly handled eggshells.)
Parmesan cheese
canned anchovies in oil
60 mL olive oil
15 mL lemon juice
5 mL Worcestershire sauce
7.5 g Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
2. Place two of the garlic cloves, the mustard, the Worcestershire sauce, eight of the anchovies, the egg yolk, the lemon juice, and a few shakes of salt and pepper in either a food processor or blender and blend for 30 seconds until the mixture starts foaming. With the machine still running, slowly drizzle in 40 mL of the olive oil until the mixture begins to thicken. Continue pouring the oil in a steady stream until it has all been added.
3. Pour the dressing into a bowl; if the dressing is too thick, add a bit of hot water to thin it out to the desired consistency. Grate 60 g of Parmesan cheese and mix it into the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper and put the dressing in the fridge until it's time to use it.
4. Cut the bread slices into small cubes, and then toss the bread with the remaining olive oil and garlic in a bowl. Spread the pieces out on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the croutons are browned and crisp. Once done, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the croutons cool.
5. Separate the lettuce into individual leaves and wash them either in a salad spinner or by patting them dry with paper towels. Tear the lettuce into pieces and place them in a large bowl. Pour on the dressing and toss the salad well. Add the croutons, and some shaved Parmesan; adding some of the remaining anchovies chopped up is optional. Serve immediately.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Coq au Vin

The person who first cooked something in wine had to have known they were onto something. While this technique can be traced back to Julius Caesar's day, coq au vin (literally chicken with wine) was perfected by the French, with a recipe for poulet au vin blanc, appearing in a cookbook as far back as 1864. This dish is so perfect an example of French cooking that it's little wonder Julia Child added it to her repertoire, and best of all, it is a dish that is dead simple to make. I recently made the recipe below for an anniversary dinner, and I highly recommend it for when you want to have a special dinner but you don't want to go out to eat.

Ingredients

1.8 kg chicken, cut into eight pieces, or eight chicken parts
710 mL red wine (use Burgundy if you're a traditionalist)
450 g pearl onions, peeled
330 g mushrooms (button mushrooms are normally used)
225 g lardons

• a lardon is a small strip or cube of fatty bacon, or pork fat. Pancetta can be used as a substitute; I used whatever bacon I had in the fridge

30 g butter
30 mL olive oil
at least 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 bouquet garni

• a bouquet garni is a bunch of herbs tied up in cheesecloth used to season your food. Traditionally bay leaves, parsley, and thyme is used; I used what was in the "Mixed Herbs" packet I had in the cupboard

flour
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Put some flour in a large plastic zip-top bag, add the chicken, seal, and shake to cover the meat evenly. Heat the olive oil and the butter in a Dutch oven or casserole dish, and cook the chicken over high heat for five to six minutes until browned - depending on the size of your pan, this may require doing so in batches.
2. Remove the chicken when it has finished cooking and set the meat aside somewhere to keep warm. Cook the bacon in the same pan until it is crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, add the onions and cook them for four to five minutes until they begin to brown. Pour in the wine and stir the contents to remove anything sticking to the sides and bottom of the cooking dish.
3. Place the chicken and the bacon back in the pot and add the garlic and the bouquet garni. Bring everything to a boil, cover, then place the dish in the centre of the oven for 75 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and let everything cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, take out the chicken, bacon, mushrooms, and onions, and place them in a serving dish. The bouquet garni can be thrown out.
5. Return the cooking dish and its juices to low heat on the stove, and check to see if more salt and/or pepper is required, then bring to a rapid boil until the sauce is thick and glossy. Pour the sauce over the food and serve immediately on its own, or with crusty French bread, mashed or roasted potatoes or anything starchy to soak up the sauce.

Note: The above recipe was taken from "Cook's Bible" by Lorraine Turner, Parragon Books Ltd.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Roasted Vegetables

Adding vegetables to a meal is a great way to increase your fibre, nutrient and antioxidant intake. But one of the problems that vegetables have always had is that some methods of preparing them (I'm looking at you boiling...) turn vegetables into flavourless mush. Roasting vegetables allows you to keep the vegetables crisp, and, thanks to the Maillard reaction, is an easy way to bring out their flavour. So head to the produce section, and make the recipe below when you're feeling like a vegetarian meal, or when you need a side dish for any roast meats you want to serve.

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, cubed
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 zucchini, sliced in 2 cm pieces
1 small butternut squash, cubed
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 red onion, quartered
150 g mushrooms, ends of stems cut off, chopped if desired
35 g fresh rosemary, chopped (8 g, dried)
15 g fresh thyme, chopped (4 g, dried)
12 g garlic, minced
60 mL olive oil
30 mL fish sauce (vegans can swap this out for balsamic vinegar)
salt
pepper
cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 245 °C.
2. In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, separating the red onion quarters into pieces, and then adding them to the mixture.
3. In another bowl, mix the thyme, rosemary, olive oil, fish sauce, salt, and pepper together. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the vegetables, and then mix everything until all the vegetables are coated. Sprinkle enough of the cornstarch on the vegetables so that they get a thin, even coating on them. 
4. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Spaghetti Bolognese

When my mother would make spaghetti for me and my dad, she would always cover the noodles with a hearty meat sauce topped with cheese. I didn't know if she knew it at the time (I certainly didn't), but she was making spaghetti bolognese. She must have learned how from the Italians she and my father rented a room from when they lived in Toronto back in the late sixties. The type of sauce she made has more in common with the ragùs made in the Neapolitan region of southern Italy than the sauces of the northern Bolognese area it gets its name from; a true Bolognese sauce is generally served in Italy with tagliatelle ribbons, and not with spaghetti; purists will even say spaghetti bolognese is not an authentic Italian dish. Nevertheless, it is still a tasty pasta dish and while this version may not be as good as the version I grew up with, it's still a worthy addition to your recipe repertoire.

Ingredients:

1 can (794 g) crushed tomatoes
454 g ground beef
454 g ground veal
454 g spaghetti
60 g unsalted butter
45 g tomato paste
180 mL red wine
125 mL whole milk
30 mL olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
grated parmesan or cheddar cheese, to serve
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan at medium-high. Add the onion and cook for about five minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for two minutes more.
2. Add the beef and veal and cook, stirring, and breaking the meat up using a wooden spoon until browned. Add the tomato paste and cook for two minutes, then add the red wine. Cook until reduced for about three minutes, then stir in the milk and tomatoes. Let it cook for one hour, then season with salt and pepper. Stir in the butter until it is melted, then, using a hand blender or stand blender, purée until slightly smooth but still chunky. Keep the sauce warm.
3. Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain, and add to the saucepan with the sauce, or plate the spaghetti, and spoon the sauce over it. Top with either parmesan or cheddar cheese.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Vinaigrette

With the E.coli warning on romaine lifted, why not welcome it back into your meal rotation with the use of a vinaigrette? You'll never be without a salad dressing as long as you remember the formula of three parts of oil to one part of vinegar/something acidic. Mix that with or without seasonings, and thanks to the process of emulsion, you've got salad dressing. Try it in this recipe that's a great alternative to the regular go-to use for romaine that is the Caesar salad:

Ingredients:

180 mL olive oil
45 mL lemon juice (fresh, if possible)
10 g chopped fresh dill
5 g Dijon mustard
2.5 g teaspoon salt
1.25 g teaspoon granulated sugar
1.25 g teaspoon pepper
1 romaine lettuce
40 g shredded radicchio lettuce
40 g thinly sliced radish

1. Mix everything that isn't lettuce or radish together in one of three ways:
• in a blender on the appropriate setting
• whisked briskly in a bowl
• poured in a sealed container, and shaking the hell out of it for about 15 seconds
2. Tear the romaine lettuce into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, toss the romaine, radicchio, and the radishes together. Add the dressing, then toss your salad to give everything a good coating, and serve.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Meatloaf

T.V. sitcoms have given meatloaf a bad rap. For years we have associated meatloaf with a tasteless lump of meat made by the most ornery of mother-in-laws, but chopped meat mixed with bread and spices and cooked in loaf form has been eaten since the days of ancient Rome. It's been a staple meal since the Great Depression, and today both Michelin star chefs and home cooks have elevated meatloaf to its rightful place as a comfort food favourite.

Ingredients:

675 g ground beef, lamb, or pork
15 g onion, finely chopped
5 g teaspoon basil
5 g teaspoon dried mustard
5 g dried thyme
5 g garlic powder
5 g onion powder
5 g paprika
1 slice white bread, fresh, stale, doesn't matter
1 egg
1 beef bouillon cube, crumbled
ketchup
milk
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Put the slice of bread in a shallow bowl and add enough milk to cover it. Let the milk soak in for about five minutes, pour out the excess, and press out as much milk as you can from the bread using the back of a spoon.
2. In a large bowl mix the bread, the meat, the spices, the egg, and the bouillon cube together; add what you would consider an appropriate amount of salt, pepper ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Shape the mixture into a loaf, then place it either in an ovenproof dish or on a baking sheet, and cook for 30-45 minutes, until the juices run clear when it's pierced with a toothpick. Serve in slices with gravy and mashed potatoes; melted cheese on top is optional.