Well, not really secrets, just what I did when Linda and Robert came to town last weekend.
By the way, we had a fantastic visit! They arrived on Friday night and we headed out to Coronado Island to stay at the Marriott on the Bay. We had dinner at The Del, and it made for a wonderful evening. On Saturday, we took it easy at the hotel until check-out, then headed over to Miramar for the annual Air Show. We saw a huge demonstration by the helicopters, a Harrier jet, the Red Baron bi-planes, and the Air Force Thunderbirds performed! That night when we got back to the apt, we feasted upon appetizers and a delicious risotto (recipes to follow). On Sunday we had a brunch at the house, then went out for Fish and Chips in Carlsbad. That evening we went up to San Juan Capistrano for dinner with Linda's cousins from Ohio. Monday meant that I had to go back to work, but Burr was able to take the day off and continue to play host. The crew came down to Solana Beach for lunch and shopping, then went to the airport for their return flight to Park City. It was an incredible weekend.
As per Linda's request, here are the recipes for my hummus and Ina Garten's Butternut squash risotto.
Hummus:
2 cans of chickpeas, drained
juice of one lemon
2 cloves of garlic
salt
pepper
dash of hot sauce
2 tablespoons of tahini (sesame paste)
olive oil
Puree all ingredients except for the olive oil in the bowl of food processor. With the food processor running, stream in the olive oil until hummus is desired consistency. Serve with pita chips, feta, olives, veggies... whatever!
Butternut Squash Risotto
from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten
1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 oz. pancetta, diced (this is an Italian cured bacon; if you can't find it, regular bacon is fine)
1/2 cup minced shallots
1.5 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4 inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.
In a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.
