duck fried rice

several weeks ago

i tried my hand at crispy duck

and boy was that somethin'

do you remember cartoon eating

where after eating a big meal

they would use the bones of whatever they ate

to pick their teeth

well

after all the work that went into that duck

that was me

i wasn't going to let a single bit of it 

go to waste

it became several meals

(but i did draw the line at picking my teeth with it) 

one of which

is this easy and simple

duck fried rice

it might not be authentic

but it is G double O

GOOD

try it

see what you think

duck fried rice

(printable recipe)

1 Tbs or so peanut or vegetable oil

1 cup cooked duck--chopped or shredded with skin

(if you are looking for a recipe, i have one here)

2 cups cooked rice

1scallion--chopped

1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic

handful of fresh cilantro--stemmed

1 egg--lightly whisked

2 Tbs hoisin sauce

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp mirin

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp (more or less if you like/dislike heat) hot chili sauce

dash sesame oil

in a small bowl, mix together the hoisin, soy, mirin, ginger, chili sauce and sesame oil.  set aside. place wok on high heat and once heated, add the peanut or vegetable oil.  immediately toss in the duck to crisp up a bit.  add the garlic. do not let the garlic brown. add the egg and stir so it doesn't cook in a lump...push it up the sides of the wok, then toss in the rice and the scallions. stir to break up the rice, but also to incorporate the egg and the other bits into the rice. add the hoisin mixture and cook until it is absorbed. at last minute, toss in the cilantro.  this should all take less than 10-15 minutes to throw together. for the most part, you can increase or decrease the amount of everything in this recipe. it is a matter of taste.  if you want more duck, toss it in there...no scallions..no problem.  this is a simple dish that is really about what you have on hand, and what you like.  enjoy!

i am linking to

tuesday night supper club

and

hearth and soul blog hop

mushroom risotto

i have been on a family vacation 

and most of the kids in the family

are very interested in cooking

i therefore,

never lack for kitchen assistants

but for this risotto

i was the assistant

to the two oldest boys

who turned out

a very blog-worthy

dinner

this makes a very large portion

as we are a big family

with healthy appetites

just adjust for your specific needs

Mushroom Risotto
(printable recipe)

4 Tbs unsalted butter

3 Tbs olive oil

1/3 cup minced shallot

3 cloves garlic--finely minced

3 cups arborio rice

1 1/2 cups dry white wine (or cognac or vermouth)

9-10 cups chicken broth--warmed

2 cups sliced then chopped crimini mushrooms

2 Tbs reduced balsamic vinegar (heat 4 Tbs over low heat until it reduces by half)

finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

6 chives-- finely snipped with kitchen scissors

1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

salt and pepper to taste

in the bottom of a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil.  add the garlic and shallots and stir until they become translucent.  dump in the rice and stir until all the grains are glistening.  pour in the white wine and stir until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.  begin adding the chicken broth about 2 cups at a time and slowly stir until all the liquid has absorbed.  do not let the rice get completely dry before adding the next 2 cups. *you do not have to continually stir, but keep an eye on it...the stirring is what gives the risotto its creamy texture. the stirring releases the starches.  when you have about 2-3 cups of broth left, toss the mushrooms into the risotto and stir.  add the last of the broth and stir to absorb.  the rice should be firm, but not crunchy.  toss in the lemon zest, the balsamic, the chives and the parmesan.  taste for salt and pepper.  

I am linking to

 Tuesday Night Supper Club

and 

Two for Tuesdays
and
Tuesdays at the Table

Tuesday Night Supper Club--Orange Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Tonight we have another guest host! Anne of anniebakes is sharing a delicious and easy recipe with us.  I just love how tasty it looks...and I know hubster will love this rice!  Annie has some really great recipes and if any of you are midwesterners, she has a delicious crappie recipe on her site.  

As always, if you decide to try this recipe, please let us know how you like it!

take it away anne

I like to make things that are easy and tasty.  And this is easy and tasty!!  The only thing missing in the photo is the asparagus I added as a side dish.  I also made 2 tenderloins at the same time and we had sandwiches the next day with the second one.  Nothing like double duty.  I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do...

Orange Marinated Pork Tenderloin

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup orange juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 pound pork tenderloin

DIRECTIONS:

In a dish, mix together the orange juice, salt and pepper.  Add the pork and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours, turning occassionally.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high flame, add tenderloin and brown on all sides.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 155 degrees.  Take out of oven and tent with foil for 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve over Parmesan Rice.

Parmesan Rice

To your cooked rice, add 1/2 cup whipping cream and 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.  Stir and serve with  Makes 4 servings.

**I sometimes also add:  garlic powder, rosemary, pepper or anything else to make it flavorful!

 Eat Up!

Do yourself a favor and go check out Anne at anniebakes.blogspot.com you will be so glad you did!

Tuesday Night Supper Club--Gumbo

i have this thing for spicy food

i just love it

and i sort of unapologetically make it

fragile palates beware

you cannot come up in here (pronounced hare)

and enjoy this gumbo

Gumbo Spice
(printable recipe)

(from Emeril's New Orleans Cooking)

2 Tbs  chili powder and paprika

1 Tbs ground coriander, garlic powder and salt

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, black pepper and dried leaf oregano

Mix together and keep in an airtight container. Use on anything that you want to spice up a bit...dare I say

BAM!?

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
(printable recipe)

3/4 cup  boneless skinless chicken breast--cut into pieces

2 cups chicken stock

2 Tbs gumbo spice (recipe above)

¼ lb  andouille sausage--cut crosswise into pieces 

1 cup sliced okra

1 ½ Tbs olive oil

1/8 cup flour

½ medium   onion –chopped

1 ½ stalks   celery-chopped

½   green pepper--chopped

1 clove garlic--chopped

½ (14 oz can)  diced tomatoes, undrained

½ cup  Mr and Mrs T’s

¼ cup  sliced scallions

1 tsp    Worcestershire

3/8 tsp  thyme

3/8 tsp  salt

1/8 tsp  black pepper

1/8 tsp  white pepper

1/8 tsp  cayenne

1 ½-2 ½ dashes Tabasco sauce

Brown sausage in a little bit of olive oil.  Keeping the heat on medium, brown the chicken pieces, and remove from pan and add to sausage.  Sprinkle the chicken and sausage with the Gumbo Spice. Add oil to the fat..you will need about ¼ cup total

Add flour and stir constantly until it becomes medium brown in color.  When it is brown turn off the heat and quickly add the okra, onion, celery, garlic and bell pepper.  Allow the sizzling to stop.  Pour in stock.

Add tomatoes, Mr and Mrs T’s , green onions, bay leaves, worcetershire sauce, thyme, salt, cayenne, black and white peppers and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.  Add back chicken and sausage and let cook for about 45 minutes to an hour.  The longer it cooks, the better.  Add hot sauce to please your taste

serve with or without rice

Tuesday Night Supper Club

I've started a Supper Club. A Supper Club of 1.
In an attempt to get out of the rut of my basic standby meals, I am going to try a new recipe on Tuesdays.
Most of the recipes will be what I can put together with items from the larder (don't you just love that word?) The first time I ever heard it used in every day language was when staying in a hotel in Kirkland, Washington called The Woodmark.  They had this evening event called "raid the larder." It was a great take on the midnight snack.
The only other time I raided the "larder" in a hotel, was in Spain or maybe Portugal and I was in college.  But for clarification, I didn't actually go into the kitchen, I did however, participate in eating what was procured. This event was not sanctioned by the UN nor the hotel itself.  The daring participants accessed the kitchen and "borrowed" large tubs of  ice cream and a big wheel of cheese.  Mind you, this was well over 20 years ago, so don't hold me to the details.  What I do remember however is that we collectively finished off all the ice cream in the place....and then littered the evidence.  If I reveal any more, it might become an international incident, and I'm not one to get my fellow students in trouble.
Again, I was a bystander
...a bystander with a spoon.

So for my first Tuesday Night Supper Club meal I made risotto.

Risotto with Shrimp and Tomatoes

Serves 2 as a main course

2 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp unsalted butter

8-10 nice size shrimp--raw

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 cup carnaroli or arborio rice

2 oz sweet vermouth *

4-5 cups chicken broth--bring to a simmer on the stove

2 Tbs chopped chives

6-7 basil leaves--chiffonade

lots of pepper to taste

salt to taste

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1-3 Tbs cream **

Heat a high sided skillet over medium heat.  Meanwhile, peel and clean shrimp. Mine were frozen so I popped them into my chicken broth (which I also had in the freezer) to defrost but not cook.   Add olive oil to the hot pan and quickly stir fry the shrimp.  It is best to slightly undercook them at this point.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Add butter to pan and a bit more oil if it seems it needs it.  Toss in the shallots and cook until just translucent, do not brown.  Butter may brown a bit, but that is okay.  Toss in the rice and stir to completely coat in the fats.  Don't move too fast.  While you don't want to toast the rice to brown, you want to warm it up.  

Now the fun begins.  Let me start by saying...risotto shouldn't take you all day to make.  When making this recipe, I had it on the table in 20 minutes.

Pour in the vermouth*.  Stir with a wooden spoon..don't know if this is essential, but I have such great luck with a wooden spoon that I am passing that it on.  Make sure your fire isn't too high. It should be between low and medium.  Stir until the vermouth is almost gone. You want the liquid to be minimal, but not completely dry before you start to add the broth.  Be sure your broth is hot.  Begin adding it to the rice about a cup at a time.  Add the broth, stir until the rice is evenly spread in the pan and is beginning to absorb.  Then stir a bit more.  Then give it a minute by itself.  Then stir again.  Then give it a minute, then stir.  Once you see it getting tight, add more broth...and start the procedure all over again. After the second addition of broth, add the chives and tomatoes.  The stirring process gives you a bit of a gravy.  You know it is done when you take a bite and find the rice firm but not hard.  It should not be crunchy at all, but it shouldn't mush in your mouth.  Once it is done, add the cream**.  Stir to incorporate and then add the basil and parmesan cheese. Check for salt and pepper. Stir in the shrimp and let heat all the way through.  Serve and enjoy!

* I used sweet vermouth because I thought it would work nicely with the shrimp.  But you can use dry vermouth or white wine.  

**addition of cream is just a decadence that isn't essential.  Skip it if you want.

Also...I admit I do something with my risotto that isn't in any book...but it works for me.  When I see that the risotto is getting close--just the center is al dente, I add about a 1/4 of a cup of broth and stir once and walk away.  It can sit that way for 10 minutes or more.  Once I am ready to serve and plate, I fire up the burner again, add a bit more broth and finish the dish.

ps. you might see pearl onions in my photo. I added them to the broth and then threw them into the dish for fun.  Didn't love em...but if you wanted to roast them and add them, I think it would be delicious.

Email me if you want to be a guest host of the Tuesday Night Supper Club. I would love to hear what you do faced with a stove and a handful of ingredients.  I would especially love to know if you try a supper club dish and what you thought.

Eat up...