Dog Days Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta

I don't know what the weather has been like in your neck of the woods lately, but here in San Diego it has been H-O-T hot!  And because San Diego is a coastal city, the developers of this area, in their infinite wisdom, didn't install air conditioning in any of the buildings around town - not in my apartment, not in the building I work in, not even in the grocery store.

So as you might imagine, in these dog days of summer when it's 90 degrees outside and I have one measly little fan to cool me down, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven, let alone eat a hearty bowl of pasta with tomato sauce.  Luckily for me, there is pesto to the rescue.  I thought I'd shake things up a bit from the classic pesto recipe that I often make (see here) by using sundried tomatoes, walnuts, and red pepper flakes to liven things up.  Enjoy and stay cool wherever this recipe finds you!

Sundried Tomato Pesto

1 8 oz. jar of sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained
1/2 cup basil
1/4 cup walnuts
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water
1 lb. pasta

Add sundried tomatoes, basil, walnuts, garlic, cheese, and red pepper flakes to food processor:

And blend until just mixed:

With motor running, pour olive oil in a steady stream into the top of the food processor and blend until pesto is smooth and oil has become incorporated.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente (according to package directions).  Strain pasta, reserving 1/3 cup cooking water, and pour pasta into large bowl.  Add pesto and reserved cooking water:

And stir to coat pasta evenly.  Serve by topping with (what else?) more cheese:

Garlic Parmesan Truffle Fries

Right about now you may be thinking to yourself, "Really?  All of those ingredients piled on a french fry?  This sounds like a fancy restaurant gimmick to me where they take perfectly good dishes and mess them up by trying to make them into something they're not."  Now don't get me wrong, I think french fries are delicious all by themselves and there is a time and place for a simple ketchup side (or even fry sauce, for all of you Utahans).  But before you write this dish off, I think that you should ask yourself this: What's not to love about a dish that combines the holy trinity of everything in the food world that is sacred - cheese, potatoes, and truffle oil?

Garlic Parmesan Truffle Fries

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
2 Tbsp white truffle oil

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Cut the round ends off of potatoes as well as the sides to form a rectangular potato cube.  Cut the rectangle lengthwise and crosswise to form fries.  Toss fries in a large bowl with vegetable oil to coat and season with salt and pepper (to taste).

From here, you have two options for baking the fries.  If you like your fries crispy throughout, use a metal cookie sheet.  If you like your fries crispy on the edges and tender in the middle, use a 13 x 9 glass baking dish (this is the approach I took).  Spray your preferred baking dish/sheet with non-stick spray and add the fries to the dish.  Spread fries evenly in a single layer, like so:

Bake for 30 minutes, turning fries over once to ensure even browning on both sides.  Whisk truffle oil, garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl.  Remove fries from oven and pour oil, garlic, and parsley mixture over fries.  Toss to coat evenly:

 
Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Bonbon-A-Thon

While I was flipping through the June issue of Food and Wine, I came across an article with a recipe that seemed so deceptively simple that it lead me to believe that I, a complete bonbon making novice, could make ice cream bonbons from scratch.  They lured me in with pictures like this one, promising that if I followed their three easy steps, I too could make these round, perfect, delicious ice cream filled bonbons:

Well readers I am here to tell you that Food and Wine lied to me!  I mean really, how in the hell are you supposed to roll ice cream in molten chocolate and NOT have the ice cream melt all over creation???  Short of dipping the ice cream in liquid nitrogen or using an extreme sub zero freezer, I have no idea how this is possible.  I even enlisted the help of my poor dinner guest Erin and we formed a bonbon assembly line, but we still could not work fast enough to make them look perfect!  Between the ice cream melting all over the place and the chocolate hardening up as it cooled, our bonbons came out looking something like this:

But I will say that what these mangled chocolate covered ice cream balls lacked in beauty, they more than made up for in flavor.  I've shared what we did below.  If you have any tips and/or a better approach, please do share them with me in the comments!

Ice Cream Bonbons

Ice Cream (any flavor you like will do)
10 ounces of chocolate (I used a mixture of 1/3 each dark, milk, and semisweet)
sea salt (for topping)

Place chocolate in a double boiler or in a large bowl over boiling water:

And stir until melted:

Scrape chocolate into a new bowl and allow to cool slightly.  Scoop Tbsp sized balls of ice cream (we used the following delicious flavors, but as I said earlier, you could really use and flavor you like):

And quickly roll them in the melted chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt.  Immediately transfer to wax paper lined cookie sheet in the freezer (you'll notice the melted ice cream dripping everywhere):

Freeze for 30 minutes, then consume.  They may look like this:

But I promise that they will be delicious!

Risotto alla Milanese (Saffron Risotto)

If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you might remember my quest to create the perfect porcini mushroom risotto (see here for a refresher).  I pretty much constantly crave this savory creamy concoction.  But hearty mushroom risotto doesn't necessarily jump to the front of your list of things to make during the dog days of summer. 

So what can you do to satisfy your risotto cravings despite the heat?  Enter Risotto alla Milanese.  You've most likely seen this risotto served as a side dish alongside Osso Bucco, but I think that serving it as a side doesn't allow it to radiate in all of it's delicious glory.  The saffron adds a hint of subtle richness that's not overbearing.  The simple ingredients combine to make this dish light and creamy, not gut busting.  In other words, it's perfect all on it's own.

Risotto Alla Milanese

5 to 6 cups of chicken stock
1 large pinch of saffron
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 tsp salt
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

Don't be frightened by the fact that saffron costs $238 per ounce (no really - it's more valuable than gold).  I bought this 0.06 oz bottle and didn't even use 1/10 of what was provided - a tiny amount goes a long way in terms of adding flavor and beautiful color:

It's so delicate that it comes in a small envelope:

Heat stock in a saucepan over medium heat until just boiling.  Add saffron (as I said above, you'll only need a small pinch.  I used the tip of a teaspoon as my guide):

 Then cover stock and reduce to the lowest heat setting to simmer the stock and keep it warm.

In the meantime, pour oil into large saucepan over medium heat until the oil just coats the bottom of the pan (approximately 2 to 3 Tbsp, depending on the size of the pan):

Add the diced onion and salt to the pan:

And cook until the onion starts to become translucent:

Add rice and stir to mix well:

Cook rice, stirring often, for about 3 minutes (rice should brown slightly but not burn).  Add the wine and cook until the rice has just absorbed it:

Add 1 cup of saffron infused chicken stock:

And cook, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed the stock.  Continue to add stock by the cupful, cooking until the rice has absorbed the liquid before adding the next cup.  After all of the stock has been absorbed, the risotto should like something like this (most of the liquid should be absorbed, but the rice should still be loose):

Add butter and freshly grated parmesan:

And stir until the butter and cheese have melted and become incorporated into the rice:

Garnish with freshly shaved parmesan and serve.  Buon appetito!