The Fuzzy Chef & Friends

The subject of this first class was risotto, the traditional northern Italian rice dish.  I wanted to both demystify risotto, which I think many Californians regard as very gourmet rather than the simple country dish it is, and show the basic techniques.  Once you have the techniques, you can make any kind of risotto you want, based on what you find in the market or what you happen to have in the fridge.  I'll follow up this post with recipes.

A year ago Trader Joe's stopped carrying their Roasted Garlic Oil.  I was distraught; I'd used that pungent oil for several years to accent foods with garlic, when raw garlic was too strong.  Salad dressings, crostini, scrambled eggs, soups ... now what to do?  I thought of buying some at my local grocer's, but there it was $9 for 6oz.

As it turns out, it's very easy to make your own roasted garlic olive oil, and I've been doing it since then ... (continue for recipe)

A few years ago there was an excellent Italian restaurant in Jacksonville, Oregon called "Caterina's". Unfortunately, it was a little too gourmet for the Rogue Valley and Caterina soon found she could be more successful, with less work, doing catering and Italy tours. However, she did give me a recipe for one of her signature dishes, Lasagna di Estate ("Summer Lasagna"). Her original recipe was a little too "restaurant" for home use (some ingredients needed to be chilled overnight, and it was cooked in single-serve portions) so I modified and adapted it, and (as I usually do) added more vegetables to make it into a one-casserole meal.

I present it here as a lighter-feeling lasagna for August when summer vegetables are at their peak. (oh, and before you ask ... "Fabio" was my nickname in Italian class.)