Pea and Bacon Risotto

Mmmm... this pea and bacon risotto recipe is a winner.  I like how some of the peas are kept whole and some are pureed and mixed into the rice to ensure the flavor is spread throughout the dish.  Plus, the fresh, green pea flavor is complimented by the smokey, meaty bacon and the lemon juice at the end brightens it all up.  Good stuff from Food & Wine. 

Beet and Beet Green Risotto

After a day biking around DC and swimming/lounging at the East Potomac Park Bathhouse (sounds fancier than it is, but it's actually quite a nice pool!), we were ravenous. I recently acquired from the CSA a bunch of beets with greens still intact, so Amy and Chrissy both recommended the beet risotto from the NYTimes. Turns out we had all the ingredients, so we made it happen. Really good! Beautiful color. I would have added some feta or something cheesier to it, but it was pretty lovely as is, too, if feta's not your thang.

Deja Vu: Risotto with Shrimp, Asparagus, Feta and Dill

So... remember last year when I raved about this risotto dish with asparagus, shrimp, feta and dill? Yeah, well, I'm raving again. It's still good. I still suggest you run to your local farmers market, pick up some asparagus, and make this dish.

Butternut, Rosemary, Spinach and Gorgonzola Risotto

Oh my god, this risotto recipe is awesome! I would highly recommend it, as would Chuck, Tim and Tony. But Tony would recommend the recipe more if you call it "butternut, rosemary, spinach and 'whoregonzola' risotto."

I did switch it up a teensy bit from the recipe: I added some garlic in with the onion, skipped the cream (risotto is creamy enough), used frozen spinach (nuked a little and squeezed out), and added a little more than the requisite gorgonzola.

We served it with this crispy baked chicken recipe with garlic and rosemary... also pretty awesome. Panko is one of my favorite ingredients...

Roasted Balsamic and Rosemary Mushroom Risotto

I saw this recipe on a blog I've been following lately after Joy the Baker introduced me to it. The photos were beautiful and I had mushrooms from the CSA, rosemary braving the winter on the roof, and like 4 bottles of balsamic crowding the cupboard (don't ask), so I gave it a try.

This was really good! Like the mushroom soup I made recently, it is very meaty and earthy. It could definitely be a main dish if you'd like.

Thanksgiving Extravaganza: The Sides and Desserts

The side dishes and desserts served at our Thanksgiving were provided by the gracious guests:

Butternut Squash Risotto, handmade by Ms. Guitar as a main dish for the vegetarians in the group.

Sourdough Bread Stuffing, by the always jovial Jenny (she switched it up a little by omitting the mushrooms, using veggie stock and adding more of everything else!).

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Garlic and Lemon, expertly executed by Heather.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes, peeled by Meg, but made delicious by Chuck.

Scalloped Corn, a delicious Yehl family recipe made with loving attention to detail by Mark:

" I usually make the corn in that Corningware dish of mine- I think it's a 3 qt. I use 4 or 5 cans of regular corn- not cream- drained. Put in 1 cup of milk. If it's not soupy- put in another 1/4 cup. Sprinkle breadcrumbs across the entire top lightly and then do it again. Mix it up. Beat one egg for each can of corn. Pour in and mix it up. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.Okay here's the hard part- now I kind of play with it. If it's too dry I add a little more milk. If the breadcrumb doesn't seem to be enough to not make it dry but where you can really see it and it has thickened the consistency of the corn, I add more a little at a time. Put a teaspoon of butter or margarine- whatever you use- close to each corner and in the middle. Bake at 350 for at least 45 minutes. It needs to be cooked, but not dried out. You've seen and made it before, so hopefully you can tell the right consistency and know if it is done or not. Remember it seems to dry out a little more after you take it out of the oven."

Traditional Pumpkin Pies, possibly one of the last desserts to come out of Amy's New Hampshire Avenue kitchen.

Apple/Pear Galette, a rustic treat from Jenny.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

This is a really rich and hearty meal, care of the other Martha, again. Lots of stirring required, but the stirring isn't stressful- actually it's kinda soothing.

I used spicy Italian sausage, Swiss chard (including the stems, which I threw in earlier to soften up), and crushed tomatoes. I also substituted chicken broth in place of half of the water.

Greek Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

A coworker sent me a link to this recipe from Cooking Light... she picked a winner!

I know I've made a plethora of asparagus recipes recently, at least one a week for the last month, but I think about it like this: I eat asparagus once a week for approximately one month out of the year when it's in season, but then I don't get to eat it again for a year! So I am enjoying it and trying to keep it interesting by trying new recipes each time. Randy from Star Hollow Farm has already warned me that this coming Saturday is the last time I'm getting asparagus in my CSA box this year.

I had the dill left over from Amy and Tim's Peace Corps reunion "horovatz" (BBQ).

So, back to the recipe: I halved the recipe since Chuck and Tim were eating elsewhere (and because I only had half of the 1 pound bag of shrimp in the freezer), but the halving wasn't exact. I messed with the ratios a little bit.

I did half the rice, stock, water, onion, garlic and shrimp, but added approximately the full amount of asparagus, dill, lemon juice and cheese. Good idea. The extra asparagus was a bonus as far as texture and color goes, the extra flavor from the dill and lemon was key and the additional cheese added to the creaminess, as it basically melted when I stirred it in the rice.

As Jennifer is known to say: "It was really yummy!"