Lemon Thyme Risotto

Serves 4-6

Flavor flavor flavor. One could just eat this and be happy! Perfect side for Mediterranean dishes

I love thyme and lemon and use them often.

1 lb of arborio rice

¾ cup of dry vermouth

3-4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 ½ cups onion minced

1 ½ tablespoons garlic minced (reserve ¼ teaspoon)

Juice  and zest of 2 lemons

2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves off stem

2-3 bay leafs

2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ stick unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

1 ½ tablespoons grated aged Piave or aged Parmesan cheese

Takes aprox 45 minutes to hour

In 12 inch saute pan heat olive oil and butter and cook rice till translucent

Sauté onions and garlic

Add in small amounts of vermouth & chicken stock and continue simmering.

Add bay leafs , thyme. pepper, salt

Continue adding small amounts of vermouth & chicken stock each time rice needs fluid. Stir in remainder of garlic, lemon juice, and cover on low for 2-3 minutes till lemon juice is absorbed

Remove bay leafs

Top with parsley, cheese, zest and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve!

Grilled Artichoke Hearts

Serves 6-8

If you love artichokes here is a side you will want to feature often and  a bit  exotic

Beautiful plated with grilled chicken breasts, shrimp, lamb or beef kabobs

 

 

2 14 oz cans of whole artichoke hearts drained and squeezed dry

place hearts  on skewers in 2 inch deep  rectangle tray

 

Marinade

In a bowl whisk the following:

4-5 garlic  cloves thru a press

1 tablespoon of prepared Dijon mustard

Juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1  medium finely minced shallot

1/2 tsp of sea salt

¼ tsp of fresh ground pepper

 

Garnish ( optional)

1 tablespoons of chopped flat leaf parsley

extra lemon wedges

drizzle of your best olive oil

 

 

cover skewers in marinade and coat evenly

Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight. Turn skewers occasionally

 

Grilll 4-7 minutes. You may serve on skewers or artichokes may also be remove and plated.

Garnish with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil before serving. Serve with additional lemon wedges

Tuscan White Bean Salad

Serves 6-8

 

A very tasty and nutritious side salad. Cooking the beans with seasonings added to the broth  improves  flavor  of this dish. See tip below for using canned beans.

Best consumed within three days

Prepare beans

1 lb of dried cannelloni beans (white kidney beans)

6 cups water

2 herb ox chicken bouillon cubes or vegetarian cubes

2 teaspoons of kosher salt

3 bay leafs

5 garlic cloves thru press

In a large pot

Bring water, boullion, bay leaf to a boil

Add beans and garlic and cover

Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 1 hour.

Turn off heat

Keep covered 30 minutes

Drain and cool beans

Remove bay leafs

Add beans to a medium size serving bowl

Dressing

whisk the following in a small bowl

3 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley chopped

juice of 3 lemons

2 teaspoons of fresh garlic thru a press

2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leafs remove off the stems

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon of fresh ground white pepper

2 tablespoons of red onion minced fine

cover beans and toss in dressing

chill and rest for 1 hour

Maybe served at room temperature or chilled

Tip:

4 cans of 15.5 oz each of cooked cannelloni that have been rinsed and drained may be substituted if you don’t have cooking time. Add dressing and chill for 2 hours for best results.  Note: Canned beans will be much softer in texture than ones you cook yourself.

Pear Squash “Chayote”

Serves 4-6

It seems Chayote is eaten in many countries: India, Vietnam, South America and Australia and goes by many names. I believe once you try Chayote for the first time you will incorporate this interesting vegetable in your diet always. The remarkable thing about this pear shaped squash has a beautiful honey-dew melon  green color when cooked and has a firm but soft texture. I adore its delicate flavor. A great alternate squash. Chayote can be stir fried, baked, eaten raw in salads or grilled.  Reminiscent to zucchini but with a slightly firmer texture.

1 ½ -2 lbs of Chayote peeled and remove small core cur into cubes

4 cups water

1 tablespoon of salt

Bring water and salt to a boil

Cook chayote for 12-13 minutes till  fork tender

Drain

Top with butter or olive oil , salt & pepper or a  lemon tarragon vinaigrette

Gypsamole- Guacamole with Gypsy Juice

Anyone who loves guacamole can not get enough of this dip.  This recipe is dedicated to Rosalie Cryan of Quincy, MA who was our first customer of Gypsy Juice when it became available in the bottle.

serves 4-6

4-5 ripe Hass avocados peeled and remove seed (reserve 1 seed in case of left overs)

4-5 tablesoons of Gypsy Juice hot sauce

Add avocados to medium sized bowl

Mash avocados with a fork and add Gypsy Juice till well blended

 

If you desire guacamole hotter? Add more Gypsy Juice

Serve with nacho chips, burritos, enchiladas, tacos, a topping on burgers  or a spread for turkey and sandwich roll-ups.

 TIP:This dip will keep overnight if you place one avocado seed inside the bowl and cover the top of guacamole with Saran wrap.  Covering top of gucamole means tha the plastic wrap is in direct contact with dip and not just covering the top of the bowl. This step allows for limited oxydation of the precious guacamole so that it will maintain its fresh green color.