It’s been pretty warm during the day over the last few days. Still, I am holding vigilantly to my vow of no air conditioning this summer. And really, when it comes down to it and you just accept that this is what summer feels like, it’s not that bad. Really. I am used to it.

So, despite the heat I just couldn’t resist making one more risotto dish. The creaminess! The fresh herbs! The sweet, tender peas (because fresh English peas are the only peas to eat … seriously)! It was worth every second of slaving over a hot stove.

A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do …

English Pea Risotto
serves 4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth or stock
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 cup shelled and cooked fresh English peas

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute, stirring frequently. Stir in the rice and let toast for one minute. Pour in the wine and stir. Allow the wine to fully absorb into the rice.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth in a pan to warm over low heat. Once the wine is absorbed into the rice, begin adding it to the rice mixture one ladle at a time. Allow the broth to be fully absorbed into the rice after each edition (you’ll hear a sizzle when its all absorbed). Be patient. Part of making risotto is waiting for it … and it’s totally worth the wait. All in all, this will take about 25 minutes.

Once all of the broth has been added and absorbed, stir in salt and pepper, the thyme, parsely, cheese and peas. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

The other evening was one of those nights. You know the ones: where you just don’t feel much like cooking and really aren’t sure what to make anyway. At first, I was going to do something with chicken and serve it over rice, but midway through the rice cooking process, I realized that I really had zero desire to trim the chicken and pound it into an even cutlet. None whatsoever, in fact.

Then, my thoughts turned to the rice, and a package of cubed ham steak in my fridge (freshly cut and packed at my local grocery store, thankyouverymuch!). Perhaps fried rice with ham? I could just see my husband’s skeptical face through the phone when I told him what I was making … I am sure he was thinking Who puts ham in fried rice?

As I was cooking up the rice, I realized the shredded swiss in my fridge would be a perfect finisher to this obviously Americanized dish. I was so right. Every last morsel of it was devoured.

Serve this up with a fresh chopped salad and perhaps some crusty bread for a wonderful, hearty, comforting meal.

Ham and Cheese Fried Rice
serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried rice, prepared
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 lb ham steak, diced
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

Heat the olive oil in a wok. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about a minute. Add the cooked rice and stir to incorporate. Add the ham, salt and pepper and stir well.

Move the rice to one side of the skillet, exposing a section of pan. Pour the eggs into the exposed section and let cook for a minute or so. Stir to incorporate into the rice. Cook for until the eggs are set throughout.

Sprinkle the cheese on top and stir into the rice mixture. Once the cheese is melted, remove from heat.

Serve immediately.

Before I tell you about this delish recipe, I want to stop for a moment and say something …

I’ve avoided the coverage that’s been everywhere about Michael Jackson’s death. Frankly, I found it pathetic that the same media outlets that have made him out to be a bizarre individual for the past decade and a half are now exulting his contributions to music and humanity. He was never allowed in the media to forget his past mistakes. Ever. And that, my dear readers, is very, very sad.

But today, the kids and I watched much of the memorial service for Michael Jackson. It was touching to see his family come together in such solidarity and to hear the sincere remembrances of the King of Pop. Michael Jackson had a wonderful gift and he willingly shared it with all of us for so many years. It is absolutely tragic that he has died at such a young age.

Furthermore, if you watched today, then you saw his young daughter Paris speak very briefly about her father, saying that to her, he was simply the best daddy in the whole world. Michael Jackson, the man who wasn’t allowed to forget his past or live a normal life, was a father, a brother, a friend and a son. He was a person who will be greatly missed by the people who loved him and knew him best. Those people are the ones who stood by him all the while … Rest in Peace, Michael.

Take a lesson from this: Michael Jackson was an amazing, talented, generous individual all along … He should have been shown the love and respect that he’s been afforded since his death while he was alive. Next time you read an allegation in a tabloid, stop for a minute. Does that person deserve the ridicule? Is the allegation even true or just a tidbit from “a source?” Do you really know the facts?

As a member of the mainstream media, I am the first to say that many reporters do their best to provide only the true, verified facts. But, that said, you also cannot believe everything you see in print. Some publications have no scruples. Some reporters aren’t honest … So, when you see allegations – whether it’s of child abuse, infidelity, drug abuse or whatever – read with a grain of salt, and give people the benefit of the doubt.

Now, about the recipe. A friend saw the above picture of risotto on my Flickr feed and sent me a note saying that I am torturing her with risotto since she ate the artichoke one I wrote about recently and loved it. Honestly, I have been a little obsessed with risotto lately. With the cool start to summer, this creamy, magnificent comfort food just warms you from the inside out with rich, bone-coating goodness. So, when I noticed that I had some garlic scapes begging to be used, I wanted to try them in a risotto.

The result is a heavenly, hearty dish with a mild garlicky-ness to it. It won’t overpower your senses, but rather tickle them just a bit … Will, Paige, Shawn and I all ate it with gusto. Mmm.

Garlic Scape Risotto
serves 4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 chopped garlic scapes (cut into 1/4 inch rounds)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth or stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic scapes and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Stir in the rice and let toast for one minute. Pour in the wine and stir. Allow the wine to fully absorb into the rice.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth in a pan to warm over low heat. Once the wine is absorbed into the rice, begin adding it to the rice mixture one ladle at a time. Allow the broth to be fully absorbed into the rice after each edition (you’ll hear a sizzle when its all absorbed). Be patient. Part of making risotto is waiting for it … and it’s totally worth the wait. All in all, this will take about 25 minutes.

Once all of the broth has been added and absorbed, stir in salt and pepper, the sage and the cheese. Cover and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Somehow, photos of risotto just never do it justice.

The other evening, after strawberry picking, my friends gathered in the kitchen while I cooked dinner: a salad with fresh strawberries, feta and Candied Almonds, steak and Artichoke and Herb Risotto. For the risotto, I was running a little behind and asked my friends to retrieve some fresh herbs from the garden.

I continue to relish in the fact that I can serve garden to table food in my own kitchen. Fresh spinach was mixed in the salad with romaine and lettuce grown at the organic farm next door. The herbs grew just feet from my front and back door. I know every thing about these foods since I have been so involved in their growing … or, in the case of the organic lettuce, know the people who have that knowledge. It’s taking my close relationship with food and making it more intimate than I ever imagined it could be.

As for the risotto, it’s creamy as can be. The artichokes add a richness to the rich that just fills your mouth. The onions bring a tinge of sweetness. And the fresh herbs bring a bright freshness to it . . . oh, it’s just so good. Try it.

I think I have found cooking bliss …

Artichoke and Herb Risotto
serves 4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, chopped into a 1/2 inch dice
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth or stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1 box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent — this will take a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Stir in the rice and let toast for one minute. Pour in the wine and stir. Allow the wine to fully absorb into the rice.

Heat the chicken broth to warm over low heat. Once the wine is absorbed into the rice, begin adding it to the rice mixture one ladle at a time. Allow the broth to be fully absorbed into the rice after each edition (you’ll hear a sizzle when its all absorbed). This will take about 25 minutes, but it is totally worth the wait.

Once all of the broth has been added, stir in salt and pepper, the artichokes, the herbs and the cheese. Cover and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Mmm . . . from garden to table. Or more accurately, from our garden to our table.

This is the dish I made with our harvested broccoli recently. The flavor of the broccoli was delicate and mild, more gentle than usual … and totally enhanced by the dressing. Shawn and I have agreed that broccoli will be a repeat in our garden beds next year … hopefully with even more success than this year.

I’m having visions of doubling or tripling the number of raised beds in our backyard so that we can plant even more next year. More fresh spinach (which I was hesitant to even plant this year!), more broccoli, more peppers, more tomatoes. More, more, more. (No more red cabbage though. I have no idea what we will do with nine heads of it as it is). I love that we’ve all pitched in tending to the gardens — Will and Paige helping to pull weeds, Shawn mulching carefully around each plant . . . It’s been a wonderful family effort to grow. And we are just at the beginning of a season of truly homegrown foods. I love that.

We all really liked this (yes, the kids and the vegetable-phobic husband too!) dish. It went beautifully with pork on the first night and steak tonight … oh yea, we did eat the leftovers tonight. His idea. Love that too. This is versatile but it’s also easy (don’t be fooled by the length of the recipe, it really is easy … and I broke it up into three parts that are done consecutively so there is absolutely no confusion).

Try it, you’ll like it.

Broccoli Rice with Lemon Herb Dressing
serves 6-8

Dressing

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 oz extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp fresh minced thyme
1 tsp fresh minced rosemary
1/2 tsp kosher salt
pinch pepper

Whisk all of the ingredients together. Set aside while cooking (so flavors can develop a bit).

Broccoli Mixture

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh chopped broccoli

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute. Stir in the broccoli and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes until broccoli is tender.

Final Dish

1 recipe dressing
1 recipe broccoli
4 cups cooked white rice
salt

Combine the dressing and broccoli and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the rice. Salt to taste. Serve.

In my single days, a mainstay of my cooking was stir fry. It is just so easy. Chop up a few veggies, toss it in a pan with a little oil and stir, stir, stir until the vegetables are done, then add sauce and serve over rice. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you might add a hint of meat too, but it’s certainly not required. It’s high on taste, low on fat and calories and just good eating …

However, over the past few years, I have stopped making stir fries as often. Why? I really don’t know. Maybe I’ve been too seduced by other meals I have learned to make or maybe the chop, chop, chop just didn’t seem as fun anymore …

The other day though, when I was considering what I could possibly whip up with the sparse contents of my fridge, I decided to make a stir fry. By cutting all of the veggies into bite-sized portions before cooking, this meal becomes super easy to eat alone or with kids. Once finished, it can be just dished up and served, no further cutting required.

The sauce is a star in this dish. The nuances of cinnamon and allspice give the soy and garlic-based sauce a depth of warm flavor. It reminds me ever so slightly of a Moroccan chicken dish I make about once a year. Ever. So. Slightly.

So how’d the kids like it? Well, when I heated up leftovers the next day, they demanded more … I’d say it was a home run here.

Garlic Soy Stir Fry
serves 4

If you choose to add the meat, be sure to use a tender steak. For this, I used meaty trimmings from a filet rump roast I recently cut down into steaks.  As a result, the meat was tender, buttery and perfect.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow onion
1 large carrot
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
5-6 ounces of beef, chopped into bite sized pieces

First, prep the vegetables. remove the stem and seed the peppers. Discard the waste. Then dice into small-ish pieces, about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. Next, peel the onion and discard the peel. Dice the onion into about a 1/2 inch dice. Finally, peel the exterior of the carrot. Discard peelings. Then, use the peeler to cut the carrot into strips. Pile the strips and run a knife through them to cut them down into smaller pieces.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over just under medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, allspice and cinnamon. Add to the skillet and stir to combine. Add the beef to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, for about five minutes until it’s browned on all sides and the sauce is slightly reduced.

Remove from heat.

To serve: Place rice in a bowl and make a well in the center. Top with stir fry. Serve. A simple iceberg lettuce salad with carrot shards with soy-ginger dressing would make a great accompaniment.

For the lobster meat, I buy cooked and preshelled meat from Stew Leonard’s here in Connecticut. If that is not available in your area, substitute meat from a 1.5 lb lobster or canned lobster meat (though that would be my last choice).

Be sure to use extra light olive oil as it has a lower smoking point that extra virgin or virgin. If you don’t have that, you can substitute something like grapeseed oil or canola (again, last choice).

2 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks
2 tbsp extra light olive oil
2 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
4-6 cups chicken broth or stock, simmering
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lobster and cook for 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Remove from heat and seat aside.

Using a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in white wine and cook until absorbed, still stirring constantly.

Now, it’s time to add the stock. It should be in a nearby pan on a burner and be warm. Use a ladle to add about 1/2 cup at a time to the rice. Stir occasionally and let cook until fully absorbed. Continue this process until almost all the broth is used – then check the rice by taste. If it’s still a little undercooked, then add the remainder of the broth as well as the lobster. Cook until liquid is fully absorbed and then remove from heat and pour into a serving dish.

Stir in the Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately. For a pretty presentation (and added flavor) serve with lemon wedges on top.

My grandmother favored menus with fewer ingredients and less fuss. Pork chops cooked in sauerkraut, or bratwurst, knackwurst or any wurst for that matter, were favorites. Sometimes we’d have lamb chops or a simple beef stroganoff (did I spell that right?).

But if were really lucky, she would spend hours in the kitchen making her wonderful tomato sauce with ground beef and sausage. Yum. That was her go-to dish for special occasions and everyone loved it. (Her lasagna and sausage and peppers were tasty as well.)

And woe was thee to anyone who didn’t just rave over the dish de resistance! Oh, I can still remember the dagger eyes that shot the poor soul who dared to exclaim, “This is really good. You know who makes the best marinara sauce? My brother …” Or something to that effect.

My mother on the other hand favored a different kind of simple – it came in a box and mixed with ground beef. And that is all I am going to say about that.

Anyway, there was definitely a comfort zone – however different for each – that my grandmother and mother would stay in while cooking. These are the foods that I now consider to be “typical” American dinner items – corn, green beans, peas, pasta, etc.

But me? I knew there was a whole world of great foods out there just waiting to be tasted. And I couldn’t wait to try them all. When I got to college in New York, I began sampling all sorts of foods that were exotic to me – fresh mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, cous cous, Japanese dishes, Korean food, Ethiopian . . . and eventually, sushi.

Strangely, while I was willing to take leaps with foods I ate, I took baby steps with foods I cooked. Talk about comfort zoning! My staples were stir fry, pasta (in a variety of flavors, really), and . . . toast. No kidding. But over the past few years, those baby steps have turned into leaps and bounds though. Chard, bok choy, kalamata olives and a whole wealth of other things have wound their way into my cooking.

Now the truth? Will isn’t too fond of typical veggies like green beans, peas and carrots. But give him a ton of Brussels sprouts, a pile of chard or a head of broccoli (which is admittedly fairly typical) and he’ll go to town. He’s more likely to munch on a spear of asparagus than a French fry. And believe me, I am not complaining.

The funny thing is, at least to me, this dish, which I am submitting for Presto Pasta Night hosted by Ruth at Once Upon A Kitchen, is somewhat of a stir fry at heart . . . You can take the girl out of the comfort zone, but you can’t take the comfort out of the girl. Or something like that.

Actually, I am not sure I have a comfort zone anymore. I try everything. And the more fearsome, the better. I can’t tell you how nervous I was about strawberry jam before I made it. And guess what? It’s as simple as you can get!

The pasta portion of this dish is a rice noodle – mai fun – which is like an angel hair. Be sure to soak it in cold water to soften before you cook though (as noted). Otherwise it probably won’t cook through in time. And don’t be intimidated by the number of steps. Everything moves quickly.

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra light olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely diced
4 cups mixed veggies (I used chard, sundried tomatoes, carrots and snowpeas)
2 tsp barbecue seasoning
3/4 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup cold water
1 package (about 6.5 oz) mai fun noodles, soaked in cold water for at least 45 minutes and drained well
1/2 lb stir fry beef, just browned (but still red on the inside and perhaps a bit of the outside)

Gather all your ingredients and have them ready to go. This is a quick moving recipe.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Heat your big ol’ wok over high heat for about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and stir in the onion. Cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. You want them to be just starting to turn translucent but not cooked through – they have plenty of time to finish cooking through when the other ingredients are cooking.

Stir in the other tablespoon of olive oil along with the vegetables. Cook, tossing or stirring often, for another 3-4 minutes (if using a leafy green like chard, then look for that to just start to wilt). Sprinkle with the barbecue seasoning (it’s a dry spice located in the spice aisle of your grocer). Stir well for about 1 minute.

Now, get that reserved soy sauce mixture and stir again to ensure everything is mixed well. Pour into the wok and stir with the veggies. Add the vegetable broth and water and bring to a boil over high heat. It won’t take too long. Trust me.

Next step: get those well drained mai fun rice noodles and stir them into the wok. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. You want them to be softened and just tender enough to eat. There should still be plenty of liquid in the wok too.

Alright, you are almost there.

Take that just browned stir fry beef you’ve been dying to use and stir it into the wok. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been completely absorbed.

Serve immediately.

So what is this interesting specimen? According to Delicious Organics, it contains anthocyanins - an antioxidant – and that is what causes the beautiful purple color.

Learning about the anthocyanins, which is also found in red cabbage and red wine, made me instantly think about Sweetnicks‘ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to post this Tuesday. Nonetheless I ended up with this deliciously flavored, low calorie stir fry. There are about 225 calories per serving. Be sure to check Sweetnicks for a round-up from yesterday of some great recipes.

1 yellow pepper, chopped and seeded
1/2 red pepper, chopped and seeded
1/2 small head cabbage, chopped and steamed
1 small head purple cauliflower, chopped and steamed
1 small onion, diced
1 cup water
1/2 lb chuck stew beef
2 tbsp olive oil
1 orange, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1 scallion, chopped
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce

In a deep and wide pan, combine peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, onion and water. Cook on medium-high until the veggies are tender.

Use a mallet to beat the meat until about ½ inch thick. Cut each piece into quarters.

Place meat in a large skillet and cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides.

Drizzle olive oil in to the skillet, and stir in the orange, rind, and scallion. Cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes.

Combine vegetables and meat mixture in large skillet and toss until well mixed.

Stir in teriyaki and oyster sauce. Continue cooking, stirring constantly for an additional minute.

Serve over rice.

Curried Rice and Lentil Pilaf
serves 4