Cherry Risotto

Whenever I visit my parents, my mom asks that I make up some risotto. So, after finishing dinner one night, I asked what kind of risotto the two of them wanted. Since mom had just bought some cherries, I suggested a savory cherry risotto. I figured the challenge of using cherries to make a savory dish would be a fun experiment, and that if I could make it work then it would be a great side for poultry.

Ingredients

4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp rosemary (half for broth, half on cherry/mushrooms)
½ tsp. ground white peppercorns
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp chili powder
1 tsp orange zest
Pinch of nutmeg
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups cherries, seeded and halved
1½  cup sliced mushrooms
pinch of salt 
½ half an onion, cut into slivers 
¾ cup white wine 
1½  cup risotto
½ cup of arugula, chopped finely

Directions

• Place a pot over medium heat.  Pour in broth and add all the spices (1/2 tsp rosemary, thyme, chili, peppercorns, cinnamon, and nutmeg) and orange zest.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. 
• In a large pan over medium heat, sauté cherries in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil for 3 minutes.  Then, remove cherries, add three more tablespoons of olive oil and sauté  mushrooms.  When mushrooms are lightly brown, add the cherries back and pour in ¼ cup of white wine.  Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until most of the wine is cooked off.  Remove mushrooms and cherries to a bowl and season with 1/2 tsp of rosemary and a pinch of salt. 

• In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and add onions.   Cook until brown and wilted (not quite fully caramelized, but close).  Then, add the risotto and stir until the grain is translucent, except for a white dot in the center (about 5 minutes).  Add the 1/2 cup of wine and stir until completely absorbed.  Add a ladleful of stock, stirring continually.  Wait until the stock is completely absorbed before adding another ladleful.  Continue to keep adding broth a ladleful at a time, only adding more once the broth is absorbed.  It should take about 20 minutes or more to get the risotto tender.  
• When the risotto is soft and you have added all but the last ½ cup of broth, add the cherries and mushrooms.  Cover with a lid and let finish over a low heat for about 5 minutes.  When you are ready to serve, add the rest of the broth, a small pad of butter, and top with toasted almonds or goat cheese.   

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Christmas Recipes: Beet Risotto

This is a recipe from my archives that I've brought back for the holidays.  It is a perfect Christmas dish because it is such a beautiful and festive color.  Plus, the earthiness of the dish would go great with either turkey, rib roast, or a crown roast.  It also has so much depth and substance, that it works as a center dish for a vegetarian Christmas.   

Ingredients
4 cups broth

Juice and zest of one orange

1 tablespoon dried dill

One bunch of beets (1-2 cups, depending how much beet you like it), chopped into small cubes

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ onion, diced fine

½ cup carrots

½ cup celery

1 cup beet greens (about the greens from one bundle of beets), chopped fine

1 cup risotto

½ cup white wine

Feta and parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Put the broth, orange juice and zest, dill, and beets in a saucepan.  Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer.    
2. In a large shallow pan over medium heat, add one tablespoon each of oil and butter to pan.  When butter has melted and the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Sweat the onions, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes.   Add the beet greens and cook for about 2 minutes.  Scoop out the vegetables and set aside on a plate.        
3. Add the other tablespoon each of butter and olive oil.  When hot, add the Arborio and stir until the grain is translucent, except for a white dot in the center (about 5 minutes).  Add the wine and stir until completely absorbed.
4. Add a ladleful of stock, stirring continually.  Wait until the stock is completely absorbed before adding another ladleful.  Continue to keep adding broth a ladleful at a time, only adding more once the broth is absorbed.  It should take about 20 minutes to get the risotto tender. 
5. When the risotto is soft and you have added all but the last ½ cup of broth, add the beets from the stock.  Then add the last ½ cup of stock and the vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, and beet greens). 
6. Cover with a lid and let finish over a low heat for about 5 minutes.  When you are ready to serve, add a small pad of butter and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.   

Beet Risotto

Whenever I am home visiting my parents, my mom likes for me to make risotto.  Since my beet risotto, which I normally make at Christmas, is one of her favorites, I made a batch up with mom. 

I really find the combination of beets and risotto irresistible.  It is a recipe that works in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.  Being a bright, magenta, it is one of the most visually attractive risottos you will ever make.  As flavors go, I like to offset the earthiness of the beets by brightening the flavor with orange, dill, and feta.  You can serve it with fish or chicken, but it goes really well with beef.  While other recipes I saw recommend roasting the beets first, I tend to cook mine in the broth I am going to use for cooking the risotto.  This gives the risotto even more color and depth of flavor.   

Ingredients

4 cups broth

Juice and zest of one orange

1 tablespoon dried dill

One bunch of beets (1-2 cups, depending how much beet you like it), chopped into small cubes

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ onion, diced fine

½ cup carrots

½ cup celery

1 cup beet greens (about the greens from one bundle of beets), chopped fine

1 cup risotto

½ cup white wine

Feta and parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Put the broth, orange juice and zest, dill, and beets in a saucepan.  Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer.    
2. In a large shallow pan over medium heat, add one tablespoon each of oil and butter to pan.  When butter has melted and the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Sweat the onions, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes.   Add the beet greens and cook for about 2 minutes.  Scoop out the vegetables and set aside on a plate.        
3. Add the other tablespoon each of butter and olive oil.  When hot, add the Arborio and stir until the grain is translucent, except for a white dot in the center (about 5 minutes).  Add the wine and stir until completely absorbed.
4. Add a ladleful of stock, stirring continually.  Wait until the stock is completely absorbed before adding another ladleful.  Continue to keep adding broth a ladleful at a time, only adding more once the broth is absorbed.  It should take about 20 minutes to get the risotto tender. 
5. When the risotto is soft and you have added all but the last ½ cup of broth, add the beets from the stock.  Then add the last ½ cup of stock and the vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, and beet greens). 
6. Cover with a lid and let finish over a low heat for about 5 minutes.  When you are ready to serve, add a small pad of butter and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.      

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Turkey Risotto

Risotto is a labor of love.  There are recipes out there that say you don’t continually stir the risotto, but those recipes are lying.  But, as important as the stirring is to making it creamy, it seems that the real key to risotto is in the broth you use.  This recipe is great way to revisit Thanksgiving leftovers and works really well if you can use turkey broth made with the leftover carcass.  The broth I used for this batch came from the pan drippings of the roasted turkey. 

The turkey itself has a special story.  My brother, Kevin, works on Leaping Waters Farm and was given the turkey by the owner/farmer, Alec Bradford.   Leaping Waters Farm is in Alleghany Springs, VA, and is a 600-acre farm that is committed to raising high quality cattle, hogs, and turkeys.  So, this turkey was literally fresh off the farm.  That gives it a slightly gamier quality, which gives the risotto an extra nuance.   

Ingredients:

4 cups broth

2 tablespoons lemon

1 bay leaf

1 tsp diced fresh rosemary

2 tbls olive oil

2 tbls butter

½ red onion, diced

½ cup of diced carrots

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 ½ cup Arborio rice

2/3 cup wine

1 cup diced turkey meat

½ cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.   Put the broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and rosemary in a saucepan and warm it on a back burner. 

2.   In a large shallow pan over medium heat, add oil and butter to pan.  When butter has melted and the oil is hot, add the onions and carrots and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Sweat the onions and carrots for 5 minutes.   

3.   Add the Arborio to the same pan as the carrots and stir until the grain is translucent, except for a white dot in the center (about 5 minutes).  Add the wine and stir until completely absorbed.

4.   Add a ladleful of stock, stirring continually.  Wait until the stock is completely absorbed before adding another ladleful.  Continue to keep adding broth a ladleful at a time, only adding more once the broth is absorbed.  It should take about 20 minutes to get the risotto tender. 

5.   When the risotto is soft and you have added all but the last ½ cup of broth, add the turkey.  Then add the last ½ cup of stock and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.   

6.   Cover with a lid and let finish over a low heat for about 5 minutes.