Family Dinner with JP

Risotto is not nearly as complicated as some would have you believe. Truth is, as long as you keep stirring, you're gonna have a delicious meal. Cheesy flavorful rice with whatever proteins you desire. One of the most filling meals you will ever have. Try experimenting with other proteins and stocks to find the combination you're looking for, and as always, send me any questions you have. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes 3 cups water 1 Tbs olive oil 1 package hot Italian sausages (or sweet if that's your fancy) 1 small onion, chopped Salt and pepper 1 cup arborio rice 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 bunch flat-leaf spinach (10-14 oz) 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 Tbs butter Instructions : In a small pot, combine the can of tomatoes (with juices) with 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, and keep over a low heat. In a larger pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Remove the sausage from its casing (by giving it a satisfying squeeze like a tube of toothpaste!) and...

Look at that picture above. As a friend noted, perhaps the best selling point of this recipe is that this is a crusty fish recipe with no added breading. This recipe comes straight out of the Thomas Keller Ad Hoc cookbook, a wonderful coffee table style cookbook with beautiful photographs to accompany the aspirational recipes. Which is not to say the recipes are difficult to make, so much as difficult on the wallet. The first time I tried this recipe was years ago, when Josh made it for me for a fancy lunch. I readily admit that when I saw how much oil he used in the pan, I kind of scrunched my face at him. There must have been half an inch of cooking oil! Was he trying to deep fry this thing? Clearly mistakes had been made ... how much wine had we all been drinking? But no, Josh was correct, the instructions were correct, and, despite the wine (or perhaps because of it), the fish ended up amazing! By cooking the hearty halibut in a deeper amount of oil, a thick crusty bottom for...

I just don't get it. Risotto. It is a delicious, tender, flavor-infused dish. It is versatile, and can be made seasonal in a moment's notice. It take very little time. It is always a fan favorite. So why aren't people making risottos like constantly?! This is one of those types of dishes that impresses non-cooks immediately. Which is not to say they're wrong - a finely executed risotto is beautiful and delicious and tastes BIG. But there is this mistake or perpetuated myth that a risotto is tough to make. Spoiler: this one is easy as hell! All it takes is two hands - one to hold your wine and one to do the consistent (not constant) stirring. Time and patience and consistency are the keys to succeeding at just about anything in life. Oh ... and wine. Time, patience, consistency, ample wine. The trick to this particular risotto is the tomato water mixture, which you will use to hydrate the rice as well as infuse everything with a wonderful tomato flavor. Thi...

The point of this blog, besides keeping me off the streets at night, is to chronicle making nice meals at home and to show people that cooking is not nearly as intimidating as it seems at first. You've (hopefully) noticed that I attribute almost all of my recipes to a source. Primarily Julia Child, let's be honest. Even when I tinker with a recipe (like last week's soup ), I'm always basing my ideas off of someone else's original idea . Part of the fun of cooking is to improvise and make a recipe your own. The wine helps bolster this confidence. At any rate, let me tell you about braising ... I had no clue what braising was for many years. Or at least, I had no sense of how to braise at home without the use of a crock pot. (Aside: if you don't have one, get yourself a crock pot!) A long long time ago, the Food Network had actual culinary school trained cooks, known internationally as "chefs." Sure, they also had Rachel "Bell Peppers ...