easy low-maintenance classic risotto

I’ve made the classic risotto recipes where you scoop in boiling water a quarter-cup at a time and stir constantly. I’m not mad at those recipes. I’m just a busy person. If you want the classic parmesan and white wine flavor of risotto without having to babysit it the whole time, this is your recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 cup Arborio (or sushi, in a pinch) rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
• ½ cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
4. Add half the broth (1 ¾ cups) and simmer, stirring once, until absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Add the remaining broth and simmer, stirring once, until the rice is tender and creamy, 8 to 10 minutes. (If the rice is not cooked through and the mixture is dry, add more broth and continue to cook until tender.)
6. Stir in the Parmesan and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.
   
   recipe written by Kate Merker at Real Simple (reproduced here almost exactly, except that I left out the parsley. Sorry.)
   

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Typically, I post recipes here that I’ve tried once or twice and enjoy. This is one of those recipes I’ve made zillions of times, and assumed I’d already included it here. Traditional risotto has a unique texture, and I’ll admit this one can border on congee. But it’s so quick and easy, I could never be mad at it.

This has been a staple in my diet for years. Glad to finally have the chance to share it with you. Thank you to Real Simple, who lived up to their name with this one.

cornflour pancakes with apple compote

Did you ever crave something you’ve never eaten before?

I couldn’t stop thinking about healthy, fluffy buckwheat pancakes with apple compote… combined with a corn griddle cake/pancake hybrid, thanks to photos of a cheesy cornbread waffle.

Here’s what I did.

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CORN FLOUR PANCAKES version one (makes three large pancakes)

1 c all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend)
1/2 c corn flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs
1.5 c. plain kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, or milk

recipe adapted from some buckwheat pancake recipe

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CORN FLOUR PANCAKES version two
1/2 c corn flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1.5T. sugar
0.5 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. (about a cup) plain kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, or milk
1/8 c. veg oil

recipe by cook fast eat well

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APPLE COMPOTE

Sliced a few apples, and added a few tablespoons of water, a sweetener like honey, a sprinkle of salt, and a few whole spices.

Of course, you can substitute anything sweet for the honey, like sugar, maple syrup, date syrup, sweetened molasses, or anything similar.

I chose star anise, cloves, and Chinese licorice. For the sweetener, I used a few chopsticks’ worth of ginger honey (it’s crystallized and the mouth of the jar is too narrow for a spoon!)

Heat it on medium until hot, and then simmer on low heat, stirring often if you used a lot of sweetener, or stirring occasionally if you went with a low-sugar compote.

from epicurious

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PANCAKES #1, August 2020: These corn flour pancakes are not as “corny” as I was picturing. Not sure I would have known these used masa by the flavor or appearance alone. They looked like your average, everyday pancakes. I adapted a healthy buckwheat pancake recipe, and the extra egg did make these pancakes a little more dense than fluffy. It tasted mostly of egg. I think next time I will use a recipe that’s a little more similar to cornbread, with a little oil, and less egg.

If you’re looking for a greasy cornbread, this won’t cut it for you.

If you just want a simple pancake recipe to switch up your Sunday mornings – here it is!

PANCAKES #2, September 2020: Cook Fast Eat Well made a mistake with this. The original recipe calls for a cup of cornmeal, a cup of all-purpose flour, and a cup of milk. Obviously, in retrospect, this isn’t nearly enough liquid for pancake batter. I added in more kefir slowly, and stopped when the consistency looked about right. Probably doubled the original amount. These pancakes are super fluffy. The oil really helps the consistency, and they look more delicious, too, with that amazing crispy crust around the edge. However, again, these are not heavy, greasy cornbread. If you want a breakfast pancake, this is a great choice. My kefir is extremely bitter, so if you have old, sour kefir, make sure to add something with a strong flavor, like cinnamon, or more sugar. These are definitely the better of the two pancakes.

COMPOTE: The compote, of course, was pretty good. The spices added a really interesting flavor. Definitely a recommended way to get your seasonal produce!

gigantes plaki sto fourno (vegan Greek white beans in tomato sauce)

One of the most wonderful ways to cook white beans! White wine and potatoes lend a complex flavor and body to such an easy recipe. It’s similar to bubbling butter beans (but vegan!). Ivy’s recipe calls for Kozani gigantes beans, giant Greek white beans, but large white fava beans / butter beans, cannellini beans, or any other mild white bean would work here. You could probably even substitute chickpeas or black-eyed peas. I used dry fava beans.

Really solid recipe. Definitely a keeper. Thanks to Ivy from Kopiaste for this fantastic traditional recipe!

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300 grams Kozani gigantes beans
2 bay leaves
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup of olive oil
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and blended or 1 can of whole tomatoes (500 grams)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup white dry wine (optional)
1 cup of parsley, finely chopped
1 -2 stalks celery ribs, finely chopped
3 big carrots, finely chopped
1 big potato (cubed) optional
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon thyme honey (optional) (add sugar for vegan dish)
½ teaspoon chili pepper (optional)
2 cups water

Instructions

Soak the beans in plenty of water, overnight.
Drain and put them in a pot with fresh water and bring to a boil.
Remove any froth forming on top, with a slotted ladle.
Drain them again and add fresh water as well as the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add salt, lower heat and simmer until almost cooked (about 1 hour and 30 minutes).
Drain and discard the bay leaves.
Put the beans in a Dutch oven or a Pyrex.
Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F.
Meantime, heat the olive oil in a sautéing pan and sauté onions and garlic until translucent.
Add the chopped celery, carrots, potato, fresh oregano and beans and mix.
Add wine and cook for a few minutes, then add the honey, tomato, salt and pepper and water and mix. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour the sauce over the beans and cover with the lid. If using a Pyrex, cover with aluminium foil.
Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the beans are soft and the sauce is thick, mixing once, after an hour has passed.
Remove from the oven and mix in the parsley.

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recipe by Ivy from Kopiaste

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Really great use of early season sour tomatoes – the wine and honey adds the perfect balance. I left out the parsley and celery.

I definitely recommend this recipe.

If you love white beans, check out this similar recipe for bubbling butter beans – or my favorite new soup, roasted poblano and white bean soup.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, this is a great main dish, served with something like Greek rice-spinach, or melitzanosalata (greek eggplant dip) with some crusty bread.

If you love meat in your meal, I could see this as a fantastic side dish for anything from a herb and lemon roast chicken to lemon meatballs with tahini sauce.

roasted poblano and white bean soup

This recipe, from Rhubarb and Cod, is definitely my favorite new vegan recipe. It may not be a traditional Mexican soup, but it takes a LOT less time than traditional Mexican soups like menudo – and it can easily be made vegan!

Here’s my version, with LOTS of alterations – some due to cost, some to cut the prep time, and some just for my preferences in taste. Add any soup veggie to this (or anything that looks sad in the bottom of your produce drawer.) Anything from fennel root to potatoes would be delicious in this!

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3 poblanos (one or two if they’re spicy and fresh)

half a large onion
a few cloves of roasted or raw garlic
whatever veg you have in the house (carrots, celery, etc.)
half a can of corn, drained
white beans (two small cans, or about a cup of dried beans simmered in garlic and onion and stock. either way, use about 3c. cooked beans.)
a few fistfuls of spinach

spices, to taste:
smoked paprika
mexican oregano (you can sub marjoram or regular oregano)
cumin
coriander
cayenne or chipotle if your poblanos are mild
salt

vegetable or chicken stock

honey (opt.)

topping:
fresh lime juice
raw cilantro (opt.)
hot sauce (opt.)
goat cheese or plain yogurt (opt.)

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first, blister your poblano(s). grill them on a high heat, lay them directly on the burner of your gas stove, or roast at the highest heat in your oven. whichever method you choose, make sure that the skin is jet black. it should look worryingly blackened. rub off the black flakes – run under water if it’s taking too long.

in a soup pot, get some onions (and any hard veggies, like carrots) started over medium heat with whatever fat or oil you like for soups. olive oil, coconut oil, whatever.

when soft or caramelized, add any smaller or softer veggies, like corn, garlic, etc.

when everything looks great, add stock or broth, spices and herbs, and the cooked white beans.

taste it. if it’s great, add it all to a blender with the raw spinach and everything else. if you don’t like a blended soup (or don’t want to clean your blender, or don’t actually own a blender,) just leave it chunky! if you don’t have a blender, you can also mash the beans with a fork before adding.

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the original recipe is quite labor-intensive. roast canned corn? who has time for that?

this version was still delicious with much less hassle.

HIGHLY recommended!

easy savory congee (garlic rice porridge)

Congee is the ultimate comfort food. If you like carbs, and you like sipping on soup or tea, you are going to love congee. If you have an upset stomach, or a toothache, you are going to love congee. If it’s cold out, and you want to get warmed up, you are going to love congee. It’s totally foolproof – anyone can make this.

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Add a bunch of water and rice to a pot (about a half cup rice for eight cups of water/broth/stock)

Add garlic powder, black pepper, and a few splashes of chicken stock or a few ice cubes worth of frozen chicken stock. You can really mix it up here – substitute veggie stock or broth with no problem. You can add five spice powder, or your favorite seasoning. Anything from curry powder to roasted garlic and scallions to mushrooms (fresh or dried) is great in congee. Toss in leftover meats or grilled veggies or whatever leftovers you have.

Takes a while, but you can mostly just ignore it, simmering on a low heat and stirring every once in a while. It’s ready when it’s a gloopy mash. Drizzle toasted sesame oil and la jiao jiang (hot pepper oil) on top – or yogurt and chives – or a little miso paste – or whatever you are craving.

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Can’t go wrong with congee. The more cold, sick, or sad I feel, the better this tastes. It got me through a root canal, plenty of hangovers, and lots of cold nights. It really warms you from the inside out. It’s the ultimate soft food (I dare you to find a food softer than this!) and perfect for babies, and adults who are acting like babies.

I know “porridge” (or, worse, “gruel”) might sound weird to Americans – it reminds me of Goldilocks and The Three Bears – but if you like chicken and rice soup, that’s basically what this is. If you eat polenta, grits, oatmeal, or cream of wheat, you can probably already see how good this rice congee tastes.

My favorite lately is congee cooked with stock/broth and lots of garlic, dried shiitake mushrooms, leftover roasted veggies, and a pinch of five spice powder, served with a poached egg on top, sesame seeds, and LOTS of hot chili oil.

It’s also a great base for a one-pot meal. Throw in cooked meat, chopped veggies – whatever you want.

Infinitely customizable, impossible to mess up, totally different, and extremely comforting. What could be better?

If you like sweet better than savory, try this eight treasure congee (八宝粥) with dried fruit and nuts. It tastes perfect with some brown sugar, like oatmeal but even more like a warm hug.

green dill matzoh balls

4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or chicken schmaltz
1 cup matzo meal
1/4 cup seltzer water
2 tablespoons chopped dill
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more

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mix, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, and then roll into balls. drop into boiling chicken stock, simmer for 40-45 min, or until tender and puffy.

recipe by Leah Koenig for epicurious

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I loved the dill in these! However, for me personally, these were not my favorite recipe. I have read that seltzer makes matzoh balls tender, but this recipe was more mushy than tender. Definitely edible, perfectly fine matzoh balls. I like a light, delicate “floater”, and I also like a dense and chewy “sinker”. This middle ground mush (a hoverer?) was not my favorite! Not sure if it was due to the proportion of eggs to oil to matzoh, or the seltzer, or what. This was my first time trying plain seltzer in matzah balls, and I am not sold on it.

I invested in a giant mess of discounted matzoh this year, so I will keep trying matzoh ball recipes throughout the winter. I’ll let you know if I find my ideal recipe!

Looking to use a whole mess of dill? Make these matzoh balls, and serve the soup with beet salad with dilled yogurt!

Looking to expand your Jewish cooking repertoire? This spicy melon berry and mint salad is surprising, and this latke recipe is traditional!

gajar halwa (Indian carrot pudding)

It’s dessert weather. If you want something to trick your loved ones into eating vegetables with something sweet and creamy and delicious, this is the ticket! Thanks to veg recipes of India for this one! If you like a soft, rich dessert that warms you from the inside, you’ll love this dessert!

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8 to 9 medium tender juicy carrots or 650 grams (gajar) – yields approx 4 to 4.5 cups grated carrots
4 cups full fat organic milk
4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
10 to 12 tablespoons regular sugar or organic unrefined cane sugar OR 180 to 190 grams sugar – add as required
5 to 6 green cardamom (choti elaichi) – powdered finely in a mortar-pestle or about ⅓ to 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
10 to 12 whole cashews (kaju) – chopped
10 to 12 almonds – sliced or chopped
2 tablespoons golden raisins (kishmish)
1 pinch saffron strands (kesar) – optional

combine milk with rinsed, peeled, grated carrots.

simmer and stir until milk has reduced and become thick (might be a while)

add ghee, sugar, and cardamom – continue to simmer and stir

add the rest of the ingredients when the pudding has reduced quite a bit, and continue simmering until consistency is thick.

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recipe by Dassana of veg recipes of India

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I had a hard time eating the whole batch myself, so make sure you cut the recipe if you’re cooking for one, because this makes a lot of dessert! I like the consistency. It’s not exactly smooth like an American pudding, but not chewy like a British pudding, either. This is definitely its own thing! Definitely recommended.

liangban tofu (chilled soft tofu salad)

ten minutes til a quick snack full of protein, all nine essential amino acids, iron, calcium, magnesium, and more…

one block soft tofu
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon black vinegar
2 fresh Thai peppers (you can replace it with chili oil)
1/2 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 green onion, finely chopped
minced cilantro, to taste
toasted Sichuan peppercorns, to taste

1. cube tofu and steam for ten minutes
2. separately, mix together all other ingredients
3. dump ingredients on top of tofu and refrigerate

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adapted from china sichuan food and tim elwyn

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my favorite tofu is definitely mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) and my favorite junk food tofu is crispy vegan kung pao tofu…

…but what if you don’t have an hour to press and fry tofu? what if you like mapo tofu but you don’t eat pork?

THIS is my new go-to quick tofu recipe for lazy vegans. it’s a great summer recipe, too, since you don’t have to kick your wok up to high heat.

i wasn’t completely smitten with it when i first tasted it, but once the tofu sucked up the sauce, i had no trouble eating an entire brick of tofu myself.

if you don’t care for wild splattering oil, if you’re on a diet, if you’re not into pork, if you’re in a rush, or on a soft food diet after surgery or dental problems, or if you’re just too lazy to cook, i definitely recommend this!

polpette (Italian vegetarian “meat”balls)

Got a lot of stale bread? These are… food.

Zucchini 280 g
Stale bread 250 g
Eggs (about 1 medium) 50 g
Whole milk 60 g
Breadcrumbs 120 g
Basil to taste
Tomato pulp 150 g
Garlic 1 clove
Mozzarella 90 g
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
(edit: please add oregano or really anything)

– break up the bread and soak it in milk
– slice zucchini into “rather large slices,” heat up some oil in a pan, then fry them over medium heat for about 10 min or until cooked
– using a “robot” (I love Google translate; I am guessing you want to use a food processor) or a fork, mix zucchini with breadcrumbs, salt, bread, and pepper (and basil if using)
– add egg after blending, and blend until homogenous
– form balls of about 30-33 g in weight
– refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up so they don’t fall apart
– in a separate pan, start garlic (“or shirt if you prefer,” according to Google translate,) and add crushed tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper
– when tomato sauce tastes great, add balls and melt mozzarella over the the top. cover with lid.

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original recipe from giallo zafferano in Italian and here it is in English, run through a translator

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Okay, these are edible. If you have a bunch of stale bread, this is definitely a way to use it. It isn’t a GOOD way; it’s just a way. Being on a soft food diet, it’s nice having something shaped like a meatball, but you know what else is soft? Good vegan meatballs. I mean, vegetarian buffalo “meatballs” made with white beans are soft. Meatless wild rice and mushroom “meatballs” are soft. These are just straight-up BLAND! The texture is a bit gloopy on day one, and by day three mellow to a sort of gluey, gummy mess. So, the taste is bad. The texture? Also bad.

The only way I can recommend these is if you have a LOT of dumpstered bread to use. PLEASE add sautéed onions or garlic to flavor the polpette. Tagged “waste not,” because this might keep some bread out of the landfill. Tagged “soft food” because I ate these with a temporary crown, and it didn’t hurt. Ecstatic to use the “nope” tag for the first time in a year. This recipe could be adjusted to be more flavorful, but right now, these polpette are a solid nope.

This is solid proof that everyone creates a nightmare in the kitchen sometimes. Everyone occasionally ends up with a week’s worth of glue-balls. Jump in, try something new, and if it turns into paste, make something better next week!

roasted tomato gazpacho

Roasting fresh summer tomatoes makes their flavor even more complex. If you have some sweet, one-note tomatoes, roasting them adds depth. Gazpacho adds everything a sweet tomato needs – acidity, and a little garlic and herb flavor.

If you are thinking, “Haven’t you already posted about roasting tomatoes?” – well, technically, yes, I posted a roasted tomato dip in 2011. This gazpacho is like a yogurt-free version of that dip that celebrates bright summer flavors.

Gazpacho is like salsa – everyone does it differently. BA’s recipe calls for shallots; Alton Brown’s calls for tomato juice and lime juice; Barefoot Contessa’s is mostly cucumber; Andrew Zimmern’s calls for a ton of Worcestershire.

Bloggers put everything from mango, to celery and sugar, to cumin, to a huge jalapeño in theirs.

I know everyone likes it chunky, but I’m tagging this with “soft foods” because I prefer a totally blended gazpacho. It’s such a refreshing incredible summer sipper.

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– a few pounds of sweet and acidic tomatoes
– a clove (two if they are small) of garlic
– sweet and/or hot peppers (optional)
roast above on 450 til roasty

cool, peel, then add to blender or giant mortar and pestle) with:
– splash of olive oil
– splash of Worcestershire
– half a cucumber (optional)
– red wine vinegar and/or lemon juice (any sour will do)
– whatever fresh herbs you have in the house (highly recommend fresh basil, dill, chives, and thyme, if you have it!)
– pinch of salt and pepper
– (optional, bloody mary style) a little grated horseradish, tabasco or other vinegary hot sauce, and extra splash of Worcestershire sauce

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recipe by friedsig, based on recipes from rozanne gold and food network magazine