I’m usually wary of recipes that promise huge shortcuts in traditionally labor-intensive dishes. Usually, such dishes are labor intensive because they need a little extra time and effort to  become something spectacular. Risotto is a prime example of this; you stir and stir and stir to release starch and give the dish its trademark creamy consistency. I’ve made traditional risotto recipes in the past and didn’t really mind the long cooking and stirring process, but admittedly, the time commitment prevents me from making it on a regular basis.

Therefore, I was quite intrigued with a recent Cook’s Illustrated article promising an Almost Hands-Free Risotto. The article suggested we can avoid constant stirring by cooking the rice in a covered, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven to ensure slow, even heat. You stir for a few minutes in the beginning and a few more minutes at the end, but the rest of the process is similar to cooking any old rice: you let it simmer until the liquid is absorbed. I had my doubts, but the final product was just as creamy and tasty as any traditional risotto recipe.

I chose to flavor my risotto with chicken and herbs, though you could certainly leave out the meat for a nice vegetarian option. My only complaint – and this is a complaint I have with most risotto recipes – is that I felt the flavor of the wine was a bit strong for my tastes. I don’t know what it is about white wine; I love drinking it by the glass, but it seems too twangy and pungent when it reduces down in a recipe. I’ve used cheap wines, pricey wines, they’re all the same. Corey thought this had a nice wine flavor that wasn’t overpowering, so it’s probably just my weird taste buds. Regardless, this was perfect, easy comfort food that made our Sunday night a little more exciting – and there were tons of leftovers to make Monday lunch less dull than usual.

Easy Risotto with Chicken and Herbs

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

serves 6 as a main course, more as a side dish

5 c chicken broth

2 c water

1 tbsp olive oil

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), each cut in half crosswise

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 c Arborio rice

1 c dry white wine (suggested: sauvignon blanc)

2 oz grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp chopped chives

Bring the broth and water to boil in large stock pot over high heat. Reduce to medium-low and keep liquid at a gentle simmer.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and do not move until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn pieces over and cook opposite side until lightly browned, about 2 minutes more. Add the chicken to the pot of simmering broth and simmer until fully cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer to a large plate and allow the broth to continue to simmer.

Add 2 tbsp of the butter to the Dutch oven used to cook the chicken, setting heat to medium. Add the onion and 3/4 tsp salt and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute more, then add the rice. Stir until the rice is translucent around the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and stir constantly until all liquid is absorbed.

Add 5 cups of the warm broth, bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer until almost all of the broth has been absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 18 minutes. Stir twice during cooking.

Add an additional ¾ cup warm broth to the risotto, stirring gently until the rice gets creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the parmesan, remove the pot from the heat and cover. Let the risotto stand for 5 minutes. Remove the skin and bones from the cooked chicken and shred or chop the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Uncover the pot and add the chicken, remaining butter, lemon juice, parsley, chives and salt and pepper to taste. If risotto seems too thick, add up to ½ c additional broth.

Cook’s Illustrated has become my favorite source for innovative, no-fail, delicious recipes. I subscribe to their web site, which allows me access to virtually every recipe they’ve ever published. It’s a bit pricey, but worth it for the searchable recipe database and unlimited access to recent issues of the magazine. (Many of the online articles also include videos.)  If you’re not one to pay for web site access, you can get an occasional sneak preview by following Christopher Kimball, founder of America’s Test Kitchen, on Twitter . He frequently tweets about his favorite CI recipes, providing links that may be opened by the general public regardless of whether they subscribe to the site. Twitter is responsible for bringing this recipe for Salty Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies into my life. You’ll notice that this recipe looks a bit different compared to traditional oatmeal cookies – there’s no cinnamon or nutmeg, and no raisins. But there’s lots of butter and a delightful sprinkle of salt to enhance the nutty caramel flavor. These were some of the most outstanding cookies I have ever made…I couldn’t stop at just one. Or two. Or, um, three.

You know it’s a good cookie when even the bottom is beautiful and appetizing. Yum! Print this recipe immediately and bake these for someone you love.

Mexican food is the perfect storm of so many things I love to eat. Beans. Cheese. Salsa. Avocado. Sour cream. And, most recently, carnitas. I don’t think I tried carnitas before I moved to San Francisco;  maybe I never noticed it on Mexican restaurant menus, or maybe I just played it safe with chicken and steak. But once I moved here and sampled the carnitas at La Taqueria (my favorite spot for tacos and burritos), I was 100% entranced by this juicy, tender, meaty treat. I’ve been wanting to make carnitas at home but was put off by traditional recipes calling for a nice layer of lard to be thrown in with the meat. Fortunately, Cook’s Illustrated came to my rescue!

Yes, dear friends, my beloved CI cookbook includes a lard-free recipe for Mexican Pulled Pork, along with several follow-up recipes that use the meat to its fullest potential. It’s somewhat time consuming, but if you have a few hours to spare on a weekend, you’ll be rewarded with enough tender, caramelized pork for several good meals. (Interesting side note: while I’ve only consumed carnitas at lunch and dinner, my friend Edgar’s family eats it almost exclusively at breakfast with beans and tortillas. Sounds like a damn fine idea to me!)

I roasted the pork on Sunday and used roughly half of the meat to make CI’s Easy Pork Enchiladas, which Corey and I agreed were some of the best we’ve ever tried. If you don’t eat pork, you could certainly use the same recipe and substitute shredded poached or rotisserie chicken, or extra beans if you’re vegetarian. Regardless of your filling, corn tortillas are a must. I always used flour until my friend Maria kindly informed me that this is a very gringa thing to do. In my defense, I used flour because corn tortillas tend to fall apart when you roll them around the enchilada filling. Solution: La Tortilla Factory’s Hand Made Style Corn Tortillas, which have the flavor of corn with the pliability of flour. They’re made from a corn/wheat blend and maintained their shape before, during and after the baking process. Word has it this brand is Maria-approved, so I’m one step closer to authenticity!

Mexican Pulled Pork

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

1 (3 1/2 to 4 lb) boneless pork butt, fat trimmed to roughly 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 tsp cumin
1 small onion , peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (roughly 1 lime)
2 c water
1 medium orange, halved
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Set an oven rack to the lower middle position. In a large Dutch oven, combine the pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water (the liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice the orange into a medium bowl and remove any seeds. Add the juice and the  orange halves themselves to the Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is soft and falls apart when pierced with a fork, about 2 hours. Turn the meat once midway through the cooking process.

Remove the pot from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a bowl. Remove the orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from the cooking liquid and discard. Do not skim the fat from the cooking liquid. Place the Dutch oven on a burner set to high heat and simmer the liquid, stirring frequently, until it reduces to a thick and syrupy consistency, roughly 10 to 12 minutes. You should have approximately 1 cup of reduced liquid. (Note: this took closer to 15 minutes for me.)

When the cooking liquid is nearly reduced, set your oven to broil. Use two forks to pull each piece of pork gently in half. Pour the reduced cooking liquid over the meat and toss gently, then place the meat on a wire rack set above a rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Put the baking sheet on the lower middle rack of your oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and the edges are crisp, roughly 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the meat and continue to broil until the other side is crisp and browned, 5 to 8 minutes more. You want it to be caramelized but not charred. Serve immediately or reserve for recipes such as the one below. (You can store the meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.)

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Easy Pork Enchiladas

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

serves 4

10 oz (roughly 2 cups) Mexican Pulled Pork, shredded

3/4 c refried beans

10 oz can enchilada sauce (green or red; I prefer green)

7 oz can mild chopped green chilies, drained

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas (recommended: La Tortilla Factory Hand Made Style; see note below)

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

6 oz shredded colby jack cheese, regular or 2% (1 1/2 c)

Diced avocado, chopped cilantro and sour cream, for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 450. Lightly coat a 9×13″ baking dish with cooking spray. Combine the pork, refried beans, 1/3 cup enchilada sauce and green chilies in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 1 to 3 minutes, or until hot. Remove from microwave and stir in the cilantro and 3/4 c of the cheese.

To assemble the enchiladas, fill each tortilla with roughly 1/2 c of the pork filling. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. When all enchiladas are assembled and in the dish, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top, followed by the remaining cheese.  Spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray (or use nonstick foil) and cover the dish. Bake, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Remove from oven and allow to sit for five minutes before serving. Garnish with additional cilantro, avocado and sour cream if desired.

Note: If using regular corn tortillas, the recipe suggests warming them to make them more pliable. I did not do this because the band I purchased were quite flexible already. If you use regular corn tortillas, you may wish to stack them on a plate, sprinkle them with a bit of water, cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap and heat on high until warm and soft, 1 to 2 minutes.

Phew! It’s good to be home after weeks of constant traveling. As much as I love dining out, staying in hotels, and racking up frequent flyer miles, I’m officially sick of everything associated with travel. I’ll be spending the next six weeks right here in San Francisco, enjoying the city and experimenting with my new cookbook!

I’ve gone on and on about my newfound love for Cook’s Illustrated…and this cookbook takes my love to a whole new level. The recipes are simple, yet full of complex flavors. Case in point: this recipe for  Creamy Peas with Goat Cheese and Bacon. Minimal ingredients, minimal effort, maximum deliciousness. It was a perfect partner for a simple entree of baked chicken and brown rice – and I think it would be a fantastic new addition to the typical repertoire of Thanksgiving side dishes. I can’t wait to cook my way through this book and share the results with you!

Creamy Peas with Goat Cheese and Bacon

adapted from Cooking for Two 2009

serves two

2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

6 oz frozen peas (note: do not thaw)

1/4 c half and half (or heavy cream)

1 oz goat cheese, cut into 4 pieces

2 scallions, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a 10 inch skillet over medium low and cook the bacon until crisp, approximately 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the bacon grease from the skillet and carefully wipe the pan clean with paper towels.

Return the pan to medium low heat and add the peas, half and half (or cream), goat cheese, and scallions. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the peas are heated through and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the cooked bacon. Serve immediately.

Remember Corey’s love/hate relationship with tomatoes? He has a similar mindset when it comes to potato salad. It contains all sorts of ingredients that he loves – potatoes, mayo, pickles, mustard – so in theory, he should love it. But he remains indifferent. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean he’s intolerant. He’ll taste any potato salad I create in an attempt to find the perfect recipe that suits both our tastes.

I think we finally have a winner in this Austrian Style Potato Salad from – yet again – Cook’s Illustrated. (Can you tell I’m officially obsessed?) It caught my eye because it promised a creamy texture without mayo. Intrigued, I read the accompanying article and learned that erdäpfelsalat is a traditional Austrian side dish usually served with wiener schnitzel. The dish is served warm or at room temperature and gets its creamy texture from the starchiness of the potatoes, as well as chicken or veal broth. Austrian versions of the dish also incorporate pickled cucumbers for an extra tangy flavor, though the CI version uses tasty cornichons.

If this is what dinner looks like in Austria, get me to Vienna, STAT! I’d liken this dish to a potato salad-mashed potato hybrid. It’s both chunky and creamy, saucy and light, and a perfect partner for grilled meat. As I watched Corey gobble it up, I did a culinary victory dance and earmarked this recipe as a keeper. (Note: the original recipe serves 4 to 6; for us, I cut it in half. I also used baby Yukon Golds so my potatoes are cut into rounds rather than chunks.)

Austrian-Style Potato Salad

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, Sept-Oct 2009

serves 4 to 6

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 large), peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2″ thick chunks

1 c low sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth if vegetarian

1 c water

1 tsp salt plus more to taste

Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 c vegetable oil

1 small red onion, chopped fine, about 3/4 c

6 cornichons or small dill pickles, minced, about 2 tbsp

2 tbsp minced fresh chives (optional – I didn’t have any, and I don’t think we missed them)

In a 12″ heavy skillet, bring potatoes, broth, water, 1 tsp salt, sugar, and 1 tbsp vinegar to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to medium low, cover the pan and simmer until the potatoes are just about fork tender. They should be soft but not falling apart, as you want them to hold up in the salad. Remove cover from pan, bring heat up to high and reduce liquid for about 2 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a colander set over a bowl to capture the cooking liquid. Drain off all but 1/2 cup of liquid (if less than 1/2 cup remains, add water or stock to make 1/2 cup). To the cooking liquid, add the remaining 1 tbsp vinegar, the Dijon mustard, and the oil, whisking to combine.

Add 1/2 c of the cooked potatoes to the liquid mixture and mash with a fork or potato masher until a thick, slightly chunky sauce forms. Add the remaining potatoes, red onion, cornichons and chives, folding gently with a spatula. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.