Pressure Cooker Risotto

January 27, 2010

Ever since I bought my cheap pressure cooker, I’ve been exploring ways to use it in getting dinner to the table more quickly. This is important to me, as I often don’t get home from work until 7 or so, and I don’t want to spend an hour or two putting together a nice meal. I’m trying to eat more high fiber foods, such as brown rice, so the pressure cooker allows me to cook that rice in 20 minutes, rather than an hour.

Last night, I tried making risotto in the pressure cooker.  That’s right, risotto, which traditionally takes 20 to 30 minutes of constant attention.  But not in a pressure cooker.  You cook it for 8 minutes, without stirring.  And damn it, if it didn’t come out perfect!

Now you still have to cut up your vegetables for the soffritto.  Last night I used shallots, fennel, garlic and carrot.  I browned some boneless chicken thighs in the cooker, removed them, added the soffritto, and cooked for a couple of minutes.  Add the rice, stir to coat, some wine, chicken stock, and then the chicken.  Seal the cooker and cook for 8 minutes.  Release the steam, stir in grated cheese and butter, and serve.

This risotto was absolutely perfect.  Creamy and rich.  The starches from the arborio rice released into the broth, which surprised me.  I thought that the dish would be overly watery, but it wasn’t at all.  And the chicken was nicely cooked, too.

I may never make traditional risotto again.

Pressure Cooker Rissotto

  • 1-1/2 cups aborio rice
  • 2-1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 pound boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp butter

Heat oil in pressure cooker without lid over high heat.  Salt and pepper chicken thighs and brown in hot oil.  Remove chicken from cooker and add shallot, carrots and garlic.  Stir for 1-2 minutes.  Add rice and stir for another minute.  Add wine, stir, and then add stock.  Add browned chicken thighs (including any exuded juices), bring to a simmer, and seal pressure cooker.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 8 minutes.

Release pressure, remove lid, and stir in cheese and butter.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 3-4.

9 Comments | Cooking, General, Recipes | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

Dine Out for Haiti

January 21, 2010

This Sunday and Monday, a number of Triangle-based restaurants will be donating 10% of their proceeds to two charities for the relief efforts in Haiti.  This effort was initiated on Facebook by local chefs and foodies, and as of the time of this post, there are 20 restaurants participating.  Here’s the list of confirmed restaurants:

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24
Watt’s Grocery (Durham)
Bogart’s American Grill (Raleigh)
Crook’s Corner (Evening Service Only – Chapel Hill)
Cup A Joe (Chapel Hill)
HI5 (Raleigh)
Joe Van Gogh (Durham)
Michael Dean’s Seafood Grill (Raleigh)
Milltown (Carrboro)
Panzanella (Carrboro)
Red Room Tapas Lounge (Raleigh)
Saladelia Cafe (Durham)
Saxapahaw General Store (Saxapahaw)
Southern Rail (Carrboro)
The Mash House (Fayetteville)
Twisted Fork (Raleigh)
West End Wine Bar (Durham)

MONDAY, JANUARY 25
ACME Food and Beverage Co. (Carrboro)
Cup A Joe (Chapel Hill)
Cypress On The Hill (Chapel Hill)
Foster’s Market (Durham/Chapel Hill)
GlassHalFull (Carrboro)
Globe Restaurant (Raleigh)
Joe Van Gogh (Durham)
Lantern (Chapel Hill)
Mad Hatter’s Bakeshop and Cafe (Durham)
Neal’s Deli (Carrboro)
Parker and Otis (Durham)
Pop’s (Durham)
Rockwood Filling Station (Durham)
Ruckus Pizza Pasta and Spirits (Cary)
Rue Cler (Durham)
Sandwhich (Chapel Hill)
Six Plates Wine Bar (Durham)
Toast (Durham)
Tyler’s Restaurant and Tap Room (Carborro, Durham and Apex)
West End Wine Bar (Chapel Hill)
Zely and Ritz (Raleigh)

More information on this fantastic effort can be found on this Facebook page or this new blog that’s been started.  The blog says that 10% of profits will be donated to the charities, but that is a misprint.  It is 10% of sales.  So go to brunch on Sunday and then to dinner on Monday.  And spread the word!

(Edited to reflect changes to participating restaurants at 8:15 AM, 1/23/10)

9 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, Chapel Hill, chefs, Durham, Events, General, Raleigh, Restaurants | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

A Cupcake Nursery

January 19, 2010

A family friend recently had a baby, and my youngest daughter decided she needed to make some special cupcakes for them.   With the aid of her brother and sister and my wife, this is what they made.  Pretty impressive!

6 Comments | Family and Food, General, Photos | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

Greg Cox Names Top 25 — Er, 24 — Restaurants in the Triangle

January 15, 2010

News & Observer restaurant critic, Greg Cox, has named his top 25 restaurants in the Triangle, with Herons named as his restaurant of the year.   There are a few new additions to his list, including Herons’ going from a no-show to the top performer. Others new to the list include Poole’s Downtown Diner, the Fearrington House, Second Empire, and Watts Grocery.  Interestingly, the online version of this article only has 24 restaurants, unlike the print version, which included Fins on this year’s list. This is because this list went to press before the announcement was made that Fins is closed as it transforms to bu•ku.

Last year Cox included a number of value-type restaurants in his list, such as Allen & Son and China Palace, but no such cheap eats place remains on this year’s list.  Cox has a completely separate list of top “Bargains.” Other restaurants that are no longer on the Top 25 are Bin 54,  Dos Taquitos Centros, Enoteca Vin (closed).

This is a solid list and serves as a guide to the best of the best in the Triangle.  One can argue about a restaurant here or there, but in the end, Cox does a super job helping his readers find the best places to eat.

For a geographic breakdown, of the top 24 restaurants, 10 are in Raleigh, 4 are in Chapel Hill, 6 are in Durham, 2 in Cary, 1 in Pittsboro and 1 in Hillsborough.  Raleigh only has one of the “Best Bargains,” interestingly enough.

Greg Cox’s Top 24 Restaurants of the Triangle — 2010 Edition

Herons (Restaurant of the Year)

18 Seaboard

Bloomsbury Bistro

Bonne Soirée

Elaine’s on Franklin

Fairview

Fearrington House

Four Square

Frazier’s

Il Palio

J. Betski’s

Lantern

Magnolia Grill

Margaux’s

Maximillians

Nana’s

Panciuto

Poole’s Downtown Diner

Saint Jacques

Second Empire

Vin Rouge

Vivace

Watts Grocery

Zely & Ritz

Top Newcomers of the Year

Busy Bee Cafe

Chef & the Farmer

Coquette

Cypress on the Hill

Dos Perros

Gravy

Queen of Sheba

Revolution

Sitti

Super Wok

Top Bargains

Allen & Son

China Palace

Neal’s Deli

Neomonde

Rockwood Filling Station

Sandwhich

Skipper’s Fish Fry & Market

Taqueria La Vaquita

Toast

Udupi Café

9 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, chefs, Restaurants | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

Fins to Become “bu•ku”

January 13, 2010

Chef William D’Auvray’s fantastic downtown restaurant, Fins, is no more and will soon reopen under the name bu•ku.  With its name coming from the mispronunciation of the French word, beaucoup, the restaurant will continue D’Auvray’s focus on Asian-influenced food, but will emphasize a “global street food” concept.  Small plates will be the norm at bu•ku in a manner “inspired by the pushcarts of street vendors.”  Fortunately, the restaurant will also focus on the lunch crowd.  bu•ku will have a dedicated happy hour along with a strong craft beer and artisanal cocktail program.

D’Auvray has always been one of my favorite chefs in the Triangle, but Fins struggled in its large downtown location.  With this new concept, I’m hopeful that more folks will discover this amazing chef.  More details to come after I get a chance to talk to Chef D’Auvray.

Edit:  Interestingly, D’Auvray intends at some point to have actual street carts downtown and to offer a dim sum brunch.  Now that’s very cool.   The web address is www.bukuraleigh.com.

15 Comments | chefs, General, Raleigh, Restaurants | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

Triangle Food Gossip

January 12, 2010

While I continue to catch up with my work, I thought I’d post a few tidbits on some news involving local chefs and restaurants.

  • Phoebe Lawless’ Scratch Bakery will be opening a retail spot in the spring in downtown Durham at 111 Orange Street.  The bakery will feature all of Phoebe’s great offerings, including pies and, of course, her legendary donut muffins.  This doesn’t mean that Phoebe will stop going to the Durham Farmer’s Market, however, so you’ll have one more place to get her awesome stuff.
  • Herons was awarded 5 stars by News & Observer restaurant critic, Greg Cox, the first place to receive a 5 star review.  Other establishments have the full 5 stars, but at the time they were reviewed, they received 4 stars, which was the top mark at the time.  The N&O has since moved to a 5 star ranking.  Herons’ chef Scott Crawford and his right hand, Steven Greene, celebrated in part by dining at Chicago’s renowned Alinea.  They had to suffer through 35 of Grant Achatz’s courses, the poor guys.
  • Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner was recently honored by cooking at the prestigious Blackberry Farm’s “Taste of the South,” raising money for the Southern Foodways Alliance.
  • Chef Rob Bland has parted ways with Urban Food Group’s Coquette.  Bland was instrumental in bringing French brasserie fare to the Triangle.  No word on what Bland will be doing next or who will be taking over that kitchen.
  • Speaking of Urban Food Group, they have taken over as the exclusive food provider of the Woman’s Club of Raleigh, giving UFG a legitimate catering presence in the Triangle.

There’s a number of other interesting tidbits that I’d love to share, but I’m currently sworn to secrecy.  Let me just say that there will likely be a lot more action in the Raleigh food scene in the coming year, and I’m pretty damn excited about that.

6 Comments | General | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

Have You Missed Me?

January 6, 2010

OK, that’s an arrogant headline if there ever was one, but aren’t blogs really an exercise in vanity anyway?

I apologize for my absence, but I headed down to Florida over the holidays to see my parents and to watch my son play in a big-time soccer tournament.  I don’ t have much to report on the food side of things from that trip (except that I tasted a premium Polish vodka that might have been the nastiest thing I’ve ever drunk in my life).

I do want to wish all of you a Happy New Year!  I also want to let you know that I’ve got a bunch of great posts to come soon.  Posts on Fullsteam Brewery’s construction, the menu development process at Lucky 32, and the opening of a new bakery.  I’ve got posts on a very easy  buttermilk pie recipe and the simplicity of making eclairs and gougeres.  I’m also going to talk about Greg Cox’s rave review of Herons.

Of course, I’ll be writing about my kids and their relationship with food.  Speaking of which, my wife’s clever meal planning device was mentioned in today’s paper.  It truly has saved her sanity.

Thanks for sticking with me.

2 Comments | General | Permalink
Posted by Varmint

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