24 chicken stir your Recipes

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

did you know that if you want to add vegetables to the soup you are making, they will taste so much better if you saute them first in a little butter. even though it s a little bit more work, it s worth the extra effort., what happens when you boil the soup too long the soup ends up losing its color ., i burned my soup once. have you ever done that here s a great tip to fix that. take the liquid part of your soup and pour it into a new, clean pan. then, add these ingredients: mustard, curry powder, chutney, or your 1 other of your favorite flavors. quantities are always to taste and you ll be amazed at how this tip really works, my all time favorite soup tips. every made soup that was too salty tasting all you need to do is place a raw potato into your soup pot and simmer it with the soup for about 15 minutes. not only does the potato slice absorb the extra salt, but as an added snack for the cook, it also absorbs all that flavor and becomes a fantastic taste treat, need your soup to be thicker - just sprinkle a little bit of instant mashed potato and stir in to thicken the soup. carefully continue adding the instant potatoes until you get the consistency that makes you happy., in a hurry and need to use canned broth instead of homemade give it a little extra flavor by taking your leftover chicken or meat bones and simmering it in the broth. simmer for about 15 minutes. then, strain the liquid and use the newly-flavored broth for your soup. this is a fantastic way to spice up the tinny flavor of canned broth and make it taste like its homemade., guess what a great resource a grocery store is for ready -to-use ingredients! simply make a visit to the salad bar (most large grocery chains have them now,) and gather up some of the pre-cut vegetables, cooked shrimp, and chicken or meat. how easy is that, if you have any leftovers of the pasta you cooked the night before , or even meat and vegetables - use them for instant nutritious substance for your soup. if your left over vegetables have already been cooked, simply puree them and use it as a thickener. deeeelish

extra virgin olive oil, oyster mushrooms , fibrous stems removed, mushrooms torn in half if very large, button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, shallot, finely diced, butter, extra virgin olive oil, mushroom , vegetable, or chicken broth, water, arborio rice, grated parmigiano-reggiano, plus more for serving, parsley, very finely chopped, procedure, combine the broth and the water in a medium saucepan and heat to simmer over medium heat., in a large, heavy saute pan, heat 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over high heat until very hot, but not quite smoking., add about 1/3 of the mushrooms , taking care not to crowd the pan. saute the mushrooms over high heat until golden brown in spots, adding a small pinch of salt halfway through cooking., sauteed mushrooms with a slotted spoon and set aside, and repeat with the remaining mushrooms, adding the additional 2 tbsp of olive oil per batch. set mushrooms aside. taste and correct for salt., in a large saucier or pot set over medium heat, add the butter, the 1 tbsp olive oil, and the finely chopped shallots. cook and stir until the shallots are softened, 3-4 minutes (do not brown)., add the rice. stir until all of the rice grains are coated in the fat and have become translucent around the edges, about a minute., crank the heat to high and immediately add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth. stir the rice, making sure you get into the corners of your pot with your spoon, so the rice doesn tsp stick. continue stirring until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. add another 1/2 cup of broth and keep stirring., continue adding the broth , 1/2 cup at a time, adding more only when the last 1/2 cup has been absorbed, until rice is al dente. (depending on the rice, you may use all of the liquid, or you may have some liquid left over. or you may need to add additional rice. keep an eye on the rice, tasting a grain at a time if you need to, to determine when the rice is done.), stir in about three-quarters of the reserved sauteed mushrooms. add the 1/3 cup parmigiano , and the remaining 1 tbsp butter. taste and correct for salt., serve: spoon risotto into a bowl. top with some of the remaining sauteed mushrooms, a sprinkle of chopped parsley, and a few grindings of black pepper. serve with additional grated cheese on the side.