Cooking thread!

[Ban my account ffs!]

Basic risotto:  Time consuming and requires care... but it is worth every bit of effort.

This is for a relatively large amount (easily serves 6 people).

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion
2 cups arborio rice (found with the regular rice or in Italian section)
1.5 quarts chicken stock (don't skimp on this.  Get the good stuff!)
1 cup good white wine (NO COOKING WINE... it should be wine you'd drink)
4-5 tablespoons butter (preferably non-salted)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (American domestic is fine.. don't use pre-grated stuff in a plastic container)
Salt to taste

Mise en Place is very important.  Get the cheese grated and onion chopped before hand.

Heat 2T olive oil along with 2T butter on medium heat in a large saute pan.  Add chopped onions.  Saute until translucent (do not caramelize or let brown).  Add in arborio rice.

At the same time, put the chicken stock in a large sauce pan and heat on low-medium heat.

Let the rice begin to "toast", stirring occasionally.  Once some of the rice just starts to brown, add wine to deglaze the pan.  Stir and allow the wine to almost completely cook off.  Once the pan is just about dry, ladle in a ladle-full of heated chicken stock (which should be just simmering, not boiling).  Stir the rice occasionally, allowing the rice to absorb the chicken stock.  Once most of the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle-full.  Continue doing this until all of the stock is absorbed into the rice and it has a "creamy" texture (not dried out or burnt!!!).  Turn off the heat.

Add 2-3 tablespoons butter, cream, and parmesan cheese and stir, allowing butter and cheese to melt.  Salt to taste and serve immediately.

This is a great side dish to fish, pork, and poultry dishes.

Risotto is a very versatile dish.  You can use beef stock and red wine and omit the cheese while adding wild mushrooms to make a wonderful addition to red meat dishes.

Even if you don't like wine, I urge you to use at least a 1/2 cup in your recipe.  Wine when used in cooking tastes much different and adds a very nice flavor to the risotto.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Teryaki-ish pork tenderloin

Medium sized pork tenderloin
Pound of bacon.
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons grated onion
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more for a spicier marinade)
A good amount of black pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons vinegar (you can use white or cider)
1/2 to 3/4 cup soy sauce

Combine grated onion, garlic, sugar, cayenne, pepper, vinegar, and soy sauce.

Put the tenderloin in a baggie and pour marinade over tenderloin and let marinade 2 hours.

Once marinading is over, save the marinade in the baggie.  Wrap the tenderloin with bacon and put into a rectangular baking pan.  Pour the marinade over the tenderloin.

Put into a 350˚F oven and bake until the internal temperature is 140˚F-145˚F (135˚F if you like pork to be more medium rare... you run the risk of trichinosis), basting or spooning marinade over the top every 15-20 minutes or so.

Remove from oven and let rest 10-15 minutes.  Meat will continue cooking while resting, adding 5-10˚F.  Most recommend 150˚F minimum for pork... but trichinosis is destroyed within a couple of seconds at 140˚F... and the meat will be far more tender.

The bacon will not be crispy.  Instead, it will be chewy... which is not always a popular texture for Americans... but the excellent flavor makes up for it, as the bacon soaks up the juices in the cooking process.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Easy and delicious French Onion Soup

4 large sweet or yellow onions
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup white wine
3 heaping tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (you can substitute a good tablespoon of pre-chopped garlic... don't use powder!)
2 quarts good beef broth (~1.9 liters)
6-8 slices baguette, toasted or dried (day old)
Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Slice onions.  Melt stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons pepper).  Let the onions cook until very soft and caramelized.  Take care not to let them burn!  It's okay to have a layer of browned matter on the bottom of the pan... just scrape it up occasionally.  This adds a big flavor to the soup.

Once the onions are nice and soft, add the wine.  Allow the wine to boil and cook off completely.  Remove bay and thyme from pan.  Add flour and stir to coat all of the onions.  Reduce to low heat and let cook for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  This cooks the raw flour taste out and adds to the rich flavor of the soup.

Add the broth.  I'd recommend a half and half mixture of beef stock and consomme, since this is a quick recipe.  A combination of those two will create a rich, dark flavor.  Make sure all the bits are scraped off the bottom of the pan and let simmer over low-medium heat about 15 minutes.

When you're ready to eat, arrange the baguette slices on a cookie sheet and sprinkle liberally with the shredded cheese.  Put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until cheese is beginning to brown and is bubbly.

Fill bowl with soup and put enough croutons on top to cover bowl and enjoy! 

This soup can be enjoyed any time of year, but is best on a cold winter's night.