Risotto with Pancetta, Peas and Red Onion

Using the leftover ingredients (peas, pancetta and chicken stock) from the Pasta dish, I decided to make Risotto with Pancetta, Peas and Red Onion.


Ingredients:
1 red onion - half and sliced thinly
1/2 cup of roughly chopped pancetta
2 cups of peas
2 cups of Arborio rice
1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used Vermouth)
6 cups of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of saffron
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Directions:

• In a large pot (or a dutch oven), cook the pancetta over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until they crisp
• Take out the pancetta and put over paper towel
• Using 2 tablespoon of the oil from the pancetta, sautee the sliced onion for 5 minutes
• Add in the Arborio rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's glossy and coated with oil for about 3 minutes
• Add the saffron along with a little salt and pepper, then the Vermouth and stir until the liquid bubble away
• Using a ladle, add the chicken stock into the pan half a cup at a time, stir after each addition and when the stock is just about gone, add more
• After about 15 minutes or so, add in the peas into the rice mixture
• Continue cooking the rice using the chicken stock for another 5 minutes
• Taste the rice to see if it's done - it should be tender but with a bit of crunch in the middle
• Adjust the seasoning and add in the grated parmesan cheese and pancetta crisps

Maple Pecan Granola

Earlier this week, I made Maple Pecan Granola using recipes from Closet Cooking and NYTimes' Bitten Blog. I don't usually eat breakfast... however, since I started working out again, I feel that I should start eating breakfast in the morning. I guess if I have to eat breakfast in the morning, I might as well make it delicious and healthy. Today, I had the granola with Saint Benoit yogurt before heading to the gym. Tasty...


Ingredients:
9 cups of rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
2 cups of chopped pecans
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cup of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a bowl, combine oats, nuts and seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, sugar and maple syrup.
• Place on a sheet pan and put in oven.
• Bake for 60 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally every 15 minutes or so.
• Mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.

Wheat Berry and Black Eyed Peas Salad

I had been thinking about whole grain salad lately ever since I had a bowl of wheat berries salad at Bocadillos a couple weeks ago. I love the texture and the taste of the wheat berries so I decided to make my own version of it. I love the fact that you can put in almost anything that you like. Here, I added black eyed peas, bell pepper, feta cheese and pine nuts. However, I should warn you that all those ingredients do add up ... so be careful because you don't want to end up with a salad big enough for a family of ten.


Ingredients:
2 cups of wheat berries
1 cup of black eyed peas
1 shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 bunch of spearmint leaves, cut into strips
1 orange bell pepper, cut into small sized cubes
3 roasted red bell pepper, cut into medium sized cubes
1/4 lb of goat feta cheese
toasted pine nuts
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, toasted and grind
zest of 1 lemon

Direction:

• Wheat berries: soak for 8 hours, drain, simmer in a large pot with 7 cups of water and a bay leaf for 60 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking and to keep the grains plump
• Black eyed peas: soak for 8 hours, drain, cook for 20 minutes in a medium pot with enough to cover the beans plus 2 inches, season with salt and pepper in the last 2 minutes of cooking, drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking
• Stir fry the diced shallots in a small pan with a small amount of olive oil for approximately 3 minutes until translucent, add in the chopped garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant and set aside
• In a large bowl, put in the cooked wheat berries, black eyed peas, shallots and garlic mix, strips of spearmint leaves, cube bell peppers, goat cheese, lemon zest, cumin seeds and goat cheese
• Mix everything together lightly with spatula until well combined
• Serve with or without the vinaigrette
  

The Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:
1 shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

• In a small bowl, mix the Dijon mustard, lemon juice and the diced shallots together
• Drizzle an equal part of extra virgin olive oil into the bowl while whisking
• Season with salt, sugar and pepper

Israeli Couscous with Asparagus and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:
1 shallot, finely diced
2 tablespoons of butter
Israeli couscous (I used the one from Trader Joe's, 1 box is about 1 1/3 cup)
1 3/4 cup of hot water (or chicken broth)
1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1-2" strips
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

Directions:

• In a medium sized pan over a medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the diced shallot until brown (5 minutes)
• Add the couscous into the pan and brown for 5 minutes
• Add in the hot water (or broth) and salt into the pan and bring back to boil
• Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes
• Add in the cut asparagus into the couscous, cover again and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the asparagus is done and couscous is cooked
• Turn off the heat and stir-in the toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley
• Serve as a main dish or a side dish