Week 28 CC: Citrus - Lemon Risotto

I found this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen for lemon risotto and couldn't wait to make it.  While risotto is labor intensive and a bit time consuming, it isn't difficult in terms of technical cooking abilitye.  I hadn't made it before but this was a rousing success!

I started by boiling 6 cups of chicken stock and sauteing the shallots

This recipe calls for 1/4c. White wine so I had the perfect chance to use my awesome "for the pan-for the chef" wine glass. It was a gift from a fabulous redditor for Arbitrary Day back in July! 

After browning the rice for a few minutes, I added the wine and stirred until absorbed.

From then on it was just a process of adding 1 cup of broth and stirring until absorbed, then adding another cup and stirring until absorbed... repeat until all the broth was absorbed! It probably took about 10 minutes per cup -maybe a little less. 

As it absorbs the broth it gets really creamy and almost looks like large grits. 

I added about 2/3c parmesan cheese - a bit less than Smitten Kitchen's recipe, but we are big cheese folks.

Next, I added the grated rind of two meyers lemons and the juice of one.

The final step was adding some chopped parsley. I didn't realize how lemon-y this dish would really be! It was a decent partner with grilled chicken breast, but both A and I agreed it would be a better accompaniment to something like scallops, (like SmitKitch). The lemon really shined and it was bright and creamy without feeling heavy. 

Although it takes a bit of time, it was a nice diversion from regular rice or pasta and I would totally try this again - maybe with a different flavor than citrus just to check it out! 

Week 28 BC: South American - Potato Torte

For the baking challenge this week I made a tasty south american breakfast by whipping up a torte with fresh veggies, potatoes, and eggs.  

First thing I did was saute some green onions with the potatoes in olive oil.

I have a fantastic Zyliss mandolin that slices things like potatoes to an even consistency and I loveit.  It makes for very simple cutting and is so fast! Once the potatoes were cooked through I removed the from the pan and let them cool a bit while I worked on the next step. 

I sauteed fresh tomatoes and rough chopped zucchini in the remaining olive oil. 

When the tomato and zuchs were cooked through I removed those from the pan and layered in the cooked potatoes and green onions. 

I put the zuch & tomato mixture on top of the layered potatoes. 

Lastly I poured a few scrambled eggs over the top! I put this into a preheated oven (to 350F) and baked it for about 15 minutes.

The result was a delicious breakfast! A and I both put some hot sauce on our slices and gobbled it up!