Recipe Review from 10/1/2012

In Minnesota (and even moreso in Duluth)  you get used to extreme weather swings.  30* changes are not uncommon.  This week we went from a balmy, beautiful 70* to 30*.  Yes.  The temperature dropped 40* in about a day.  All the brightly colored red, orange, and golden leaves are now somewhere out over Lake Superior or on the south shore of Wisconsin.  Yes, we get used to these temperatures swings, but I didn't say we liked it.

Saturday I had volunteered to facilitated a group hike for the Superior Hiking Trail Association.  Boy, did I pick the wrong weekend.  The previous weekend (which a friend of mine lead a hike on) was in the 70's, sunny, peak fall color viewing. This weekend Saturday started out at 28*, 30 mph winds, and spitting snow.  Ack! I said the "S" word!  Ultimately, it was a cold but good hike, only getting one overly brisk snowsquall right at lunch.

Saturday evening the Husband and I went down to Clyde Iron for Oktoberfest as hosted by Lake Superior Brewing Company.  It was to celebrate the release of their Oktoberfest beer.  A pretty good beer, but I like their Klosh better.  It was a very pleasant event with some darn good food. Brats soaked in their three main beers, three types of sauerkraut (I had the apple-cranberry kraut), a warm dough pretzel with jalepeno cheese and some awesome German potato salad.  A local band called the Fractals was the entertainment and they were pretty good.  We had only planned on staying an hour or so, but ended up staying three!   Aren't we just the party animals...


Only one recipe to review this week. 

Tomato and Mozzarella Risotto (Ckng Lght, Oct 2012)
This one was touted as kid friendly by the magazine in that it was made by a kid and tested by a kid.  I just thought it looked good.  Risotto is pretty simple, and only time consuming in the dump and stir.  It's important to make sure you do have all your ingredients mise en place: a French phrase defined by the Culinary Institute of America as "everything in place".  If you do this, assembly will go very quickly.  

This tasted a bit like any Italian pasta dish. I thought the Husband would find this dish on the bland side but he said he liked it as it was.  I did note that my rice could have used another 1/2 cup of liquid - rice was a bit more al dente than I care for.  Overall, it was creamy, tomato-y and makes 4 servings.  We had some roasted kale on the side. 

photo from cookinglight.com

• 3 1/4 cups organic vegetable broth  (I could have used at least another 1/2 cup of liquid)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked Arborio rice
• 3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes   (I used fire roasted per a suggestion in the magazine)
• 2 ounces chopped fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups torn fresh baby spinach   (I used Swiss Chard and Tuscan kale)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1. Bring vegetable broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add rice to pan; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 cup broth to rice mixture; cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reserve 1/3 cup broth. Add remaining broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 22 minutes total). Stir in tomatoes; cook for 1 minute. Add cheese, pepper, and salt to rice mixture, stirring constantly until cheese melts. Remove from heat; stir in reserved 1/3 cup broth, spinach, and basil. Place 1 cup risotto in each of 4 shallow bowls. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil over each serving.

Christine Burns Rudalevige, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2012