After a long and involved process the Limoncello was finally sampled on Saturday.  Beforehand though I spent hours in the kitchen prepping dinner.   Unfortunately several glasses of wine into the evening it completely slipped my mind to take any actual shots of the cooked food.  No doubt, a common hazard of the “job.”

In reality I served a Roasted Vegetable Lasagna (specifically Portobello Mushrooms, Red Pepper, Zucchini, and Spinach) with spicy Turkey Sausage, Baked Artichokes with Gorgonzola and Herbs, and a Strawberry and Marscapone Granita.

I should warn you that even though Giada said you can eat the artichoke leaves, I thought they were really too chewy.  So I cut up cubes of Seeduction Bread (I know…I know…I’m obsessed) and served the artichokes as a sort of mini personalized fondue.   The fact that those leaves were so gross really annoyed me because it took 20 minutes to snip off the tips of six artichokes and those ends didn’t just fall gracefully to the counter in a neat pile, they flew all over my kitchen with an audible ping.  Zoom!

As for the Limoncello…well…I sort of had a hunch that I wouldn’t like it.  I haven’t been a fan of lemony cocktails in years ever since an unfortunate incident with some Bacardi Limon in college.   But my other guests didn’t seem to mind it.  CK actually liked it!  He drank his in the form of a modified Gin and Tonic.  My friend Melissa had the best response of all:

Anyway, I have two full wine bottles of the stuff left so if anyone has any good ideas on what I can do with it (besides drink it) I’d be forever grateful.

I feel like I’ve suddenly acquired a lemon slice filled aquarium. Should I name the curly pieces of zest that float about in their sea of Absolut all day? Lucy? Lola? Is that you?!

Honestly I had no idea that making lemon flavored booze would illicit such a strong and varied response from the world at large. I suppose I should have guessed as much given the vast array of recipes and tips I found online for making limoncello at home. I essentially closed my eyes and pointed to pick the one I used. C’est la vie!

Last evening I finished step 2 (the addition of a simple syrup concoction) in what I’ve been warned might possibly yield a frozen lemon mess with bitter overtones — to which I can only reply, I assure you, I’ve drank much worse.

Limoncello (Recipe originally published by Giada DeLaurentiis)
10 lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.

Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

Thanks to a post on Bostonist and urging from my fellow Google Reader addicts I decided to test my hand at making Limoncello. Today I completed the first step in this 3 part recipe. Honestly I’m a little scared of Limoncello. We all know what happened to Danny Devito after having a few too many with my boyfriend George Clooney. Tune in on Tuesday for Part 2 of my adventures in alcohol infusing. On a completely different note, while my kitchen smells like a lemon scented heaven what can I do with the 10 zestless lemons that are now sitting on my counter (besides the obvious gallon of lemonade)? Any thoughts?

Limoncello (Recipe originally published by Giada DeLaurentiis)
10 lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.

Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

Confession time: until I made this creamy risotto dish I’d never purchased or even used a vanilla bean before. I know — total baking blasphemy! Last month, after I read Amanda Hesser’s book, Cooking for Mr. Latte, I really wanted to bake the Vanilla Bean Loaves. Especially since they were based on a recipe from the High-Rise Bread Company right here in Cambridge. Unfortunately, the sticker shock of purchasing all of the vanilla beans needed to make something that I might not even like bordered on the ridiculous. So back on the shelf went those little dainty Whole Foods bottles, and off I went to find cheaper treasures, like Maple Wallaby Yogurts.

Inevitably though, as chance would have it, I became mesmerized with a Giada De Laurentiis recipe that called for the simple addition of a vanilla bean. This caused me to completely cave to my inner need for gourmet greed. A quick stop by Williams-Sonoma on my way home was all it took. Afterwards, I felt strangely satisfied knowing that my tiny vial containing two skinny black pods would soon become a “secret ingredient” in that evening’s dinner. The bean didn’t let me down. The hint of vanilla played off the sweetness of the squash nicely. I was a little worried that it might taste too much like rice pudding, but that definitely wasn’t the case. In the end I actually cooked some spicy turkey sausage and crumbled it into the risotto for a little extra protein, and I absolutely loved being able to see the small dots of fragrant vanilla decorating the squash and rice.

Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto (Originally published by Giada De Laurentiis)

4 cups vegetable broth (Note: I used low sodium chicken broth)
1 large vanilla bean
3 cups peeled cubed (1-inch wide) butternut squash, about 12 ounces
2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon
3/4 cups finely chopped onion (from 1 onion)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives (Note: I used thyme)

In a medium saucepan, warm the broth over medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and add them, and the bean, to the broth. When the broth comes to a simmer reduce the heat to low. Add the butternut squash to the simmering broth and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. (Note: I actually cooked my squash cubes for about 15 minutes. It took quite a while for them to become tender.) Using a slotted spoon remove the butternut squash to a side dish. Turn the heat on the broth down to very low and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Discard the vanilla bean. Turn off the heat. Gently stir in the butternut squash, Parmesan, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and salt. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives (Note: or thyme). Serve immediately.

Whole Foods meats are the ultimate in food porn. When I opened up my bag of stew beef I almost swooned. No wonder everything costs $200 a pound there. It’s gorgeous! The ruby red cubes were almost too pretty to put into a messy stew, but let’s be realistic people — a girl has to eat. This simple recipe was a big hit when our friends joined us to watch the Patriots beat The Chargers. In fact, my anti-vegetable cousin was totally duped into eating squash. She was shocked when I told her it wasn’t a potato that she was happily munching away on. So keep the lights dim and trick your kids the old fashioned way, without any of that ridiculous pureed carrot brownie junk. You might just get away with it. PS: if you live near a Whole Foods pick up a loaf of their phenomenal “Seeduction” bread to go along with your secret squash stew. It’s my favorite.

Herb Line-Up	Beef is Beautiful
Peel	Butternut Bites
Dust	Sun-Dried Bits
Saute	Brown
Add to the Pot	Pour, Cover & Simmer

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew (Originally published by Giada De Laurentiis)
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup Marsala wine (Note: I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 to 4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley (which I forgot to add)
Crusty bread, for serving

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.

One of the really fabulous things about working for a college in Boston is that I get Snow Days! Obviously I had to take complete advantage of this luxurious and unexpected long weekend so I decided to make some muffins. I was also in desperate need of some cooking redemption as both recipes that I made this weekend turned out terribly, including a cheesecake that didn’t completely set-up and Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chicken that I totally burned. Oops! Apparently I had some bad kitchen karma going on. Thankfully my mixer mojo was back in force today.

So, about this muffin batter. It makes an obscene amount. The thought of 18 muffins seemed a little redundant so I made 12 muffins and then poured the rest of the batter into a loaf pan. Now we have tasty muffins and walnut studded banana bread. All of which will probably end up at CK’s office tomorrow, but for the time being it smells pretty awesome in here. Plus the muffins had crunchy tops and moist centers. You can’t really ask for anything more. Now back to my pajama wearing, Jane Austen watching day.

Combine the Dry Ingredients	Mix the Wet Ingredients
Mash the Bananas	Stir Together
Scoop & Bake	Cool

Banana Muffins (Based on Giada De Laurentiis’s recipe originally published on the Food Network)

Makes 18 Muffins (or do what I did and bake 12 muffins and spoon the rest of the batter into a loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed
1 cup walnuts (Note: Totally optional, but I can’t imagine banana anything without some crunchy walnuts).

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and walnuts, and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly.