Cooking with Chris #1

Ok, so things in my life are going pretty slowly right now, but I still eat food. Thusly I decided I was going to share with all of you the stuff I cook, if it's good. Most of the stuff I make is pretty basic and easy so do not expect anything too fancy, but I did just get a new German cookbook for Christmas (thanks Holly) so it might get more intense later on. Of course this could be a fleeting idea and I might never write another.  So I now present to you the first (possibly last) Cooking with Chris. Also I might change the name to something less lame.

Ok so I have 2 things for you today (because I am just that nice).  The first is a basic Spaghetti and Alfredo Sauce. Things you'll need

Onions or shallots
garlic
cream or milk
butter
Parmesan cheese (preferably actual cheese and not from a shaker)
Tomatoes (optional)
Olive oil (optional)
Spaghetti or pasta of choice.

So I don't like to put too many measurements because I think that following direct recipes doesn't teach you how to cook. We're not baking here so I say no to exact measurements, adjust everything to your own tastes.

Ok so first off you are going to want a sauce pan, toss it on the burner at medium to low heat. When it is warmed up toss in a healthy amount of butter (depending on how much your making). I put in around 2 tablespoons (I think?). So let that melt (but not boil or burn).  Then you want to toss in your garlic and onion. You can cut them however you like. If you like big hunks of onion then cut them big, if you don't then don't... pretty easy. As for the garlic I usually dice a couple cloves, but if I am lazy I'll just crush them.  Stir this around and let the onion and garlic get nice and soft.

Now you'll probably want to start your pasta of choice cooking, just do as the label says and you'll be fine.

Now it is time to add the cream/milk. This is just a choice thing. If you want it to have a little less fat then go with milk although I'll let you know that because of the amount of butter and cheese in this it may not have a huge overall effect. Plus I like a nice rich creamy flavour. So now that your cream is in you let is reduce and thicken up for a while. Make sure to stir it often so you don't get a thick layer on top. You don't want it to get too hot either, but it should have steam coming off of it.

Check on your pasta. How is it? Nice.

So now that your sauce is thickened a bit grab your grater and your wedge of parmesan and get grating and stir constantly while doing so. This can be made easier if you pre-grate your cheese. The sauce will thicken up pretty quickly.
OPTION: once again if you do not want to add too much cheese or if your sauce just isn't thickening the way you want it you can ad flour or cornstarch. If you do this then do is slowly and stir constantly. Also allow for some extra cooking time for these as if they are not cooked long enough flour and cornstarch can ruin the taste of the sauce.

After you added all the cheese you want then your sauce you can also add any herbs and spices your might want. Some suggestion I like in it are Oregano, Basil, Cayenne, Paprika, and lets say Parsley. As soon as your sauce is as thick as you want it then turn off the heat (do not let it cool though). Your pasta should be ready and strained by now. Add your pasta directly into the sauce pan and toss it in the sauce. Make sure the pasta is completely covered. Then toss it on a plate, garnish however you like and your done. Top your pasta with whatever you like. I like to add more Parmesan and oregano.

OPTION: Get a frying pan and put it on Medium/high heat. Add olive oil. Once it is hot then toss in tomato slices. The slices can be as thick or thin as you like. You want to sear the tomato slices on both sides and then put them on your plates of pasta.

Results:

One Down, now how about another.

Mushroom Garlic Risotto
Things you need:

Rice (not minute rice, but just a regular short grain, I used a wild rice so it took a bit longer to cook)
Garlic
Mushrooms
Onions or Shallots
Olive oil
Dry white wine
Parmesan cheese
Chicken or Vegetable stock
OPTIONAL: Leafy greens (ie spinach)

To start off grab yourself a deep frying pan and add olive oil. Now add your garlic and onions chopped however you like (sound familiar?). Once they are starting to get nice and browned add in the Mushrooms, once again cut however you like, but for faster process I say sliced thin. Allow everything to get nice and brown.
Use a slotted spoon and remove everything from the pans (make sure that the oil stays in). Add your rice in and stir it around.  Cook your rice like this until each grain has become somewhat transparent. When this happens it is time to add your Stock.
So when doing this you want to do so slowly and make sure to stir the rice plenty. You want to add about a 1/2 cup of stock at a time and when it is almost gone then add another 1/2 cup.

Option: If you want to you can make the first or second half cup of liquid you add to be a dry white wine. This will add more depth to the flavour but remember to add it early to give it plenty of time to cook

Now your going to continue to do this until your rice is of the consistency you want. Usually the ratio for rice is about twice as much liquid as the volume of rice, but see that you are cooking this without a lid it will likely take more liquid then you think. When it is to your liking then turn the heat to low and add your mushroom, onion and garlic in and stir it about.
Optional: You can also take this time to add in some leafy greens like spinach. It will add some nutrition the the dish.
Now that it is all mixed start to add your Parmesan slowly while stirring constantly you can add as much as you want so go crazy.

Serve immediately.

TIME SAVER: This takes quite awhile, but if you want to save time then you can cook the rice before hand and then toss it in the frying pan with your Mushrooms and all. Although this will mean you won't have enough time to properly cook the wine so it probably shouldn't be added.

Results:

Ok so there's that. If people like these than I might try to do some more. If you find the post boring and recipes crappy then let me know and I'll stop and we'll never speak of this ill fated attempt again.