Lemon Thyme Risotto with Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Ragout

18 05 2011

3/4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms

8 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

8 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups boiling water

1 lb medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces on the diagonal

1/2 small onion, finely diced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups Arborio rice, rinsed

1/2 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp fresh thyme,  minced

zest of 1 lemon

1 stick unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup frozen baby peas

1 tbsp minced chives

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Categories : Italian, Main Dish, Rice

Asian Shrimp Risotto

16 01 2011
This risotto is made with arborio rice using the same techniques as traditional Italian risotto. However, I used a lot of Asian ingredients to give it a nice flavor twist. You can add other seafood. I was hoping to add some smoked scallops which I think would add a fabulous dimension to this dish.

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Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto

1 03 2010

Risotto Stirring

We made this Risotto style dish at the cooking class. It was delicious and a nice twist on the classic risotto made with Arborio rice. Of course, the technique is exactly the same so you could always substitute rice for the barley. We found this dish to be quite rich tasting. It would work well as both a main course or as a side dish. The key is a good selection of mushrooms and a flavorful vegetable stock.

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Roasted Beet Risotto

13 01 2010

I was looking for something to do with the beets in my refrigerator so I started surfing the web for inspiration. I found a Youtube video of Rachel Ray making this Roasted Beet Risotto. Go Rachel! If you love beets, you will love this risotto. The color is amazing. I served it with Grinach bread and it made for a very festive menu, perfect Christmas colors. Every good risotto begins with Arborio rice and a really good stock. I just used vegetables I found in my refrigerator like potatoes, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, and even the stems of the beets after having stripped the greens to use as a garnish. The red stems added a beautiful color to the stock.

I made a lot of this risotto so I turned the leftovers into Beet Risotto Cakes. I made them into patties, like crabcakes, and sauteed them in some olive oil on the stove until they browned nicely which caramelized the rice a bit. Serve this with a cucumber/yogurt raita. Read the rest of this entry »


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