Cacio e Pepe Risotto

It turns out arborio rice has twice the protein and fiber of brown rice so risotto is officially on the menu this winter at our house.

I made this risotto the night before Carl proposed to me, and I feel like that’s all you really need to know about how good this dish is.

It comes together in ~45 minutes total, and risotto is actually way less fussy than everyone wants you to believe. This recipe is a gorgeous base for sauteed bitter greens, braised meats and roasted tomatoes.

Recipe (serves 6)

1 medium shallot, diced fine
2 T olive oil 
2 C Arborio rice
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane
¾ C white wine
1 T fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp Kosher salt
1.5 C grated parm 
4 T butter
Approx. 8 C Vegetable Broth (nitpicky- but we are obsessed with the Target broth and constantly buy them out to use in our restaurant)

In a large saute pan, sauce the shallot in the oil over medium low heat until translucent.

Add all of the rice into the pan, dry, and stir to combine. Add the garlic and continue stirring for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the rice just begins to toast.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the wine to deglaze the pan. Allow the wine to mostly simmer out until you have a slightly juicy rice mixture, then add ~2c broth, the pepper and salt. Stir occasionally (it’s a myth that you need to constantly stir your risotto and whoever told you that is just trying to gatekeep something delicious), until the liquid is almost fully absorbed into the rice. Add another few cups of liquid, just enough to cover the rice by about a half inch. Stir occasionally, allowing the rice to almost absorb all the liquid again. Repeat this until you have added the last couple of cups of broth.

When the risotto reaches a creamy dreamy- still slightly soupy but mostly solid- texture, add the butter and most of the Parm (reserving some Parm for the top of your bowl!). Stir well and serve.

Note! The broth does not need to be hot to add it to the rice as some recipes might state. I just don’t pour cold broth into the rice- always room temperature from a new carton. If you’re using homemade broth of some kind it might be nice to warm it up first so you don’t shock the rice which prevents it from getting as creamy dreamy as you want.

I serve this dish in a small low bowl- here’s our favorite that we use at home and in the restaurant! They’re bamboo (great for kids too!) and a great size for everyday eating.

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Cauliflower Fried 'Rice' (V + GF)

Serve this to EVERYONE. Vegans and Gluten Frees and Paleos (I think?) and grain free friends and people that eat everything because this is bomb and easy and just takes some chopping time. Add some honey if you’re not vegan. Use soy sauce if you’re not GF. Throw an egg in at the end and call it GOOD.

INGREDIENTS
(makes enough for 4 as a side, 2 as lunch)

1 bag frozen cauliflower rice (~3 cups)
1 tsp olive oil/coconut oil
1 shallot, diced
1” ginger, grated (optional- don’t make a special trip if you don’t have it)
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 large carrot, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 c frozen peas (or fresh, whatever)
1/4 c chopped cashews
2 TBSP soy sauce or coconut aminos if GF
1/2 tsp honey (optional, omit if vegan)
1 tsp miso (also optional)
1 1/2 tsp sriracha
1 lime, cut into wedges

Start by chopping all of your veggies and setting them aside in a bowl because once that’s done, the rest is QUICK.

Saute the shallot in the oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, carrot, celery and peas and cook for 5-7 minutes until the veggies start to soften. Add the frozen cauliflower, cashews, soy sauce, honey, miso and sriracha and cook for another 7-9 minutes or so until the cauliflower is warmed through and tender. Serve with a wedge of lime and cilantro if you have it.

Optional: Add two eggs in after the cauliflower is cooked through and cook for another 2 minutes, moving the mixture around constantly to scramble the eggs into the fried rice! YUM.

Ballin' on a Budget: Three Ingredient Tomato Sauce

Homies. This recipe is truly a magic trick. You turn a can of tomatoes, a half a stick of butter & half of an onion into the richest, dreamiest pasta sauce you’ve ever had. YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO CHOP ANYTHING! All there is to it is to open a can and combine all of the ingredients in a pan- let them simmer away for 45 minutes and you.are.in.bidnezzzzz.

The key here is to use niiiiice canned tomatoes. San Marzano are a non-negotiable here, as the quality of San Marzano tomatoes is what makes this sauce so simple and good. They are typically a few bucks more than your average mass produced canned tomatoes, but even with a pound of pasta this recipe comes together for way less than 10 bucks.

San Marzano tomatoes are much like Champagne in that they come from a specific region- San Marzano. They’re grown in the volcanic soil at the base of Mt. Vesuvius which somehow cuts the acidity. They also have thicker walls and fewer seeds than a traditional Roma tomato, which fills them with flavor. They are expertly cared for and picked at peak ripeness so you can be positive that every can of San Marzanos you pick up will be well, perfetto.

As always, you can check out the video for this recipe HERE on my IGTV!

(I can take no credit for this recipe as it is well well known and exploded the internet about 8 years ago- I’m just reminding you about it in case you’ve never heard of it!)

Three Ingredient Tomato Sauce
makes enough for 1 lb pasta

28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, whole peeled
1/2 stick butter
1/2 medium onion

Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer (yes, leave the onion halved!). Allow to simmer for 45 minutes- after fifteen minutes, use the back of a spoon to press the tomatoes against the side of the pan to help them along in their breaking-down process.

Boil water in a large stockpot for the pasta and heavily salt it. I’m talking like three enormous pinches. Maybe four. Cook the pasta until al dente and add one ladle full of the starchy, salty water to the sauce just before tossing the pasta with the sauce to serve- this helps the sauce stick to the pasta! Top with shaved parmesan if you’re into that sorta thing!

xo,
Audrey