squashed!

Celebrating my husbands birthday last week at DBGB kitchen and bar, Daniel Boulud's brasserie inspired downtown pub, I indulged in east coast oysters, a glass of sparkling wine, and a sinfully delicious duck confit served over squash risotto, garnished with caramelized cipollini onions and fried sage leaves. What a treat!

We are particularly fond of DBGBs for relaxed celebrations. The food is always top notch, the wine and beer list extensive, the service: impeccable and the interior: uncramped and comfortable, reminiscent of a first class railway dining car from some delightful old movie. I particularly love the open shelving displays of wines, dry goods and magnificent copper cooking pots, each with its own plaque naming the famous chef who donated it. My, Mr. Boulud has some generous friends!

The squash risotto I had that night was something I wanted to make at home. Boulud's version was smooth and creamy, with the squash completely melted into the liquid of the rice, like baby food. True comfort food.  Digging into my cupboard I found a package of pearl barley and recalled a recipe using the risotto style cooking technique with this grain instead of arborio rice. Aha, why not? The result is a nuttier, chewier version of classic risotto; a nice variation. This method is a great way to incorporate a different grain into your menu. I used acorn squash instead of the more expected choice of butternut squash and gave it an extra boost of flavor by roasting it before adding it to the "risotto."

Consider trying pearl barley as a substitute for arborio rice in risotto recipes.

Squash risotto seems to be the dish of the hour. I found it again on a restaurant menu last week, this time at Alobar, a charming restaurant with a bit of a Spanish flair in Long Island City. Alobar's version was a pumpkin risotto garnished with pearl onions and topped with the inspired addition of sauteed chard,  a great bitter counterpoint to the sweet creamy rice.

Whether making it at home or sampling it a restaurant, squash risottos are not to be missed. This time of year a warming dish of winter squash bathed grains will fill the belly and the satisfy the soul.

 Acorn Squash Barley "Risotto"

2 cups of acorn squash, peeled and cubed
2 Tbs olive oil
2Tbs butter
2 shallots, finely minced
1 cup of pearly barley
1 cup white wine
4 cups of water or stock, simmering in a pot on the stove
1 sprig of fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil
sage leaves- optional

•Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash with one tablespoon of the olive oil and bake in a single layer for 15-20 minutes. The squash should be tender but not too browned or it will change the color of the risotto.

•Heat the remain tablespoon of oil and the butter in a saute pan. Add the shallots and cook till they are soft and begin to look translucent.

•Add the barley to the pan and stir to coat all the grains in the warm fat. Cook, stirring continuously, for about five minutes.

•Add the roasted squash to the pan of barley and mash it down with the stirring spoon to mix it thoroughly. You can continue to mash the squash as the dish cooks.

•Add the wine and the thyme and stir to combine. When the liquid has mostly cooked away begin to add the simmering water or stock, by the ladleful, stirring with each addition and letting the liquid cook away before adding the next ladleful.

I tried this Gavi in the recipe and served it with the dish.
An Italian wine with dominant citrus notes, it brought
a complimentary flavor to the sweet-ish risotto.

•The barley will absorb at least two cups of liquid before you start to notice the grains beginning to swell a bit. Be patient. Continue to cook in this manor, adding more liquid when the pan gets dry.

•Continue to stir and mash down any lumpy bits of squash as you go.

•Taste the grains periodically for done-ness. They grains will remain firm but have an al dente finish with a pleasant chewy bite.

•To serve, sprinkle the "risotto" with the grated cheese and a generous drizzle of good quality olive oil and top with the sage leaves.

Soup's On

Amanda

I have a new love. It's rich and complex, soft and elegant. Its beautiful caramel hue is so inviting. It warms my soul. Armagnac. So perfect this time of year. Incredibly wonderful to sip a snifter of this soothing elixir in front of a fireplace on a cold winter's night. Indescribable. I discovered it last week and fell immediately, and hard. I sit now, snifter beside me, reflecting on my night's concoction.


Fine Cooking was always one of my favorite food magazines. This is due to the fact that the writers actually try to teach you something, and not merely provide recipes. They give you step by step guidelines for techniques such as braising, roasting, grilling, etc. They instruct in a way that enables you to create your own recipes, with your own ingredients, following the basic steps. My goal as a novice "cook" was to become confident enough to not have to follow recipes, but rather create them on my own. My husband is a culinary graduate and has always offered me insight on the proper techniques used in the kitchen. When we first met, I did everything all wrong. I didn't think the "steps" to creating a dish were important, as long as the finish product tasted good. I learned quickly how wrong I was. The order in which ingredients are sauteed, how hot the oil must be before frying something, how to tell if something is done cooking not necessarily by the temperature, but by how it feels to the touch - all things a good cook must come to understand, and I learned them well. Through my husband, and of course Fine Cooking, I have learned a lot, and it has made me more skilled in the kitchen.


Which brings me to tonight's recipe - a basic white bean, kale and barley soup, which I created on my own following very simple, basic "soup-making" steps. I'm on a serious quest to lose 10 pounds before my upcoming family vacation to Mexico in January. I wanted to make the healthiest, and most satisfying soup possible. I started out with my aromatics - onion and celery. I also added some sliced carrots. After sauteeing for several minutes in some olive oil, until the onion and celery were translucent and soft, I added some organic, low sodium vegetable broth from Whole Foods. I am trying very hard to cut down on my sodium intake, so I set out to use as little salt as possible. (Admittedly, the soup is a little bland as a result. Feel free to add as much salt as suits you!)

I brought the broth and vegetables to a boil, and added a little over a 1/4 cup of pearl barley and a big sprig of rosemary. I let it simmer for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes until the barley was done. At this point, I added a large amount of kale and 1 can of white beans.

finished product

I have a large appetite and I am trying to cut down on my portion size. The addition of the barley was intended to make this meal a little more satisfying. I also added quite a bit of pepper. As I mentioned, it could definitely use salt, but I will not succumb. When I reheat it everyday for lunch this week, I will add a touch of shredded pecorino romano for extra flavoring. The soup looks beautiful and is very tasty.


But I do have a question for all of you who have more experience than I:  Is there anything I can use in place of salt to make up for its absence?


Healthy White Bean, Barley and Kale Soup
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced on an angle about 1/4" thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery
64 oz low sodium vegetable broth
2 large sprigs rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pearl barley
1 15 oz can white beans
three large handfuls roughly chopped, or hand-torn kale


Basically, follow the directions above. Start by sauteeing the onion, carrots, garlic and celery, until translucent. Add the vegetable broth and rosemary sprigs and bring to a boil. Add barley and simmer about 1/2 hour until barley is done. Add white beans and kale at the end. Let the kale wilt a bit, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.


I refridgerate mine and eat it all week. Probably gives me about 6 servings.


Deborah
Thanks for the great recipe Amanda. Cooks love it when someone else does the cooking for us once in a while! I am sure your family enjoyed the soup. As for the salt, well, there is really no way I can tell you how to make things taste as good without it. Professional cooks rely on salt to enhance flavor and bring a dish together. A small amount of salt can go a long way and unless there is a very specific reason to eliminate it altogether I would add just enough to enhance a dish. I prefer to season things at every stage of cooking and never use salt at the table when I eat. Most professionals consider it a terrible insult to have someone salt their food after it has been served. It implies that the food has not been seasoned correctly. The addition of pecorino romano to your soup will indeed add missing flavor because IT IS SALTY. 
Limit salt, use it judiciously, add lots of herbs and spices to flavor food, eat in moderation.  Amanda, it sounds like you are taking some very smart steps to eat more healthfully and will lose those pounds before your trip. Good luck!