Spring has yet to really appear in south-western Ontario. And the last couple of days have been cold. This kind of weather always calls for homemade soup.
Thank goodness I believe and have a well stocked pantry and freezer for least last-minute dinners and creative moments.
I apologize that the pics aren’t up to par 😦 I wanted to eat my dinner hot 😉
Homemade Tomato Soup with Crab and Goat Cheese
Since I began my culinary adventure many many moons ago, I have a mast quite the collection of pots, pans and gizmos and to be completely honest, it borders on hoarding tendencies with regards to kitchen gadgets. My kitchen drawers, cupboards and counters are cluttered with these trinkets some from late-night infomercials.
Other than my set of great well made Knives | Zwilling J.A.Henckels consisting of a chef, a serrated (bread), a boning and a paring knife.Â
There’s one piece of kitchen equipment that I use more than any other.
That would be AÂ Cast Iron Skillet
One of the most important reasons I love my cast iron, it does such an amazing job of evenly distributing heat that you’ll never have a really bad hot spot on it so half of your food is burned and the other half raw. That is a cook’s nightmare.
“Brinner”, Breakfast-For-Dinner, or BFD is a fun option for last-minute dinner change-up and it is also very economical.
Sweet, savory, or both, Brinner options are simple, nutritious, and filling. Many recipes can be altered based on what you have available in your fridge and pantry: Just swap meat, veggies, fruit, cheeses, and herbs to make it work for you.
Eggs are one of the staples in my home kitchen pantry.
Always check out my Instagram @the5oclockrush  to see my daily dinners photos.
Baked Eggs with an Italian Sausage and 2 Potatoes Hash Browns
Butternut Squash Risotto garnished with saute cremini mushrooms, toasted pinenuts and finely chopped sage leaves.
Risotto is a dish that is easy to prepare and it really is about developing the technique. Â The rice is cooked briefly in a soffritto of onion and olive oil this is to coat each grain in fat. I added finely chopped fennel or finocchio , garlic and shallots to my soffritto. Â Once the onions are translucent and the rice is toasted add a cup or more of white wine to be absorbed by the rice. Â You can turned the heat up to a medium high heat and gradually add a couple ladles of very hot stock. I used a low sodium vegetable stock. The process of making risotto is to gradually add the stock in small amounts while stirring gently, almost constantly. This develops the starch and creates that smooth creamy textured liquid. I account that the completed risotto should be 18-20 minutes. Â So in the remaining minutes, I added the roasted butternut squash then it is finished with a finely grated cheese either Parmesan or a Pecorino Romano. I prefer the Romano. Some cooks will add small pats of cubed butter but I feel that if you have cooked the risotto properly you will not need this to create creamy texture. Make sure adjust the flavour with salt and pepper. Â The risotto will be rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite: al dente, and with separate grains. Â I garnished my finished Butternut Squash Risotto with saute cremini mushrooms, toasted pinenuts and finely chopped sage.
3 cups of roasted butternut squash, cubed
3 tbsp. of olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup of fennel, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely minced
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice
1 cup of white wine
7 1/2 – 8 cups of low sodium vegetable stock
1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
season with salt and white pepper
garnish with saute cremini mushrooms, toasted pinenuts and finely chopped sage
Makes approx. 6 servings
Enjoy! 🙂
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Wash, pierce and roast the sweet potatoes on a foil lined pan in the oven for approx. 45 min.
I seasoned the turkey breast liberally with kosher salt and Rickard Ultimate Chicken Seasoning. My cast iron was smoking hot with a tablespoon of canola oil. Place the turkey breast in the pan. Season the other side of the breast. Be patient before your flip it over, once the breast no longer “sticks” flip it over. Place the pan in a 400 degree oven. The turkey breast I had purchased was very large (no bone or filet attached). I checked and flipped it again at 10-12 minutes. An internal cooking temperature of 165 ℉ (74 ℃). Remember that it will continue to cook as the breast rests.Â
While the turkey breast is roasting, place washed baby spinach in a large frying pan on high. It is not necessary to add any liquid to the pan for spinach, there is plenty naturally. Steam cover until “almost” cooked and shut off to finish. Don’t over cook.
Once the turkey breast is done and has rested slice and serve with drained buttered spinach and roasted sweet potato.
Pan Roasted Turkey Breast with sweet potato and steamed baby spinach
