Tag: bassetts blends

Food & Beverage

BLUE CRAB & TOMATO RISOTTO

Risotto is one of my favorite meals to cook. It is so versatile, so many flavor combinations you can use to keep it exciting, use it as a side dish or a main course. You can keep it simple, or go all out and make it as fancy as you like. At the end of the day, its just rice!

What a lot of people dont understand is that risotto is a “process” of cooking the rice. The same as say rice pilaf. The “pilaf” part is the process in which the rice is cooked. The key to make risotto and making it super creamy is constant moving ans stirring in the pan. Arborio rice, the rice used most for risotto, has a very high starch content, and the constant moving/stirring in the pan activates those starches, which makes your risotto creamy.

I am a big fan of blue crab, and was craving them, so I wanted to make a semi upscale dish. Because the crab is white/pale in color, and so is the rice, I opted to add in some tomato paste to give it some color, as well as some acid and sweetness. Topped it off with a lemon buerre blanc and parsley, and WOW….just as I had envisioned!

Dont be scared to make risotto, it really is simple……just keep stirring and you’ll be just fine!

Grocery Cart:

  • 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
  • 4 cups seafood stock, or stock of choice
  • 1 large shallot
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 4 TBL room temp butter
  • 10 oz Blue Crab (lump)
  • 2 TBL Tomato Paste
  • salt and pepper TT
  • parsley for garnish

Directions:

In a sauce pan, heat the seafood stock on a medium low heat

In a separate pan, heat oil on medium high heat. Once oil is heated, add in shallot and saute. Next add in the arborio rice, and toast for about 5 minutes, then add in tomato paste and mix thoroughy.

Next, deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce until almost gone.

Now, reduce heat to medium, add in 1 ladle of stock. Constantly stir risotto. Once risotto has absorbed the stock, add in another ladle. Continue this process until risotto is cooked though.

Once risotto is cooked to desired consistency, add in the parmesan cheese and mix together.

Next add in the butter, a few cubes at a time and combine.

Lastly, add in your crab meat and mix again. Garnidh with some freshly chopped parsley

Food & Beverage

NO CREAM PASTA SERIES: LINGUINI W/ CLAM SAUCE

We are back with another “no cream” pasta. This one even has SEAFOOD in it. Not your favorite, shrimp, lobster, crab….but clams. Now traditionally this dish uses fresh clams and parsley. I chose the canned clams because not everyone has access to FRESH seafood all the time. I also just wanted to see if I would like it as much as well (I did).

We did make another change to the classic as well. Normally fresh parsley is great in this, and it adds a brightening note. Either way, the wife has been craving some spinach, so we went that direction. If I’m being completely honest, some tomatoes and mushrooms would have been another great addition to round out this pasta.

Anyway, heres the recipe:

Grocery Cart:

1 # pasta of your choice ( I used linguini)

10 oz canned clams (save the juice)

2 cloves garlc

1 small shallot

2 oz white wine

2 tbl olive oil

2 cup fresh spinach

red pepper flakes to taste

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbl butter

1 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

First things first, we are going to open up the canned clams and drain them, making sure to save the juice.

Next, peel and dice very finely 1 small shallot. Then peel and slice, as thin as you can, 2 large cloves of garlic.

Using a saute pan, on medium low heat, gently saute the garlic. Be sure to not get any color (brown) on the garlic, we dont want it to become bitter. Once the garlic is an opaque/translucent color, add in the shallots and red pepper flakes. Saute until fragrant.

Turn the heat up to medium high, add in 6 oz of clam juice, 2 oz white wine, and juice from 1/2 of a lemon. Reduce by 1/4, and then add in the clams.

Add in your pasta noodles and finish cooking in the sauce.

Add in the butter and once incorporated into the sauce, add in the spinach. Mix thoroughly until the spinach is just wilted, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Food & Beverage

THE EASIEST, CRISPIEST, FLAKIEST CHICKEN POT PIE EVER!!!

Now I’ll be honest, I’ve never really been a big fan of Chicken Pot Pie. I dont even really like pie crust in general. Its hard and dry, and just not my thing. Now we are adding carrots and peas (I really do NOT like peas) to a pie crust. Chicken is boring to me as well, so this was just never a dish that I have enjoyed. Until, I came across this recipe. Something about it spoke to my soul, and I just had to give it try. Now I still left out the peas, you can certainly add them in if you like, have fun with the recipe, make it your own!

Grocery List:

1 Rotisserie Chicken, 1 can Cream of Mushroom, 1 can Cream of Chicken, 14oz bag of frozen veggies (I used a mix of carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower), 1 ready made pie crust, 1 package phyllo dough, melted butter, Bassett’s Blends All Purpose Seasoning, Bassett’s Blends All Purpose HOT Seasoning, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

While the oven is preheating, begin to shred the chicken into thin pieces. Next, in a mixing bowl, add in the cream of mushroom and cream of chicken. Next you will add in the shredded chicken, followed by the frozen vegetables. Once all of those ingredients have been added, add in the fresh rosemary and thyme. Next season with your Bassett’s Blends (or seasoning of choice) to your desired taste/flavor/seasoning level.

Next remove your ready made pie crust from the freezer (if frozen) and bring to room temp. Stretch the pie crust across the bottom and sides of your baking dish of choice. Add your chicken mixture to the pie crust and spread out evenly.

Carefully and gently, lightly ball up small pieces of your phyllo dough and place them on top of the chicken mixture to create the top crust. Cover the top entirely with these little phyllo dough balls. Once the top is covered, using a pastry brush, lightly paint the phyllo dough with some melted butter.

Place the entire baking dish into your 425 degree oven and cook for about 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the dish is hot all the way through.

Once your pot pie has finished baking, remove from the oven and garnish with some more fresh thyme

Like I said earlier, I have never been a fan of chicken pot pie, but I really enjoyed making this version and the taste was great. Give it a try and let me know what you think of it!!