Naples resort restaurant helps families create holiday meals

NAPLES, Fla. — The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort Naples provides some helpful recipes to spice up any holiday party.

Below are the recipes shown in Monday’s segment prepared by The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort Naples Chef Michael Bandus.

Pistachio risotto

• 3 shallots, diced small
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped.
• 1 cup white wine
• 8 cups chicken stock
• ¼ pound butter, diced
• 2 cups grated parmesan
• 1 bunch parsley chopped
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Saute the shallots with olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.

Once translucent add Rice and “toast” until rice is hot to the touch. Add the White wine and cook until reduced.

Start adding hot chicken stock one cup at a time, while continuously stirring the rice until all the stock is used and the rice is fully cooked.

Once the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the butter and parmesan cheese. Finish with pistachio and parsley. The risotto serves four people.

Lamb shanks

• 4 each Lamb shank (10 – 14 ounces)
• 1 yellow onion small diced
• 3 carrots small diced
• 4 celery sticks small diced
• 3 teaspoon tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine
• 8 cups chicken or veal stock
• 2 spring rosemary
• 2 spring Thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt / pepper

Season the Lamb shanks with salt and pepper, and sear all sides in a large pan on medium high heat until golden brown.

Remove the shanks, reduce the heat to medium and add all the diced vegetables. Saute until lightly browned. After add the tomato paste and saute for 2 min. Deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce until almost gone. Now, add stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.

Return the lamb shanks to the pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 300 degree oven for three hours.

To finish, remove thyme and bay leaves from liquid.

In addition, blend the remaining liquid until smooth and thick consistency. The lamb shanks serve four people.

Roasted vegetables with chorizo

• 2 each chorizo
• 1 small butternut squash
• ¼ pound brussel sprouts
• ¼ pound baby carrots
• Salt / pepper
• Parsley
• Olive oil
• Peel and large dice the Butternut squash
• Trim and cut brussel sprouts in half
• Trim and cut baby carrots in three
• Peel and cut chorizo on Bias

Toss vegetables separately with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the vegetables on a baking tray and cook at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.

Saute the chorizo in a large pan until browned, add all the vegetables and toss.

Continue heating on medium heat until all vegetables are hot, and finish with parsley and olive oil. The roasted vegetables serve four people.

Eggplant carpaccio

• 1 each eggplant
• 1 each roasted red pepper
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomato
• ¼ cup Kalamata olives
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 4 oz robiola chees (or goat cheese)
• 2 springs basil
• Aged balsamic
• Olive oil
• Salt / pepper

Slice the eggplant into thin round slices. Season with salt and pepper and sear in a medium hot sate pan with olive oil. Remove and place on platter slightly overlapping each other

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Season them with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast in a 420 degree oven for three minutes or until the tomatoes start to burst open.

Top the eggplant with sliced roasted peppers, cherry tomato, pine nuts, kalamata olives, and small pieces of cheese. Warm the plate in a 300 degree oven for two minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove and finish with sliced basil, balsamic and olive oil.

For more information call 239-593-2000 or visit the Ritz-Carlton on 2600 Tiburon Drive.