Forbidden Rice Risotto with Calamari and Shrimp

The forbidden rice, or black rice, receives this name because it was served exclusively for the Emperors in ancient China, who believed in its aphrodisiac effects and to ensure longevity. In that time, only around ten grains of black rice grew for each hectare of rice paddy. Nowadays, this rice is prized for its savor and high nutritional value. It could be prepared like another rice types or as pilafs and risottos.

Risotto is one of the savoury dishes that I most like to prepare. Stirring constantly the rice and watch its transformation in a creamy and velvety texture is a labor of love for me, specially using the forbidden rice with calamari and shrimp. This heirloom rice gives a fragrant aroma and a nutty taste that are perfect with the seafood flavor.

If this is your first time that you prepare risotto, remember to add liquid gradually during the cooking and stir constantly. These will help to release the starch from the rice resulting in a creamy consistency. Besides that, the way that the calamari and shrimp are cooked makes real difference too. To obtain a good result you need to avoid overcooking them. Both of them are cooked separately with dry white wine, herbs and seasonings. The calamari takes about 15 minutes to be done. Chili, bouquet garni, tomatoes and kalamata olives are the base of the stewing. The result is a tender and fragrant calamari. When the risotto is almost done, you will start to prepare the shrimp. The whole shrimp is simmered for only 5 minutes. Although the brief cooking, the shrimps gain both flavor and moisture from the seasoned liquid. After cooled and peeled, the shrimp are warm in butter, seasonings and wine for some minutes until golden. 

Forbidden Rice Risotto with Calamari and Shrimp

(adapted from here)

Calamari

300g/ 0,66 lb  large and clean calamari

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

300g/ 0,66 lb of diced tomatoes peeled and seeded 

30g/ 0,07 lb Kalamata black olives 

170ml/ 3/4 cup dry white wine

200ml/ 1 cup water

Bouquet garni

chili

salt 

Saute onion, garlic and tomatoes in olive oil. Add the sliced calamari and cook more. Add the olives, pepper and bouquet garni. Season with salt, white wine and cover with water and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.

Risotto

½ onion, chopped

125g/ 0,28lb black rice

100ml/ 1/2 cup dry white wine

1.2l/ 4 cups of water

30g/0,07 lb grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

60ml/ 1/4 cup cream

Pepper

Salt

Saute onion in olive oil, place the rice and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add a ladleful of the hot water, adjust the heat under the rice to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the water, a ladleful at a time, cooking and stirring after each addition, until the liquid is nearly absorbed. After 20-25 minutes, the grains will be tender but still slightly firm at the center and will look creamy. Add the Parmesan, mix well. Repeat with the cream and butter.

Shrimp

(adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

8 jumbo shrimps

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon thyme

black pepper

salt

2 cups water

2 tablespoon butter

Simmer wine, water, herbs, and seasonings in a sauce pan. Add the whole, unpeeled shrimps and simmer for 5 minutes only. Allow them to cool, then peel them, and warm them and butter, seasonings, and wine.

FINAL 

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

grated Parmesan cheese

Mix the calamari with the risotto and add the parsley. Place on plate, add the shrimp, and cover with olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

Panzanella

This weekend I visited a local farmers market and I bought some beautiful yellow grape tomatoes. For the last few days, I was thinking about what kind of recipe I could prepare using them. So, I remembered a salad from Jamie Oliver’s book called panzanella.

This summery dish was originated in the areas of Tuscany and has as main ingredients tomatoes and croutons made from leftover bread. It was first recorded in 16^th-century as a substantial dish made by the peasants who wanted to take advantage of stale bread. It is a great creation and also so flavorsome. The bread soaks up the oil, vinegar and the ripe tomato juices absorbing all the good flavors of the salad.

This recipe uses basil, roasted bell peppers, capers, onion, celery and anchovies, but you can also use any seasonal vegetables. I know that some people don’t like anchovies. So in that case you can use fresh fish like grilled tuna. Panzanella can be served either as a starter or as an entree.

Panzanella

(adapted from the book Jamie's Italy)

serves 6 people

2 lb different ripe tomatoes (chopped into rough 1cm cubes)

2 red peppers (roasted and chopped into 1cm cubes)

2 yellow peppers (roasted and chopped into 1cm cubes)

1/2 celery heart (finely chopped)

1 red onion finely chopped

Fresh basil (roughly chopped)

1 clove garlic (chopped)

 Extra virgin olive oil

 white wine vinegar

1 loaf of Toscana bread or Ciabatta bread

6 anchovy fillets

Capers

Cut the bread into 2cm cubes 400ºF for 7-8 minutes or until it is crunchy.

Cut the peppers into quarters and roast at 400ºC for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool before peel and cutting into cubes.

Chop all the remaining vegetables into rough 1 cm cubes and place into a mixing bowl. Mix until all the flavours and colours mingle.

Add the chopped garlic and basil.

Dress the salad liberally with the olive oil, vinegar, black pepper and a touch of salt.

When ready to serve, coat the croutons well in the tomato sauce before adding the vegetables. Mix together.

To finish, top the salad with anchovies (optional) and garnish with some fresh basil.

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake

Hi everyone! After staying four months in Brazil, I finally came back to US. I had a wonderful time with my lovely family and friends and also I could finish my PhD. The most special part was cooking with my mother again. It was amazing. I had the opportunity to use typical Brazilian flavors, like guava and marolo. Despite all these great moments I was already missing my kitchen. So to restart the posts, I decided to make a lemon cake with blueberries. I chose a blueberry recipe because (believe or not) it’s hard to find it in my country. I was missing this delicious fruit too!

I’m fascinated for these deep purple little berries. Everything you make with them is beautiful and delectable. Besides they contain a high level of antioxidants, making them even more special for being a potential anti-disease. This lemon cake particularly is one of the best that I have ever made. The original recipe calls for lemon curd and fresh blueberries as filling, but I baked the lemon cake with a lot of fresh blueberries, making it very moist and flavorful. For the filling, I prepared a lemon cream and a blueberry jam. The lemon cream consists of sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, zest of one lemon and cream. I really loved the combination between all these ingredients; the cream attenuates the intense taste of the condensed milk, it is perfect. The homemade blueberries jam is also simple. You just need blueberries (fresh or frozen), sugar and water, and after half an hour you will have a very good jam without additives or colorants. To cover the cake I used Chantilly cream. Its light flavor pairs very well with the sweet fillings and cakes. My husband and I really appreciate it!

There was something else especial in this post that I didn’t tell you. Since I started this blog I became passionate for photography, but I was increasingly frustrated by taking pictures with a point and shoot camera. But this was the first time that I used a DSLR camera for a post. My husband gave it to me last week as a gift for my PhD. Now I can’t stop taking pictures! I’m more excited to learn everything about light, composition and styling.

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake 

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

 Makes one disc. You will need 2 discs to make 4 layers.

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup skim milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

4 large egg whites, room temperature

2 cups fresh Blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Coat two 8-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment. Spray parchment; set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, the milk, oil, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl; set aside.

Put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until foamy. Raise speed to medium-high. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

Add half of the flour mixture to the milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Fold in remaining flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the egg white mixture. Add blueberries. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out cakes onto rack. Remove parchment; reinvert. Let cool completely.

Blueberry Jam

2 cups blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

water

In a sauce pan over medium heat boil the blueberries in water and sugar. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon about 20 minutes or until jam consistency. Turn into a bowl and let cool before using.

Lemon Cream

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1 cup of heavy cream
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Pour the condensed milk into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat

Add the egg yolks  and lemon zest and keep stirring the mixture until it starts to show the bottom of the pan when you scrape it with a spoon. As you scrape the bottom of pan with the spoon, the mixture should be thick enough to show you the bottom the pan for a couple of seconds before the mixture levels out again.

Pour the mixture in a bowl and leave aside to cool. When the mixture is at room temperature, add the heavy cream and mix until combine. Place it in the fridge until decoration.

Chantilly Cream

2 cups heavycream, cold

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chill a mixing bowl and wire whisk in the freezer for 10 minutes before beginning. Beat heavy cream in the chilled bowl until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until the cream barely mounds. Do not overwhip.

Cut each cake in half horizontally. Set untrimmed bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with half recipe lemon cream. Repeat with trimmed halve for second, spread the jam. Place the third layer and spread with lemon cream. Top with untrimmed top layer. Covered with whipped cream.

My Birthday Cake

Hi everyone. Today is an important day for me. Today is my BIRTHDAY! We will celebrate together, my dear readers. I had a delicious cake recipe to share with you.

Every year I spend days think about my birthday cake, and this year couldn’t be different, especially now with my blog. Unlike my husband, who always chooses the same Domino cake each birthday, I decided to try different recipes. And this year, my inspiration will be some of flavors that I most like: brigadeiro, walnut, apricot and plum.

I created a walnut sponge cake filled with two layers. For the first one, I used walnut brigadeiro mixed with dried plum jam. The second filling is a combination of white brigadeiro and dried apricot jam. Each layer has a particularly color, which gave to the cake a beautiful look.

I have to confess that I have a huge admiration for decorated cakes with meringue buttercream. They are adorable. So, I decide to make for the first time a Swiss meringue buttercream. I even ventured making some ruffles too.

Everything worked deliciously well for this cake. I loved the combination between the brigadeiros and jams. I also spent an adorable time with my mom preparing the cake this morning. This gave me a such happiness that I can not imagine a better way to start this especial day.

My Birthday Cake

Sponge Cake

(makes 1 disc)

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoon cake flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whip, beat the eggs and the sugar on medium-high speed in a large mixing bowl until the mixture is pale yellow, thick, and tripled in volume, about 8 minutes.  Sift the flour into a small mixing bowl. Add half the flour mixture to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly until smooth. Repeat with the other half. Pour the cake batter into the pan, spreading it evenly. Bake until the cake springs back when touched, about 15 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes, and then gently flip it out onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Let cool completely. To make the walnut sponge cake add 4 tablespoon of crushed walnuts to the sponge cake recipe.

Walnut Brigadeiro

1 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon unsweetened butter

4 tablespoon crushed walnuts

Pour the condensed milk into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat

Add the crushed walnuts and butter and keep stirring the mixture until it starts to show the bottom of the pan when you scrape it with a spoon. As you scrape the bottom of pan with the spoon, the mixture should be thick enough to show you the bottom the pan for a couple of seconds before the mixture levels out again.

Pour the mixture in a bowl and leave aside to cool.

Dried Plum Jam

10 oz. dried plums, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

water

In a sauce pan over medium heat boil the plums in water and sugar. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon about 20 minutes or until jam consistency. Turn into a bowl and let cool before using.

White Brigadeiro

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 egg yolks

1 can table cream

Pour the condensed milk into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat

Add the egg yolks and keep stirring the mixture until it starts to show the bottom of the pan when you scrape it with a spoon. As you scrape the bottom of pan with the spoon, the mixture should be thick enough to show you the bottom the pan for a couple of seconds before the mixture levels out again.

Pour the mixture in a bowl and leave aside to cool. When the Brigadeiro mixture is at room temperature, add the table cream and mix until combine. Place it in the fridge until decoration.

Dried Apricot Jam

10 oz. dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

water

In a sauce pan over medium heat boil the apricots in water and sugar. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon about 20 minutes or until jam consistency. Turn into a bowl and let cool before using.

Apricot Swiss Merengue Buttercream

(from Sweetapolita)

5 large egg whites (30g each–total 150g)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoon apricot jam

Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and vinegar, to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar,  and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and cool. Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on medium speed continously, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth).  Add vanilla and salt, mix well. Add the apricot jam and mix well.

Guava Marmalade Cheesecake - Cheesecake de Goiabada

Guava is one of my very favorite fruits. When I was a child, every weekend my family went to my grandparent’s farm. My sister, cousins and I loved to eat fresh guava directly from the orchard. The red guava was the fruit that I most enjoyed to pick up and eat. It’s impressive how they are juicy and flavorful in its freshest moment.

This tropical fruit has a beautiful pink and sweet flesh. It is rich in vitamins A and C. It’s also a good source of polyphenols and carotenoids, which have high antioxidant properties. As it contains a high level of pectin (a gelling agent that gives the jelly-like consistency) guavas are quite used to make candies, jams and my favorite one: goiabada, which is the name given by the Brazilians for guava marmalade.

Goiabada, is another classic Minas candy. It's made with guava and sugar. It’s very common eat goiabada with a slice of Minas cheese as a dessert in Brazil. The Brazilians call this combination as “Romeo and Juliet”. This dessert was my inspiration to make a guava cheesecake. First, I prepared the goiabada and then I used it to make a New York-style cheesecake. If you are looking for a recipe to add flavors in a dessert, goiabada will be a perfect choice!

Guava Marmalade Cheesecake

Guava Marmalade

7 ripe guavas

1 1/4 cup sugar

water 

 Wash guavas, cut them halved or quartered and bring the boil with enough water to almost cover them. If you prefer, you can peel the fruit before cooking.
When it starts to boil remove from heat and allow to cool before placing in a blender without the water.  Blend and then strain. You can also boil a few minutes longer and then strain. By doing it this way you avoid using the blender.
 Add sugar and bring to a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until thickened or to your personal jam consistency preference. Turn into a bowl and let cool before using.

Crust

6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature

3 tablespoons sugar

12 graham crackers (3-by-5 inch)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap exterior of pan (including base) in a double layer of foil. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place crushed crackers and 3 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl; stir until well combined. Pour melted butter over cookie mixture and mix until evenly moistened. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake until crust is set, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Guava cheesecake

1 lb. Cream Cheese, room temp

1 cup (7.5 oz.) Sugar

1/2 cup of flour

3 lrg Eggs, room temp

1 ½ tsp pure Vanilla Extract

¼ tsp Salt

12 oz plain yogurt, room temp

1 cup Guava Marmalade

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and flour. With mixer on low speed, gradually add sugar mixture to cream cheese.

 Beat cream cheese and sugar until very smooth about 3 min( It gives the cake

that mousse quality). Add eggs, 1 at a time, scraping bowl and beating after each

just until smooth. Add vanilla & salt and beat until incorporated. Beat in yogurt. Beat in guava marmalade. Wrap the pan with the crust in a double layer

of aluminum foil.

Pour batter into crust. Place in water bath (hot water) in a larger oven proof pan

Bake 45-55 min.

To serve, unmold cheesecake (peel off and discard paper). Transfer to a serving platter; top with guava marmalade.