Fancy for a Weeknight: Weeknight Baked Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is usually a weekend meal here.  It's not especially hard, but it is a little time consuming.   I don't do the constant stirring, but even without that, there's the constant adding liquid and waiting for it to be absorbed.

Which is a shame, because risotto is pretty popular here.  Even with the youngest member of our family.  And I can't really blame him since risotto is so creamy and delicious. 

Kim posted this "weeknight risotto" and I instantly put it on our menu-plan.  I feel like it fits in really well with the "dump things in a bowl and cook it" stage of my life I seem to be going through right now.  I mean, if it works for macaroni and cheese....

The result? When I pulled it out of the oven, it was a little watery, but the risotto was obviously cooked.  I figured I'd have to serve it with a slotted spoon, which I did for Thatbaby's portion which needed to cool a bit.   By the time I had got back from putting his on the table to cool, the rest of the liquid had been absorbed!  So give it a minute or so after taking it out of the oven before serving.

This risotto was missing a little oomph, but it's a great technique and I can see using it with other risottos.  A lot.  Because Thatbaby adored this.  I cut the recipe in half for the three of us.  Thatbaby ate his portion and then asked for more.  Which we didn't have.  So I ended up giving him half of mine.  And he asked for more after that!  Next time, I'll make the full recipe.

Weeknight Baked Mushroom Risotto (From Kimberly Michelle)

3 tsp butter, divided
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 oz field mushrooms, sliced
6 oz Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
6 oz button mushrooms, quartered
1 ½ cup arborio rice
4 ½ cups chicken stock
1 cup finely grated parmesan
sea salt and cracked black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Melt  2 tspbutter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
2. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes.
3. Place the rice, chicken stock and mushrooms in a baking dish and stir to combine. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until most of the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente.
4. Add the parmesan, remaining butter, salt and pepper and stir until the butter is melted.
   

Re-visit

It's fun to revisit things we love.  Like the picture of Thatbaby at Channukah last year compared with a picture of Channukah this year.

 

It's crazy the difference a year makes.  Last year he was barely able to hold his head up, this year he's like a real little person.

And speaking of Channukah, I'll do a real quick Channukah wrap-up.  The last two nights Thatbaby got a new towel, 2 pairs of pajamas (I love baby pajamas - they're so cute),

and a train set.

 

As for me, I got a Sephora gift card and another set of earbuds since Thatboy decided the last pair he got me weren't really for runners.

But back to the original topic at hand - revisiting with the familiar. Last week I headed for a Girls' Night Out with my friends at a wine bar. And I realized it had been far too long since I had used wine in one of my cooking adventures.  I love cooking with wine and the richness it entails, so I knew it was something I needed to revisit.  And along the vein of killing 2 birds with one stone, I thought I would revisit an old favorite recipe.

The first time I ever made risotto I made Giada's Dirty Risotto.  It was so delicious, and so easy, that I was hooked on risotto. I've had risotto failures in the past, but never with this recipe.  It was time for it to make another reappearance on our table.  I caution you not to change a thing about it - it's absolutely perfect as is.  Thatbaby loved every bite, and Thatboy went back for seconds.

 Dirty Risotto (from Giada De Laurentiis)
5 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp butter
2 oz pancetta, chopped
6 oz spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 oz button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup chopped fresh spinach 

 

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat.

2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sausage and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute.

5. Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total.

6. Remove from the heat. Stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan and spinach.

7. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and serve immediately.

The Pig's The Thing

I don't remember when it was, but I have a very vivid memory of Thatboy turning to me and saying "I'm so glad you're not kosher."  Thatboy was willing to give up a lot by marrying into the Jewish faith, but apparently cheeseburgers were not part of the package.

Thatbaby is similarly inclined to the non-kosher menu.  Most notable is his love of pork.  It's a meal he never tires of. 

Other things he never tires of?
Scream-laughing
Crawling with balls in his hands
Being held
Bathtime
Being thrown in the air

 

We went to the park this weekend and Thatbaby got lots of time in the sky, and on the grass.  Afterwards we went to check out a new burger place.

Thatbaby likes to really relax at restaurants.

We came home sunkissed and grateful for the summer.  And there was still some fresh corn in the fridge.  I decided it was time for Thatbaby to have his first taste of risotto.  I paired it with his favorite "other white meat."  The following recipe was enjoyed by the adults in the family - since honey isn't recommended for babies and chipotle isn't appreciated by our little guy.  (His slices get cooked separately).  But we all enjoyed the risotto!

 Chipotle Honey Lime Pork Tenderloin from A Taste of Home Cooking

1 pound pork tenderloin
1/2 cup lime juice
Zest from 1 lime
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 tablespoon adobo sauce
Canola oil
Chopped cilantro

1. Combine lime juice, zest, honey, salt, and garlic powder in a bowl
2. Place pork in large ziplock bag and pour half of this mixture over.
3. Add chipotle and adobo sauce to bag, close and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
4. About 30 minutes before you are ready to cook, remove pork from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. 
5. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a heavy, oven-proof skillet, heat enough oil to coat over medium high. Remove tenderloin from marinade and sear in hot skillet on all sides, 3 minutes per side. 
6. Place the skillet in the oven and roast tenderloin for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time.
7. Remove pork to cutting board and tent with foil.
8. Pour reserved lime juice mixture and leftover marinade into skillet with meat juices and heat on medium-high. Allow sauce to reduce and thicken slightly, then pour over sliced pork.

Sweet Corn Risotto

5 cups chicken broth

1/2 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup arborio rice 

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups fresh corn

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp milk

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Heat chicken broth on stove and keep warm.
2. Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Saute onion until translucent.
3. Add in red pepper flakes and garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
4. Add rice and toss until coated in oil.  Cook until rice is translucent.
5. Add the wine and corn, stirring until the wine is almost completely absorbed.
6. Add the chicken broth to the rice, about 1/4 cup at a time, waiting to add each addition until the previous addition is absorbed. Stir frequently.
7. After all the stock is absorbed, and the rice is tender, stir in butter, milk, and Parmesan.

Low class risotto

I'm a sucker for risotto.  There's something so delicate about the individual rice kernels.  And the process of making risotto is almost romantic.  First you loosen the kernels up with a bit of wine or champagne.   The constant stirring is like the artful attention of a compassionate lover.  At the end, the cheese is added - a mild selection that seems to melt into the very soul of the rice.

But just as every woman does not need to be wined and dined, some risottos don't need the champagne and caviar treatment.  Like this one.  It's your working class risotto.  This risotto likes a good brew with her pizza. This risotto finds his tractor sexy.

This recipe comes from my dear friend Faye who is working her way back home as we speak!  After spending far too many years on distant shores she is finally coming back to San Diego!  Sure she's a couple years older and will be bringing home a couple more kids than she left with, but we're happy to have her just the same.  And when we get together, there's no wasting wine with cooking.  That stuff goes straight to the glass!

Beer and Cheddar Risotto 

1/2 onion, diced

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups Arborio rice

12 oz. bottle of beer

49.5 ounce can of chicken broth

5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Pour chicken broth into medium saucepan and heat over low heat.
2. Heat a separate large pan over medium low heat.  Melt butter and olive oil in the pan.
3. Add the onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent. 
4. Raise heat to medium high and add garlic.  Cook just until garlic is fragrant.
5. Add rice and saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until opaque, adding more olive oil as necessary to coat the rice.
6. Pour in beer, turn heat up to high until it starts to simmer.
7. Reduce heat back to medium-low and add the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid dissolves.
8. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and cayenne pepper.