Fake risotto

I know, I know–I’m doing it wrong. I didn’t use arborio rice, and I didn’t gradually stir in wine/stock until done. That’s why its FAKE risotto.

• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs butter (maybe–I didn’t really measure)
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups leftover rice (gasp! I used long-grain jasmine)
• 2 Tbs fresh basil, cut chiffonade
• 1/2 cup diced fresh mozzarella

Sautee the onion in butter over medium heat. When soft, add the wine, turn up the heat, and boil down. Add in the rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and stir occasionally until rice is heated through. Stir in the basil and the the cheese a little bit at a time until melted and well mixed.

Braised grass-fed ribeye with blue cheese and red-wine reduction sauce

Braised grass-fed ribeye with blue cheese and red-wine reduction sauce

Originally uploaded by ted_major

Grass-fed beef has a stringer flavor than feedlot beef, so sometimes a bit of sauce can help. Here, we also used some farmhouse cheese we picked up at Sweet Home Farms in Baldwin county, Alabama.

1 grass-fed steak, 1 inch thick
butter
blue cheese
red wine

Salt the steak on both sides with coarse sea salt and let rest at room temperature for one hour.

Preheat cast iron skillet over high heat for 4 minutes. Add a teaspoon or two of butter, and when it melts, add steak. brown for 2 minutes on the first side, then turn and brown 2 minutes on the second side. Turn heat to medium and brown 2 more minutes each side.

Add enough red wine to come halfway up the steaks, then cover and reduce heat to low. Braise 5 to 10 more minutes until done to your liking.

Remove steak to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, turn heat to high and stir wine with a spatula to deglaze the pan; keep boiling until reduced to a syrup.

Slide the steak, crumble blue cheese on top, and pour sauce over the cheese.

We served it with steamed okra from the farmer’s market tossed with a little butter.

White Pizza

White Pizza

Originally uploaded by ted_major

Dough:

* 2/3 cup hot tap water
* 2 tsp yeast
* 1/2 tsp sugar
* 2 cups flour
* 1/2 tsp salt
* cornmeal to dust peel or pan

Topping:

* EVOO
* 4 cloves garlic (more or less, to taste), minced
* 1 cup freshly grated Asiago
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 can artichoke hearts, sliced
* 2 Tbs chopped fresh oregano
* 2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Place baking stone (if you have one) in oven and preheat to 500F.

Pour water into a mixing bowl and add sugar and yeast; whisk to mix. Add dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Turn out onto floured work surface and knead a few times, then form a ball and roll into a round.
Dust pizza peel with cornmeal and place dough on peel (or use a pizza pan or cookie sheet if you don’t have a peel).

Drizzle dough with olive oil and spread with garlic. Sprinkle with cheeses, then place ‘chokes on top and sprinkle with oregano. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown, then garnish with parsley.