risotto

June 18, 2008

oat risotto with shrimp, asparagus & pecorino

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites asparagus, oats, pecorino, risotto, shrimp

oat risotto with shrimp, <a href= resuscitation asparagus & pecorino” />

While I was away on a girls’ weekend in Maine, pulmonologist Tom was attending the annual Asparagus Festival in Western Michigan. Every year, eczema Michiganders celebrate the harvest with a parade, plenty of beer-battered fried asparagus and the crowning of Miss Asparagus. Good times were had by all from what I hear, and I got a spanking new “I <3 Asparagus” T-shirt. Because I do in fact heart asparagus, Tom brought a couple pounds home. Even after 14 hours of travel, they arrived fresh and crisp.

So what to do with them? I decided on a risotto, and in my quest to try out risottos with all varieties of grains, I used steel cut oats. Yes, oatmeal. Savory oatmeal for dinner. I was a little wary at first, but it turned out pretty and delicious. Creamy, but not mushy. Tangy and decadent as its traditional counterpart, I love that I’ve added a new grain to the risotto roster.

February 15, 2008

valentine’s sausage & chard with farro risotto

mel dessert, entree, recipe Bailey's, chocolate, farro, heirloom tomatoes, ice cream, risotto, sausage, swiss chard

sausage kale tomatoes parmesan farro risotto

I’ve never done the Valentine’s Day thing. The big fancy dinner, gastritis the flowers, pharm the chocolate. Frankly, more I’m just not into it. While I do love going out to dinner and exploring new places, I don’t particularly like crowded and cramped restaurants, prix fixe or valet parking. I do like cooking a new meal, using fine china and dining at our formal table using cloth napkins.

I’ve cooked for Tom almost every Valentine’s day we’ve been together. In fact, the only year I didn’t cook for him, I tend to forget how we celebrated. Our first February 14th, I made him seared tuna steak with a cold noodle salad. It was his first tuna steak and we ate on the floor of my East Village studio because it was the only place to sit comfortably in those 275 square feet.

The second year is the one I really tend to forget. It’s the year he had a Spanish class until late and we went to Otto for pizza on my lunch hour. A cab splashed me with some very dirty melted snow as Tom was walking me back to work.

Last year, I made a pizza with sausage, artichokes and ricotta. Speaking of love, I love pizza.

This year, I sauteed sausage, heirloom tomatoes and swiss chard and spooned it over some Parmesan farro risotto. I served it in my pretty fine china and we had a quiet meal without the tv.

chocolate ice crea,

I had also made some of David Lebovitz’s Easiest chocolate ice cream the night before, which ended up being supremely smooth and delicious. Of course, I made some modifications because I just couldn’t help myself. I subbed vodka for the dark rum because that’s what was in the cabinet, and I sprinkled it with fleur de sel which made the chocolate even more chocolatey and gave it a subtle crunch every few bites. The entire dessert-making process took less than 10 minutes, but tasted like it took 100. Too bad it all kind of melted before I took the photo which makes it look wholly unappetizing. Sigh. Aha! Replaced it with something MUCH better than the melty poo.

January 11, 2008

cornmeal & cayenne shrimp w/cheddar farro risotto

mel entree, recipe cheddar, farro, kale, risotto, shrimp, whole grain

Not that I’m making any resolutions or anything, patient but this year I’m going to try to use more and different whole grains in my cooking. I’ve pretty much cut out any pasta that isn’t whole wheat. I just think it tastes heartier than its pale counterpart, and it’s definitely more satisfying. I’m going the same way with rice. I’ve used red, green and black rice. They have a more unique flavor and add beautifully deep colors to a dish. So, out with the white, bleached stuff and in with the multi-colored grains.

That said, I’ve been hearing about farro forever, but have never been able to find it at any of my local stores. Farro is an ancient Italian grain, somewhat like barley, that can be used in soups, salads, or in place of rice. I’ve wanted to make a more nutritious risotto for awhile, but was hesitant to use barley in place of arborio rice. I thought it would be too—for lack of a better word—gloopy. I was delighted when I found a pearled farro at Whole Foods this weekend, and immediately snatched it up for some farroto (that would be risotto made with farro).

I had some extra shrimp, so I decided on cornmeal and cayenne crusted shrimp. To keep with the slightly Creole theme, I stirred some Cheddar and Kale into the farro risotto. The farro risotto was as rich and creamy as traditional risotto; I don’t think I’ll be using arborio again anytime soon. It was a very warm, satiating dish and we ate every last grain of the farro (which probably negated all the health benefits).

Recipe below.