GCC: Menu 21 - Mushroom Risotto

February 20, 2011 by Monica in Cooking Club, Dinner, Gutsy Cooks Club, Main Courses

This weeks gutsy cook choice was a favorite of mine – Risotto, in this case with mushrooms.

Most people fear risotto, they think that its complicated and risky. Requiring constant, slow stirring, attention to detail and patience. With no short cuts allowed. Even for a season cook the pressure to turn a great risotto dish may be too much.

You may think that being Italian I cooked this dish many time. Not so, the first time I ever made risotto was last year. As part of a Daring Cook Challenge. Since then, I have made it so many times and can tell you, there is no need to panic. Risotto is not that difficult, in fact, it is one of the easiest dishes to make, but like anything in the kitchen, the trick is organization before hand. Risotto is all about technique. Once you master it, you will be whipping it up and experimenting with countless seasonal flavors.

Timballo

February 13, 2011 by Monica in Dinner, Entertaining, Main Courses, Meat

See that picture above that looks like a cake?

It’s not cake.

Instead is an Italian dish called Timballo.

Timballo is an Italian dish consisting of a filling baked encase in pasta, rice or even potatoes. Usually one or more ingredients (cheese, vegetables, etc) are included. Like everything else in Italy, varieties of Timballo differ from region to region and it’s sometimes called bomba, tortino or sartu (the Neapolitan interpretation). The dish is usually prepared in a dome or springform pan, and eggs or cheese are used as the binder.

GCC Menu 17 - Spicy Shrimp Gratin

January 23, 2011 by Monica in Cookbooks, Dinner, Gutsy Cooks Club, Main Courses, Seafood

This dish has been on the making since Friday night.

I bought the shrimps on my way home from work, with every intention of making it for Friday night dinner.

Tom was totally excited, since he has been craving shrimp for a bit now.

I got lazy on Friday night and totally talked my way of not doing it. Instead, I convince him to have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, in honor of celebrating his first day at his new job (he has been looking for a job for the past 4 months - so it was a celebration!). And promise him that we were going to have it for lunch on Saturday.