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This just in: Risotto alla Carbonara IS the Ultimate Comfort Food

September 28, 2011 in Entrees

Risotto alla Carbonara

I love it when the need for a dish creates the dish itself. Necessity is always the mother of invention, ‘mother’ being the key term in this particular case. A mom in our circle of friends recently had her second baby, and had smartly registered on MealBaby to ensure that a regular rotation of nourishing food arrived on their babymooning doorstep.

On MealBaby, you can be as general or as specific as you like about your dietary needs and preferences. In my friend’s case, I thought risotto sounded like a great comfort food for them, but they need to make sure a good amount of protein is in every entree. So I started wondering about what kind of meat would be the most harmonious in a risotto. Bacon came to mind – and then the idea struck: what about a risotto . . . . rendered in carbonara form?  Did I dare???

The first time I made this, I tried it with turkey bacon, and thought it was already a resounding success (the family agreed). The second time, I decided to go all the way, with full-on 100% bacon bacon. And all I have to say is that unless you have a dietary reason to avoid any of the admittedly decadent ingredients herein, you must, MUST make this, preferably as your autumn weather begins to make its turn into the coming chilly months. Read the rest of this entry →

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Meatless Monday: A Meatless Loaf Even June Cleaver Would Envy (Secret Ingredient: A-1 sauce!)

June 21, 2010 in Healthy Fare, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Entrees

Who-Needs-Hamburger Amazing Meatless Loaf recipe

Who needs hamburger? Try our amazing Meatless Loaf recipe!

For the ultimate Meatless Monday challenge, we here at FFF decided to take on the iconic American comfort food recipe: meatloaf.

June Cleaver made meatloaf, as did all women who dared to call themselves housewives in the 1950s. Each woman’s meatloaf was a yardstick to measure her skill as a home cook. Meatloaf has been made in various versions for centuries, but it was the Americans during the Great Depression who added bread and eggs to the dish to stretch their pennies and added ketchup as a topping.

Like almost everyone growing up in America in the 50′s, 60′s or 70′s, I ate my weight in meatloaf as a child. To this day, when anyone says “meatloaf,” the smell, taste and texture of this comfort food fills my senses.

So, we said to ourselves, “Could we remake this comfort food classic without meat but with as much flavor and comfort as the original hamburger dish?” Our answer: “Absolutely.”

I made about a dozen versions of this dish and there are two secrets to our final fabulous dish. First, add diced cooked dates. The dates add a rich taste and sticky texture that are necessary to replace hamburger. Second, use the American classic A-1 steak sauce. When I made previous versions of this, everyone wanted A-1 to drizzle on top of their slices. So == light bulb goes on == why not add this raisin-y, flavor-packed sauce right in with the loaf mixture?!

The combination of ingredients and flavors in this final version are astounding. The texture is rich, moist and firm and holds together while cooking and slicing.  This is one of my favorite veggie makeover dishes of all time. Truly remarkable. Please try it – with or without your June Cleaver apron on!

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