April 25th: orzo risotto

For tonight's supper, Shannon prepared an orzo risotto from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman to accompany, from April 2010's Chatelaine: Pan-seared pork medallions on watercress. The risotto is one of her stand by recipes - quick, easy, and delicious - and will probably become one of ours, as Greg and Olivia love pasta! The pork medallions were a second try, and the recipe, while tasty, is not good enough to be a keeper in this household. As well, it was made with wilted spinach rather than watercress as the local Metro had a dearth of produce when Shannon went out gathering. The hunting had taken place previously and the pork came wrapped in plastic from the basement freezer.

The meal was lovingly prepared by our favourite houseguest, and she ensured it was on the table nice and early, around 8pm. We will be counting the days until she gets to come back, although the chances of coming back on the taxpayer's dime are slim to none.

Orzo Risotto:

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, diced

1-1/2 cups orzo

3 cups chicken stock (heated)

Pepper and salt to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in stock pot over medium-high heat. When foamy, add onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add orzo and salt and pepper to taste, and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add heated chicken stock all at once. Cover and simmer over medium-low for 15-20 minutes until orzo is soft and stock has been absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the grated Parmesan and stir to combine. Serve and top with remaining parmesan to taste.

Note from Kirsten: in case you didn't figure it out, this is a guest blog. I hope to be blogging soon, if my infant and leg will let me ... and if I can find a new recipe worth sharing!

May 7th: Mushroom risotto with peas and haddock

I've already blogged about a mushroom risotto I like, but I think I like this one a bit more. Less salty, which is a plus, and a bit easier to pull together. Still time-consuming, as a proper risotto must be, but not unduly laborious. This is a recipe I modified from one featured in the Ottawa Citizen in May 2010. It originally came from Chefs Duncan Ly and Laura Kennedy of the Raw Bar in Calgary. Yum yum:


Mushroom risotto with peas and haddock


2 tbsps olive oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
1 large portobello mushroom, diced
1/2 cup arborio rice
3 cups hot chicken stock, divided
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tbsps unsalted butter
1/4 bunch fresh chives, chopped
2-4 haddock fillets
salt and pepper


Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté about 10-12 minutes, or until onions are tender and translucent. Reduce heat if onions start to brown. Add mushroom and sauté another 5 minutes. Add rice, stirring to coat with onion-mushroom mixture. Sauté 3 minutes.


Stir in 1/2 cup hot chicken stock. Cook and stir until stock is absorbed, maintaining the mixture at a gentle simmer. Add remaining chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until stock is absorbed after each addition. This process will take about 25 minutes; the rice will be cooked but still firm in texture.


Stir in peas, Parmesan, butter and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.


Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season haddock fillets with salt and pepper. Place haddock in the skillet and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until bottom of each fillet is golden-brown. Using a spatula, flip haddock over and place pan in preheated oven for about 4 more minutes or until haddock is cooked.


Divide risotto between 2-4 plates. Top each risotto with haddock fillet.

Serves 2-4 (The recipe says it serves 4 but I could pretty much eat half of it myself)


The recipe called for halibut, but I used haddock. Although my husband told me a week ago, the last time I cooked haddock, that he doesn't like fish, tonight he said the fish was amazing. Say what now? Impossible. He didn't used to be so picky. Too many years of living with me, I think.

Though it's not readily apparent, we had a salad on the side.

April 13th: strawberry smoothie, sausage risotto

Olivia has taken to calling smoothies, "smooth-a-lies," which I enjoy. I've been making them everyday this week before work, and remembering why these stints never last long--I swear, I spend my night in the kitchen, first making supper, then making lunch, and now making breakfast too. It is no wonder people buy packaged foods or buy lunch at work all the time. What a lot of work. Today's smoothie recipe is one I've had for years and it's quite good, though I seem to have a mild allergy to raw bananas that makes me hesitant to make it too often:


Strawberry-banana-maple smoothie


1 cup (250 mL) strawberries, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup (50 mL) milk
1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup
2 ice cubes


Either the strawberries or the banana should be frozen, but not both. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serves 1.

For supper, inspired by a dinner party avec Brendan and Justine last weekend, I decided to take my risotto recipe and add some sausage into the mix. Instead of making the double mushroom version risotto, I made the Classic Risotto from November 2009's Chatelaine, but started by frying 3 diced sausage before adding leeks to the pan. Yum, yum and yum. (Not quite as good as B's but good enough for a Wednesday night!)

November 11th: Risotto cakes, roasted cauliflower + tahini, apricot chicken

Verdict:
Try Again: risotto cakes, roasted cauliflower
Toss: tahini sauce, apricot chicken

Yay! With impeccable timing, I came across a recipe that calls for leftover risotto. Simply take your risotto, mix in some egg, scoop it into a patty, dip in flour and pan-fry. Lovely. This is what Olivia and I had for lunch today, a hearty lunch that was well-appreciated after standing in the cold and crowds that is Remembrance Day in Ottawa. Not complaining, mind you; standing in cold and crowds is much preferable to fighting in a war. Olivia was so great during the ceremony; she was quiet as can be during the moment of silence.

I don't have a pic of the Pan-fried Risotto Cakes, which I found via another blog I am following: in erika's kitchen. I didn't use the suggested bacon; cooking that would have added a step and I wasn't interested in the extra time required. I still have more risotto leftover, so I may make these again over the weekend.

I made a white supper tonight. This happens every once and awhile when I don't think things through and end up cooking all pale foods. In tonight's case, it was potatoes, chicken and cauliflower. White, white and white. The chicken was a re-try from last year: from November 2009's Today's Parent: Apricot Almond Chicken. I completely messed up this recipe, which calls for dredging the chicken in egg and breadcrumbs/almonds prior to frying. I had the chicken in the frying pan for several minutes before I realized I had completely skipped the dredging step. No biggie, thought I, and I poured the egg over top, then sprinkled on the breadcrumbs and almonds, and popped the whole deal into the oven, as per the recipe. Turned out okay, a little eggy around the edges, but whatevs. I'm tossing the recipe, however, because it was a little on the sweet side.

To accompany, I roasted some cauliflower and potatoes and made a tahini sauce to top the cauliflower. The tahini sauce wasn't as good as a cheese sauce, my favourite cauliflower topping, but the roasting was a great way to go. I have a tendency to overcook cauliflower, and roasting solved that problem. I will do that cooking method again, which came from November 2010's Chatelaine: Roasted Cauliflower and Tahini.

Teaching my last BodyFlow class for probably (hopefully only!) 8 weeks or so tomorrow, must go get some rest so I can make it a good one...

November 9th: Double mushroom risotto

Verdict:
Keeper: mushroom risotto

Meat Free Tuesday: a re-try from November 2009's Chatelaine: Double Mushroom Risotto. This is a rather decadent weeknight meal, and it is fairly labour-intensive (lots of stirring) but still on the quick side. I like to make it just so Greg and I can say "risotto" like Gordon Ramsay and pretend we're on Hell's Kitchen. Greg offered to throw my risotto in the trash (Bin It!) if it wasn't perfect. I declined. Besides, I think Ramsay might give mine a pass. Maybe.

This risotto is quite delicious, and that's why I'm keeping the recipe, but I think it might make a better side or starter (like on Hell's Kitchen!) rather than as the main dish. Problem is, it makes a lot, so unless I'm hosting a dinner party, we're going to be eating risotto for days on end. And the recipe doesn't divide well, unless you have a way to use up half a carton of chicken broth, half a bunch of chives and half a package of dried mushrooms. Hmm.