Risotto with Roasted Parsnips and Kale

MM and I recently went out to eat at a restaurant that we used to love, but which has gone down hill within the past couple years. It appears to be making a slight rebound as MM loved his steak. I ordered seared bay scallops, which came with lobster risotto, and was looking forward to having two seafood items that I don't make for myself at home. The scallops were great, but the risotto was terrible. The rice was mush and there was no lobster to be seen. Just tiny pieces of tomato and some spinach.When I asked the waiter about it, he said, "Oh, it is made with lobster stock, there isn't supposed to be pieces of lobster in it." Excuse me? If I make risotto with chicken stock I don't call it chicken risotto. Let's call tomato and spinach risotto what it is!

So I decided that I had to make a satisfying risotto at home. I had some parsnips and kale in the fridge that I needed to use and stumbled upon this recipe for Risotto with Parsnips and Greens in the NY Times. The recipe was created by David Tanis who is a chef at Chez Panisse and has two award-winning cookbooks, A Platter of Figs and Heart of the Artichoke. I bought Heart of the Artichoke on Gilt for a really good price and while I haven't made anything from it, the pictures are incredible and Tanis's storytelling is top-notch.

This recipe turned out well and did satisfy my craving for good risotto. I altered it slightly to be more to my liking (I prefer a higher ratio of vegetables to rice) and more streamlined for a home cook. I find that when professional chefs try to create (write) recipes for home cooks, you can still tell they are coming from a professional origin and usually use more pans than necessary and are a little fussy. (Although my adaptation still uses 3 pots and 1 baking sheet. Sorry!)

Risotto with Roasted Parsnips and Kale
Adapted from David Tanis, NY Times
Serves 4 generously

Approximately 3/4 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Approximately 3/4 lb kale, leaves torn from the stems and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup vialone nano or arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the parsnips with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until slightly browned, about 20 minutes.

2. While the parsnips are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the kale until bright green and tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, cool and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a low simmer and maintain the simmer.

4. Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and saute until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring continuously for about 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice and stir until it is absorbed. Continuing adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, until it is all gone and the rice is al dente. This will take about 20 minutes. I usually start tasting the rice around the 15 minute mark. The rice should have a bite, do not overcook your risotto.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, parsnips, kale and some cheese. Taste for seasoning and serve with more cheese.

Baked Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash

Luckily, cooking attempt number 2 was wildly successful!

This recipe is from Real Simple's December 2011 issue and it is a keeper. I love barley and I love one-pot meals that don't require a lot of fussing. This is an excellent simple, but hearty dinner that is savory and fulfilling.

Mushroom Risotto with Peas

I received an email last week from Giada (well, not technically from Giada, but from her mailing list), announcing a Facebook contest where you chose one recipe of hers from a list of 50, cook it, take a picture and submit it for judging. I figured I do that on a regular basis with the blog, so I might as well submit a photo!

As you can see, I made mushroom risotto with peas, and I think my picture turned out pretty well. I did fuss with the recipe a little bit (mainly because I didn't want a huge vat of it leftover); my adaptions are below.

Mushroom Risotto with Peas
Adapted from Giada
Serves 4

Ingredients

6 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I used 2 cups leftover veggie broth and 4 cups chicken broth)
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (the package was 1 ounce and I was not about to half it!)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped (again, the package determined how much I used)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cup vialone nano rice (or arborio)
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the dried porcini mushrooms and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Remove the mushrooms from pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board. Set aside. Keep the broth at a low simmer.

2. Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet/pot/braiser over medium heat and then add the olive oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and garlic. Finely chop the porcini mushrooms and add them to the pot. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the the rice and toast for a couple minutes, stirring continuously. Pour in the wine and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir for about 2 minutes, or until the wine has been absorbed. Ladle about 1 cup of broth into the pan and cook, stirring continuously. (The risotto should be simmering ever so gently; lower the heat if necessary.) Continue adding broth by the ladleful once the previous amount has been absorbed, and stir, stir, stir! After about 20 minutes, start tasting the rice and stop adding broth once it is just tender, but still has bite. (Some days you will use all of the broth, some days you won't.)

4. Stir in the peas and the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with more cheese.

Red Wine and Porcini Risotto

When Hurricane Irene was battering the outside of my house this weekend, all I could think of was having something warm, rich and comforting inside of my house. (Side note: who ever would have thought that DC would experience an earthquake and a hurricane in the same week!?) (Another side note, or maybe more of an observation: it is not fun, nor dry, to walk a dog in a hurricane. Sorry Patton, next time you are on your own!)

Moving on...

I had a package of dried porcini mushrooms that I have been wanting to try and I remembered that great red wine risotto I made over the winter. I used the same recipe from Food 52 as my starting point and adapted it for what I had in the fridge and pantry. It ended up being a great hurricane dinner!

Red Wine and Porcini Risotto
Adapted from Food 52
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 oz package dried porcini mushrooms
5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
3/4 cup diced 1/4 inch thick salami (or pancetta or bacon)
1 onion, diced
1 cup vialone nano rice
3/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
leaves from a couple sprigs of fresh thyme

1. Soak the mushrooms for at least 20 minutes in boiling water. (The water need only be boiling when you first pour it over the mushrooms.) Carefully remove the mushrooms from the water and squeeze any excess water from them. (Hang on to the mushroom soaking liquid in case you need more liquid for your risotto - just be careful not to stir up the dirt that would have settled to the bottom of the bowl.) Chop the mushrooms.

2. In a saucepan, bring the stock to a low simmer and maintain the simmer while making the risotto.

3. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the salami and cook until starting to crisp. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until the salami is crisp and the mushrooms are golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

4. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the fat already in the skillet. Saute the onion until soft. Add the rice and continually stir for about two minutes. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium low.

5. Add 1/2 cup stock to the rice and stir until it has been absorbed. Continue adding stock in this manner until you have about 1 cup of stock left. Add the salami and mushrooms back to the skillet, stir to combine, and continue adding stock until the rice is al dente. It should be creamy, with a little bite, and never mushy. The amount of stock you will need depends on your rice, and a host of other factors.

6. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining two tablespoons of butter, the cheese and the thyme. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Baked Spinach and Pea Risotto

Let me start by saying that I am a risotto purist. I have been incredibly skeptical of recipes that claim you can bake risotto and it will turn out the same as if you stood at the stove stirring and gradually adding broth for 20 minutes. So, I decided that it was time I stopped judging and actually try a baked risotto recipe.

Real Simple's April 2011 issue just happened to have a recipe for Baked Spinach and Pea Risotto, which fits nicely into my current self-imposed mandate to eat more vegetables and use recipes from my food magazines (see here).

The verdict? It was fine. It tasted like how I expect risotto to taste because the flavor of the arborio rice still came through, but the texture was kind of like glue. Or that paste you use in kindergarten that inevitably some boy ends up eating. Now, I did overcook the risotto - the recipe says to bake for 20-25 minutes and I meant to check it at 20 minutes, but got sidetracked, so when I pulled it out at 24 minutes, it was overdone. The rice most certainly did not have that al dente crunch that I like. But, on the positive side, it was nice to pop the pot into the oven and sit down and read the paper. And I guess it is a way for me to use up my arborio rice (see here and here for my obsession with vialone nano rice). I may be tempted to try it again with the intention of not overcooking it, but we'll see.

Has anyone had success with baked risotto?

Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto

After teasing us with gorgeous warm, sunny weather, winter decided it wasn't quite done with DC and it left us with clouds and a temperature of 30 degrees. I decided that the sweet potato and onion on my counter would best comfort me in a warm creamy bowl of risotto.

I used a recipe from the blog Two Peas and Their Pod as a guide. My recipe is below. I would absolutely recommend trying this if you have a sweet potato laying around. The sweet creaminess of the roasted sweet potato paired perfectly with the creamy slightly nutty risotto. 

Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto
Serves 2

1 Sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 - 3/4 inch cubes
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 - 4 cups vegetable broth (I only ended up needing 3 cups of broth, but I used Vialone Nano rice, which is smaller than Arborio, so it cooks quicker. If you are using Arborio, you may need more.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup Vialone Nano or Arborio rice (If you like risotto and have never tried Vialone Nano rice, search it out. Believe me, it is worth it. It cooks faster, is creamier and consistently has the correct al dente texture. I first tried it when I made risotto rosso this past winter and I won't go back to Arborio.)
1/3 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring once, until tender.

3. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan.

4. Heat butter and a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium heat in a large pot, Dutch oven, or gorgeous braiser that your husband bought you for Valentine's Day. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and toast for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the wine and stir until absorbed. Add 1/2 cup or so of broth, stirring until absorbed. Lower the heat if the rice is absorbing the liquid too quickly. Continue adding broth in this manner until rice is al dente. This should take 20-30 minutes, depending on your rice, the humidity, how many pets are staring at you and the position of the moon.

5. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the roasted sweet potatoes and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Taste for seasoning and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately!

Risotto Rosso

I have been saying for awhile that I want to try to make a risotto with red wine, and I happened to find vialone nano in Rhode Island over Christmas, and I was dying to try it. Luckily I had printed this recipe from food52 a couple months ago and it turned out to be the most delicious recipe.

The mushrooms, pancetta, red wine and beef broth gave this dish a rich, earthy depth of flavor. It was truly like nothing I have ever tasted. (Or maybe like nothing I have ever created in my kitchen.)

It just barely made two dinner portions and one leftover lunch portion, so I will definitely double it the next time I make it. (I love having risotto leftover for lunch.) Also, I had about 1 1/2 cups broth left over, which never happens with arborio rice; I am usually scrambling to find more broth to finish cooking the rice. 

Risi e Bisi

I love risotto and always look forward to fall and winter, which is the only time I want to stand over a simmering pot stirring and stirring.

Risi e bisi is a traditional Venetian spring dish and is supposed to be soupier in consistency than a risotto. As you can see from the above photo, mine certainly looks like a risotto. (Also, being a spring dish, you are supposed to make it with fresh peas, but frozen ones work fine.) The last time I made this dish (before BlB), I did manage to get it soupier, but no matter, it tastes delicious either way! And you will enjoy it in any season!

I combined two risi e bisi recipes to make this dish: one from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Italian Cooking and one from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook.

Risi e Bisi
Serves 4-6

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
6 ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups fresh or partially thawed frozen peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a gentle simmer and maintain over low heat.

2. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the rice and stir until each grain is coated with oil and hot, about 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and stir until it is completely absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the stock and stir until it is absorbed. Continue to add the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and allowing it to be absorbed before adding more, for about 10 minutes (if using frozen peas, cook for 15 minutes before adding peas).

4. Stir in the peas and the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Resume adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time and stirring until the rice is tender yet firm to the bite, 8-10 minutes more.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and butter. Check seasoning and serve with more grated Parmigiano.

Dirty Risotto

The other night was dark and chilly (fall is thankfully upon us) and I was craving risotto. I wanted a recipe that was full of "stuff" so it would be hearty and found this recipe of Giada's on Food Network. (I am embarrassed to say that it took me a couple of hours to realize that Dirty Risotto is a play on Dirty Rice. Although, having never had dirty rice, maybe I shouldn't be too embarrassed.)

The dish turned out fairly well. The guy at the supermarket cut my pancetta a little too thin and I think it would be better if it was about 1/4 inch thick. Also, Harris Teeter was out of pork sausage, so I bought chicken sausage. I bet the pork sausage would have made the risotto a little more flavorful. (Although chicken is healthier.) And as you can see from the picture, I did not cut up the red bell pepper small enough; I think a small dice would have been appropriate. And lastly, we omitted the mushrooms, because MM does not like them.

When it was all said and done, I discovered that I like the taste of vegetarian risotto better than ones with meat in them. And on another risotto note, I am determined to make red wine risotto this winter! Stay tuned!