Tag: mia thornton

Food & Beverage

BLUE CRAB ARANCINI

I hope you saved some of that risotto from the other day, because your gonna need it for this arancini! If you dont have any left over, or didnt make and you need the recipe, you can find it right here…blue crab risotto. The best part about this Italian street food is that if you dont like blue crab, you can make whatever kind of risotto you like, and stuff it with whatever you want.

Because risotto can be time consuming to make, I always make enough to have leftovers, just so I can make this. Once the risotto is already made, the rest of the ingredients you should already have on hand, so it doesnt require too much. I always like to have some sort of sauce for mine, and this simple pomodoro fits the bill nicely.

The crab in butter was just an added garnish, nothing to special about it. I had some left over crab, tossed in a pan with some butter and parsley and then seasoned it up. I think it made it more of a complete dish, than just a “street food snack”.

Hope you enjoy!!

Grocery Cart:

Day old risotto

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

4 TBL Bassetts Blends All Purpose Seasoning (split)

2 eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 cups oil for frying

Directions:

First we need to heat 2 cups of oil (i used canola) to 375 degrees.

Next, grab your day old risotto, and using a 1 oz ice cream scoop, form little balls and place them on a baking sheet. Once you have made all the balls you will need, place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

While your little risotto balls are in the fridge, grab 3 mixing bowls. In the first bowl, add in 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and 2 TBL of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning. In bowl number 2, add 2 whole eggs and whisk together. Finally in bowl number 3, add in 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs and 2 TBL of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning and mix together.

Now that you have your dredging station set, grab your ball from the fridge! First we are going to coat them in the seasoned flour. Then drop them in the egg. Next coat them in the panko mix.

Once all the balls are coated, gently place 2-3 of them at a time into the hot oil and fry. Use a spoon to baste them and get them all a nice golden brown color. They will need about 3-5 minutes to heat through and be crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside.

After frying, place them on an cooling rack and immediately hit them with some flaky salt.

Until the next dish ya’ll!

Food & Beverage

CAULIFLOWER DIANE

I get so many requests for vegan and vegetarian food/recipes, which I dont mind, but I just dont really cook that way. I am for sure a meat and potatoes kinda guy. That being said, I love and appreciate all the support from EVERYONE so every now and then, I will suffer through a vegetarian meal lol.

I do have one question though…..why is it that vegetarians/vegans want all of their food to resemble or even taste like MEAT?!?! Just eat the meat, lol. I promise it is really good! To each their own I suppose.

Steak Diane is one of my favorite ways to do steak, so why not do it with a cauliflower steak.

Grocery Cart:

1 head of cauliflower

1 shallot

1/4 # mushrooms (sliced)

1 tbl olive oil

2 oz cognac

1tbl Bassetts Blends All Purpose Seasoning

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 bunch of thyme

2 garlic cloves

2 stalks of rosemary

2 tbl butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup vegetable stock

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 tbl chopped chives

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

First, we are going to slice our cauliflower into 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick slices, whatever size you would like. Next drizzle on a little bit of oil, and then season generously with my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning.

Using a saute pan, add in 1 tbl of oil and begin to heat. Once the pan is hot, add in the cauliflower and sear for 3 minutes, or until desired color and crust is formed. After it has been seared, flip the cauliflower and sear on the other side for the same amount of time.

Once the cauliflower has been seared thoroughly, add in the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and butter. As the butter begins to melt, baste the cauliflower for 30 seconds on one side, the n flip and do the other side. Repeat this process until the cauliflower reaches your desired tenderness, maybe 2-3 minutes

Remove the cauliflower from the pan and place on a wire rack. Dump the butter, garlic rosemary, thyme onto the “steak, and let rest while you make the sauce.

For the Sauce: Using the same pan, on medium high heat, add the shallots and mushrooms to the pan and saute until shallots become translucent (about 3 minutes).

Next, deglaze the pan with the cognac and reduce ton almost nothing.

Next, add in the mustard, worcestershire sauce, and vegetable stock and cook for 3 minutes.

Once the stock begins to reduce, add in the heavy cream and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Finish the sauce with salt and pepper, and chives.

Food & Beverage

BLUE CRAB & TOMATO RISOTTO

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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.