megram - Index

megram - Guide To Spring Fun In Ottawa's East End - Index

Melt half of the butter in large saucepan over medium
heat. Stir in chopped garlic; sauté until softened. Stir in
asparagus, red peppers; cook until vegetables are crisp-tender
and still brightly coloured. Transfer vegetable mixture
to bowl. Set aside.
Add remaining butter to same pan. Add rice; stir to coat
rice with butter. Cook two minutes. Add wine; cook and stir
until wine is absorbed by rice. Add 250 ml (1 cup) of stock;
cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring often, until
stock is absorbed. Continue to stir, adding stock 250
ml (one cup) at a time, allowing each cup of stock to
be absorbed by rice before adding the next cup. Cook
and stir until rice is tender and mixture is creamy.
This takes 30 to 40 minutes.
Stir asparagus mixture into rice, along with remaining
ingredients. Serve immediately.
GREEN BEAN AND GRAPE TOMATO SALAD
Serves 4 to 6
500 g (1 lb) green beans
500 ml (1 pt) grape tomatoes
oil and vinegar dressing, homemade or
purchased, to taste
25 ml (2 tbsp) minced fresh parsley to garnish
Wash and trim beans. Blanche for two minutes in
boiling water. Drain and immediately plunge into ice
water to stop cooking. Pat dry.
Toss beans with grape tomatoes and enough of your
favourite oil and vinegar dressing to coat. Sprinkle with
parsley.
MAPLE POACHED PEARS
Serves 4
4 ripe pears
150 ml (2/3 cup) maple syrup
75 ml (1/3 cup) water
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Mint leaves
Chocolate sauce, homemade or purchased
Pears can be peeled if desired. Leave stems on and
core pears carefully from the bottom using a small
spoon or melon baller.
In medium saucepan, combine syrup, water, and
zest; heat to just boiling. Place pears upright in pan
and spoon syrup mixture over them. Lower heat so liquid
just simmers. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes,
or until pears are very tender when pierced with the tip
of a sharp knife. Time varies with ripeness of pears.
Spoon the syrup mixture over pears occasionally during
cooking.
Remove pears from pan; refrigerate until cold.
To serve, cut a small slit in top of pear near stem;
insert mint leaf. Brush pears with poaching liquid. Spoon
a puddle of chocolate sauce onto each dessert plate.
Place one pear on sauce on each dessert plate.
Pam Collacott is a food writer and stylist, teacher, and television
personality on CTV Ottawa News at Noon. She is the
author of several books, including her latest, Pam Cooks 2,
More Favourites from the Trillium Cooking School
(www.pamcooks.com).
Ottawa Page 5 Due West/Due East Magazine • Spring 2008