Pumpkin Risotto - Take 2

Hello readers! I'm back from another blogging drought, sorry about that! Had another trip to London for work, and then a mini-vacation with Joe to go visit my sister in Houston, and a couple of nights at a golf/spa resort in San Antonio to celebrate our 2 year anniversary!

As much fun as I had in Texas, I was SO EXCITED to come home today. Besides a 5 hour stop in Chicago on Friday between London and TX, it feels like I haven't been home in forever. I can't wait to stay put for the next two weekends (besides a quick drive up to Milwaukee this Saturday for our friends' 30th bday party - but after all that Milwaukee is nothing!).

One of the reasons I'm looking forward to staying at home is to do some fall baking with the cans of pumpkin I've been stockpiling in fear of another shortage! Now, while I haven't done any baking yet - I did recreate the pumpkin risotto I made this time last year. I'm sharing it with you again because 1) I have more followers than I did this time last year 2) I've gotten better at taking photos, and this dish deserves a better picture - and - 3) It's just that good!

I did mix up the format a bit from when I made it previously, mainly by omitting the shrimp (just didn't feel like it) and switching from pancetta to bacon (just because that's what I had on hand). I also started the dish with the bacon and left it in while cooking, rather than adding it crispy at the end. I think this really added to the depth of the flavor and helped balance the sweetness from the pumpkin and the spices.

This is a fabulous, rich and hearty fall recipe!

Pumpkin Risotto

1 cup arrabrio rice

olive oil

1 white onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt

pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock

15 oz. can pumpkin puree

4 strips bacon (chopped)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in heavy bottomed pan and saute the onion and garlic about 5 - 10 minutes over medium heat with salt and pepper to season. Add the bacon and allow to cook until slightly browned.

Add the rice, cinnamon and cloves and allow rice to brown slightly. Reduce the heat to low and add the wine and let simmer until all the liquid is gone. Then add one cup of the chicken stock, one cup at a time, cooking until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup (about 30 - 40 minutes total). Once the last cup of stock is almost absorbed, add the pumpkin and cheese and mix to combine.

Pumpkin Risotto with Shrimp and Pancetta

In case you didn't know - there is a pumpkin shortage this fall. If you want a little hint on where to find it, higher end stores like Whole Foods seemed to be pretty well stocked on organic canned pumpkin. You'll pay a little more for it, but hey what's fall without pumpkin?

Pumpkin in hand, I wanted to make a savory dish and found this risotto recipe via Tastespotter.

I really just used that recipe for inspiration and decided to do shrimp instead of crab and add pancetta. The pancetta was a great addition, the saltiness of it was a great contrast with the sweetness of the cinnamon in the pumpkin.

This was a delicious, one dish meal that I will definitely be making again!

Pumpkin Risotto with Shrimp and Pancetta

1 cup arrabrio rice

olive oil

1 white onion, chopped

salt

pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock

15 oz. can pumpkin puree

8 - 12 pieces shrimp

4 strips pancetta

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in heavy bottomed pan and saute the onion about 5 - 10 minutes over medium heat with salt and pepper to season.

Add the rice, cinnamon and cloves and allow rice to brown slightly. Reduce the heat to low and add the wine and let simmer until all the liquid is gone. Then add one cup of the chicken stock, one cup at a time, cooking until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup (about 30 - 40 minutes total). While the risotto is cooking, brown the pancetta in a separate pan and set aside, reserving the grease in the pan.

Cook the shrimp (seasoned with salt and pepper) in the same pan as the pancetta, about 3 minutes on each side. If not enough grease in the pan add a bit of olive oil. Once the last cup of stock is almost absorbed, add the pumpkin, shrimp and cheese and mix to combine. Top with the pancetta and serve.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken & Tomato, Basil and Mozeralla Risotto

This was a "clean plate club" kind of meal. Growing up with 4 siblings, we were always in a contest to be the first one to join the "clean plate club". Come to think of it, I'm not sure why we cared so much, since we rarely had dessert, I don't think there was any real incentive to clean our plates. I'm always amazed looking back at how my parents managed to keep all five of us in line.

But I digress...I had my brother over for dinner the other night, and this meal was soooo delicious, it was one of those where you literally leave no trace of the meal on your plate.

The inspiration for the chicken came from Annie's Eat's Lemon Thyme Chicken. I thought this looked soooo good, but decided to use rosemary instead, since we have a bunch of it growing on our tiny balcony urban herb garden.





While I used all the same ingredients from Annie's recipe, I didn't follow the exact process, since Joe was messing around with our internet connection while I was trying to make dinner, I couldn't access the recipe.

So here was my version (pretty much the same as Annie's, except I took the chicken out of the pan once cooked and kept warm while I made the sauce. I also added the rosemary to the flour. Oh and I used chicken stock. Never mind, more different than I thought):


Rosemary Chicken
Adapted from Annie's Eat's

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup flour
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2/3 cup dry white wine
Juice of ½ a large lemon (or the juice of 1 whole lemon, if desired)
2-3 tablespoons butter
1 cup of chicken stock


* Heat up the oil in a pan

* Add the rosemary, salt and pepper to the flour. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour and add to the pan.

* Cook the chicken until done, about 5 minutes on each side. Set aside to keep warm

* To the pan, add the garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.

* Add the wine & lemon juice and cook a few minutes till reduced. Add the chicken stock and let reduce and thicken. Add the butter to finish the sauce.

Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Risotto

Basic Risotto recipe

Use white wine & chicken broth as liquids

Add halved cherry tomatoes, basil & mozerella about 5 minutes before the risotto is done.

That's it!



Clean plate club!

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Risotto with Spring Vegetables

Yum, yum, yum, I LOVE this flavor combination! I found these two (separate) recipes in my William Sanoma Essentials of Italian cookbook when I first got it, and now I make them together and combine into one dish.

Its a great warm weather dish because of the flavors and the fact that you can grill the shrimp for added fantastic flavor, but also great in the dead of winter (made on a grill pan) when you are dreaming of warmer weather!

The recipes are adapted from WS, I have made it so many times I'm sure I am not following it exactly.



Shrimp

Ingredients:

Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined - about 12 pieces for 2 ppl
1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
salt
pepper

- Whisk together the lemon juice, wine, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley.

- Add the shrimp and let marinate about 15 minutes.

- Grill the shrimp on a grill pan or directly on the grill



Risotto

For the risotto, just use a basic risotto recipe, using white wine and chicken broth as your liquids.

For the vegetables, add in whatever fresh spring vegetables you can find. All I had this time were green beans, but I've used peas and asparagus before too.



If using green beans or asparagus, blanch for about 4 minutes and shock in an ice bath while the risotto is cooking. Then add at the last minute, with parsley and parmesan cheese.

Mushroom Truffled Risotto...and a little experiment

So for the most part, Joe loves my cooking (I think!) and I know is super grateful that I take the time and effort to make nice meals for him.

However, I know as soon as I've crossed the line for "too fancy". It usually ends in me loving what I made and Joe saying "Mel, you know I'm just a meat and potatoes guy". Sometimes I think that he makes up his mind before he tries it, so I've been trying to not tell him too much about the dish first, to see if he'll give it a fair shake (see my whole wheat spaghetti experiment).

For our New Year's Eve party, I made Truffled Mushroom Pasta, that I thought was divine, but he didn't like. I was convinced that as soon as he heard there was truffle oil in it, he decided not to even give it a chance.

So the other night I made Mushroom Risotto and wanted to add truffle oil since I paid $15 for the damn bottle of it. I make mushroom risotto all the time and he usually loves it. I didn't tell him that there was truffle oil in it to see if he even noticed.

Well, experiment = FAIL.

He really didn't like it! Oh well, now I know he doesn't like truffle oil for sure. I just hope he's not too afraid to eat my mushroom risotto again. For the record, I thought it was delicious, if you like the taste of truffles!

The recipe I used is based off of my basic risotto recipe, and just add about a half a tsp of truffle oil.

Potato Risotto

I know, I know! There's no rice in this risotto! Well, I actually learned a few years ago from the Food Network (where else?) - I believe it was Michael Chiarello - that risotto actually means to cook slowly, and that you can actually use different types of food than rice to make it (cauliflower is another example).

Since I'd mastered the rice version and make it quite often, I thought I'd give the potatoes a whirl. The recipe I came up with is pretty basic, and is cooked pretty much the same as traditional risotto.

Ingredients:

serves 2

2 russet potatoes
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves
thyme (a few sprigs)
salt
pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock
2 bacon slices
1 cup cheddar cheese
chives


- Chop the potatoes into tiny squares, about 1/4 inch.

- Heat up the olive oil in a pan on high heat, then add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and let them brown a bit (about 4 minutes)

- Once browned, turn down the heat and add the shallots, garlic and thyme, let saute for a few minutes

- Add the wine and let cook down.

- Add one cup of broth at a time and let absorb, just like you would regular risotto. Note - Potatoes won't absorb liquid as fast as rice, so allow for a little more time than you normally would.

- While the potatoes are cooking, crisp up the bacon in a separate pan, drain on a paper towel and crumble.

- Once the potatoes are cooked thoroughly and liquid is almost absorbed, add the cheese and allow to melt.

- Finish the risotto with the chives and bacon.

Mushroom-Asparagus Risotto

I make risotto about once a week and just mix in whatever I have on hand. This week I had mushrooms and asparagus!

1 cup arrabrio rice
olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
salt
pepper
1 cup white whine
4 cups beef broth
4 portabella mushroom caps
8 asparagus spears

Sautee the rice with olive oil and garlic cloves until the rice the begins to brown (about 10 minutes).

Add the wine and let simmer until all the liquid is gone.

Then add one cup of the beef broth one cup at a time, cooking until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup (about 30 minutes total).

While the risotto is cooking, cook the asparagus, steaming until tender (about 5 - 7 minutes), then shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking and keep the color.

When you're adding the last cup of broth, add the chopped mushrooms. Once the liquid is cooked through, cut the asparagus spears in half and add, just to heat through.

I grated parmesean cheese on top.