Saffron Risotto

Appetites, A Cookbook – Anthony Bourdain

What can I say about risotto.  To sum it up in one word…  YUM.  Made properly, it’s amazing.  But it requires a lot of undivided attention and constant ministration.  If you’re not prepared to dedicate 40-60 minutes (depending on the amount you’re making) to standing in front of the stove, adding broth, and stirring, don’t make risotto.  But if you can find the dedication and commitment, then you’ll be rewarded with the creamiest, most amazing creation ever, on the planet.  Risotto made properly is…  perfection.  And yes, I love me a good risotto.  It can be served as both a main entree or a side dish.  That choice is left to the chef.  😊

This dish is a basic risotto at its simplest and best.  Nothing added, nothing fancy about it,  no extras added.  Just the foundation of which many variations were created.  But, as much as I love many of the variations, the simplest will always be the best.  

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Ingredients:
1½ quarts chicken stock
Generous pinch of saffron threads
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1½ cups carnaroli rice
½ cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt to taste

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Pour half the stock into a small, heavy-bottomed pot and add the saffron threads.  Bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat to begin to infuse the stock with the saffron.

In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat and add the onion. Stir well with a wooden spoon to coat with the oil and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.  Store in the rice, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the rice smells slightly toasty.  Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the wine.  Store regularly until the wine has been absorbed by the rice and the sharp alcohol smell has cooked off.

Add the saffron infused stock, a ladleful or two at a time, stirring regularly and adding more as each batch becomes absorbed.  Once all of the saffron stock has been added, heat up the remaining stock using the same pot; continue to add that stock to the rice, stirring with each addition.  Check the rice for doneness:  It should be tender and cooked through, but not mushy.  The mixture as a whole should be runny enough to cover the bottom of a bowl; add more stock as necessary so that the risotto doesn’t sit up in a stiff lump.

Beat the butter and cheese into the hot rice mixture with the wooden spoon.  Your goal is to incorporate some air into the mixture, to lighten the texture.  Taste and season with salt.  Serve immediately.

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Grilled Lemon-Parsley Chicken Breasts

Cook’s Meat Cookbook –
America’s Test Kitchen

While I expected this recipe to be good, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  I tend to hesitate with chicken grilled outside because it can dry out really quickly, but that wasn’t the case here.  And with a few tricks on how to grill without drying out the meat, it’s almost fool-proof.

So… anyone that knows me knows that I love lemon.  So this recipe attracted me because…  lemon. 🍋  Now, traditionally, if a recipe calls for lemon, I add the required amount, and I’ll usually sneak in a little more, because…  lemon. 🍋  But I read something interesting in this recipe, which is so simple that it makes sense, and I’m kicking myself for not figuring it out by myself.  And that is…  less is more.  Too much lemon adds too much acid, which then makes the dish too tart.  But less lemon, leaves that pleasant lemony flavor that doesn’t overpower the protein.  And that’s what I learned today.  😊

Just as a side note:  the breasts I had were a little thinner so I didn’t size them on the bias and just served them as cutlets.  Also, since I’m married to someone who has to eat everything charred and dried out, a few of the breasts were cooked a little longer than I would’ve liked.  But…  I burn them because that’s how he likes them.  No matter how much it pains me…  😖

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Ingredients:
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
1¼ teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons water
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

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1. Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, parsley, ¼ teaspoon sugar, mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in a bowl and set aside for serving.
2. Whisk water, garlic, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.  Place marinade and chicken in 1 gallon ziplock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, flipping bag every 15 minutes.
3. For Charcoal Grill:
   Open Bottom vent completely.  Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts).  When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill.  Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely.  Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
   For Gas Grill:
   Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
4. Clean and oil cooking grate.  Remove chicken from bag, allowing excess marinade to drip off.  Place chicken on cooler side of grill, smooth side down, with thicker sides facing coal and flames.  Cover and cook until bottom of chicken just begins to develop light grill marks and is no longer translucent, 6 to 9 minutes.
5. Flip chicken and rotate so that thinner sides face coals and flames.  Cover and continue to cook until chicken is opaque and firm to touch and registers 140 degrees, 6 to 9 minutes longer.
6. Move chicken to hotter side of grill and cook until dark grill marks appear on both sides and chicken registers 160 degrees, 2 to 6 minutes longer.
7. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let ret for 5 to 10 minutes.  Slice each breast on bias into ¼-inch-thick slices and transfer to individual plates.  Drizzle with reserved sauce and serve.

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