Full Gastronomic Tilt

Listening: Regina Spektor’s new album, Far
Perfect for a quiet Sunday afternoon in the kitchen.

It is truly fall here in the North Carolina mountains. The temps have dipped below 40 degrees and I’ve added a few more blankets to the bed, stubbornly resisting turning on the heat. The drop in temperature has jump-started my cooking creativity. I’m still obsessed with perfecting risotto, and found a large container of arborio tucked away in my pantry, just begging me to cook with it. Friday night’s dinner was roasted sweet potato and caramelized onion risotto, a riff on spring’s asparagus version and just as tasty.

Dessert was Heidi Swanson’s Triple Ginger Cookies, my absolute favorite not-chocolate-chip cookie recipe. The cookies paired deliciously with hot bourbon apple cider.

While cleaning out my pantry, I also found a quart of seafood stock nearing its best-by date, so I decided to make the two recipes below and feed some friends. While I feel like these recipes are not yet perfected they are plenty tasty enough to share. Enjoy!

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

2-3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced, skin on
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound or more fresh clams (or two 6.5 oz tins canned clams, rinsed)
2 cups seafood stock
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 T dried thyme
1 T butter

Directions:

Over medium heat, melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and saute until soft but not translucent,
Add celery, saute 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, saute until fragrant.
Add flour or cornstarch and mix well.
Add thyme, stock, milk and potatoes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
If using fresh clams, add them at this point and simmer for another 10 minutes or until cooked through, then stir in heavy cream.
If using canned clams, add together with the heavy cream, simmer until cooked through, and serve.
Add salt and pepper to taste. I add a lot of pepper while the chowder is cooking and even more after.
You might need more salt than you think.

Thai-inspired Shrimp Risotto
adapted from several sources, including Leite’s Culinaria and Mark Bittman.

Coconut milk is amazing. That is all.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound frozen shrimp, defrosted and tails cut off
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced and divided
2 T ginger, minced and divided
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups seafood stock
1 can lite coconut milk (+ 1/2 can water)
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
juice of 2-3 limes
2 teaspoons red curry paste
salt to taste

Directions:

First, cook your shrimp:
Over medium-high heat, add some olive oil and butter to a pan. Once melted and foamy, add garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add shrimp and ginger and cook until done, about 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle the shrimp with cilantro, remove from heat and set aside.

Next, make the risotto:
In a saucepan, add the coconut milk, stock and water and heat until simmering.
In a large pot, heat more olive oil and butter until melted and foamy. Add onion and cook until translucent.
Add remaining garlic and ginger, cook for a minute, then add the arborio.
Saute the rice for 3 minutes, stirring to coat with the delicious butter/garlic/ginger/oniony-ness.
Add the white wine and stir quickly until absorbed.
Start adding the broth/coconut milk mixture one cup at a time, stirring occasionally until absorbed, then adding more. When half the mixture has been added, stir in the curry paste and lime juice.
Taste to see if the rice is al dente. Add more water if necessary (it usually isn’t - 4 cups should do it)
Stir in the shrimp mixture and heat through.
Add salt to taste and serve hot!