Antipasto Platter

I made this today for an Italian dinner party. 

Adapted from:  https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/antipasto-platter/

 

Ingredients

 
1 jar (24 ounces) pepperoncini, drained
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups halved fresh mushrooms
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 pound provolone cheese, cubed
1 can (6 ounces) pitted ripe olives, drained
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni
1 bottle (8 ounces) Italian vinaigrette dressing
Lettuce leaves
 
Directions
 
In a large bowl, combine pepperoncini, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, provolone cheese, olives and pepperoni. Pour vinaigrette over mixture; toss to coat.
 
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. Arrange on a lettuce-lined platter. Serve with toothpicks.
 
My Notes:
 
The recipe I followed (and adapted) stated it serves 16. I reduced the recipe for my dinner.
 
I didn’t use garbanzo beans. I didn’t bother with the lettuce leaves.
 
I quartered the mushrooms, as they were large.
 
I added pearl mozzarella, cooked cheese tortellini, quartered artichoke hearts, sliced roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes.
 
For the pepperoncini, I sliced them in half, lengthwise, and seeded them.
 
I let chill in the refrigerator for 5.5 hours; then plated everything onto a serving dish. 

Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto (with spinach)

This is a delicious risotto that I made last night to go along with salmon that I baked in parchment paper. This was very easy to make in the Instant Pot. I adapted this recipe https://pressureluckcooking.com/instant-pot-mushroom-risotto/. See my Notes at the bottom of what I changed or added. 

 

PREP TIME 5 minutes
COOK TIME 14 minutes
TOTAL TIME 19 minutes
YIELD: 6

 

Ingredients

1 tbsp of vegetable oil
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of salted butter, divided in half
2 large shallots, diced
24 oz (or three 8 oz packages) of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp of crushed garlic [1 clove]
2 cups of Arborio rice (make sure you use Arborio rice for a risotto)
4.5 cups of mushroom broth (or chicken, garlic or vegetable broth – I used 4.5 tsp of Mushroom Better Than Bouillon + 4.5 cups of water)
1/2 cup of a dry white wine (white cooking wine is fine too – but if you don’t use wine, add another 1/2 cup of broth)
1 tsp of seasoned salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp of dried parsley
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp of white or black truffle oil
 
Instructions
 
Add the vegetable oil and the first 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) of butter to the Instant Pot
 
Hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting and wait until the butter has melted and it bubbles.

Add the shallots and cook for about 2 minutes so it softens and just lightly browns. Then, add the garlic and sauté for another minute with the shallots. Lastly, add the mushrooms and add the other 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) of butter. Stir constantly with the shallots and garlic for another 2-3 minutes until the butter’s melted and the mushrooms brown a bit in color 
 
Next, add in the white wine and once it bubbles, let it do so for another minute so the mushrooms simmer in it as you deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot to make sure it’s free and clear of any veggie remnants from sautéing (NOTE: If not using wine, add in 1/2 cup of the broth now)
 
Add in the rice and mix it in with everything in the pot and let sauté for 1 minute
 
Lastly, add in the broth, seasoned salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and dried parsley. Stir well, once again deglazing the bottom of the pot so nothing’s stuck on. (NOTE: It will look like there’s way too much liquid in the pot given how much risotto is in it, but trust me. It will be magical and perfect once cooked since Arborio rice is a major liquid absorber once cooked)
 
Secure the lid, hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 6 minutes. Quick release when done. Once the lid comes off, stir everything together and it will immediately be the right consistency.
 
Add in the grated Parmesan cheese and truffle oil, stir until well combined and transfer to a serving dish
 
If you want more truffle oil, add more after tasting or drizzle over individual servings. 

My Notes:
 
I cut the recipe in half but kept the same cooking times. I didn't want to make the entire recipe for just the two of us, and I read that freezing risotto isn't a great idea. The texture of the risotto will change. I also read that if you freeze the risotto, you could later make Arancini di Riso (fried rice balls). I think I'll do that!

I used avocado oil instead of vegetable oil.

 
I didn’t have shallots on hand, so I just used a white onion, chopped, about 1 cup.
 
Once the lid came off, I added some truffle oil, a 1/2 teaspoon of Trader Joe’s truffle powder seasoning (kicking up that wonderful mushroom flavor), 1 cup (packed) chopped fresh spinach, and 1 tablespoon half and half.
 
I found I needed to stir in more parmesan cheese, and a little more salt.

It took four minutes to come to pressure. 

Overall, this is an excellent risotto. In fact my husband said it was the best he's ever had.

 

Tres Leches - Mexican Flan

This is one of my favorite (and super easy) desserts to make. It's always a hit at my parties, or when I bring to a friend's house.  This is a Mexican flan that's made with three types of milks.  

Adapted from: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Desserts/MexicanFlan.htm 

                                                                                                  

My notes in [ … ]

Yields: 6 servings [More like 8 - 12 servings]
Prep time: 30 min
Carmel cook time: 10 min
Flan cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
Drop of lemon juice
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Zest of one orange
2 cups whole or 2% milk [I used half and half]

5 large eggs [I used extra large]
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Heavy-bottom, high-sided saucepan
8 1/2-inch rectangular loaf pan  [I used an 8 x 8 baking dish]
Large high-sided pan (to set the loaf pan in)

Prepare Caramel - Caramelized Sugar:

In the saucepan over low to medium-low heat, combine 1 cup sugar and a drop of lemon juice (the lemon juice keeps the mixture from hardening or crystalizing). Keep it on a low heat and watch that the sugar doesn't burn. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves, about 8 to 10 minutes. Pour quickly into the pan (be very careful not to get any on you) and coat the entire bottom. Set aside. 

 

Prepare Flan:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. or 180 degrees C. Adjust oven rack to center position.

In a blender, combine evaporated milk, condensed milk, orange zest, whole or 2% milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt; process until smooth. Let the flan mixture sit approximately 10 to 15 minutes. After resting, remove any top foam that formed when blending the ingredients and discard. Stir the flan mixture just before pouring in your loaf baking pan.

 

Pour the prepared flan mixture into the loaf pan [you will see a lot of the grated orange zest at the bottom of the blender, so be sure to scrape all that good flavor into the pan]. 

Place the filled loaf pan into an ovenproof roasting or baking pan. If cooking custards in a metal pan, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of newspaper to ensure an even temperature on the bottom.

Bring the water for the water bath to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come half-way up the sides of the loaf pan. For ease of carrying, first place the larger pan (containing the filled loaf pan) on the oven rack, then pour the boiling water into the large baking pan. It is so much easier than moving the pans with water in them.

Bake 60 to 70 minutes (depending on depth of your pan) or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. When the center of custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that's when you can remove it from the oven (the flans will continue to set as they cool). If using a digital instant-read thermometer, insert in the centers, it should register 180 degrees F. Begin checking temperature about 10 minutes before recommended times.

Remove from oven and remove the flan pan from the water bath. Place on your counter and let cool approximately 60 minutes.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

To Unmold and Serve:

When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator at least 1 hour before unmolding.

Using a thin knife, separate the edge of the flan from the pan to make sure that the flan edges are not sticking to the sides of the pan.

Place a flat bottom plate on top of the pan and flip over. Let sit for about 15 minutes before removing the pan. The caramel will drip over the top and sides of the flan. Any leftover in the pan, just scrape on top of the flan.

My Notes:

Yum!! This is now one of my favorite desserts to make. Very easy to make and so delicious!! I love the hint of the orange zest.

I will prepare the flan mixture before making the caramel, as the flan mixture has to rest for about 10-15 minutes.

I typically bake this for 65 minutes. 

I keep it in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours; I don't let it sit for an hour before unmolding. I don't wait for 15 minutes to remove the baking pan. I just scrape out the caramel on top of the flan

This is another recipe that I make that calls for cream cheese: 

http://monicacooks.blogspot.com/2008/05/cream-cheese-flan.html

Pork, Shrimp, and Bok Choy Soup with Ginger and Garlic

Pork, Shrimp, and Bok Choy Soup with Ginger and Garlic

 

I saw several recipes recently that had bok choy, so I wanted to make some soup. I adapted from several recipes and came up with this tasty soup, which I made last night. 
 
4 to 6 Servings depending on having this for dinner or lunch.
 
Ingredients
 
1 T. avocado oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ginger, minced
4 c. low salt chicken broth
1.5 c. water
5-6 whole cloves (or 2 whole star anise)
3 T. soy sauce
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced [I prefer shitake mushrooms but didn’t have any on hand]
1 c. cooked roast pork, sliced or shredded chicken
6 large shrimp, peeled
2 small heads bok choy, chopped
2 nests of medium rice noodles (see photo below)
 
Chopped scallions for garnish
 
Directions
 
Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring often, for about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for about a minute to bring out the flavors.
 
Add the chicken broth, water, cloves and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
 
Add the mushrooms, pork, shrimp, bok choy and noodles. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the noodles are tender and the shrimp cooked through.
 
When serving, top each bowl with the chopped scallions.