Down to business - 2 Recipes & a Craft

It's business time.

Recipe #1 - Basic Risotto how-to

No recipe link here...this is a dish I make quite often so I just kind of do it from my memory. I'll do my best to write it out for you. The nice thing about risotto is that it's great for vegetarians because you can always add meat on the side and it's great for those who are gluten-intolerant because it's all rice. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand.

Ingredients:
Arborio Rice (it will double in size as you add the broth)
1 yellow onion
garlic (either finely chopped, or run through a garlic press)
parmesan/parm reggiano cheese or a mix of both
1 Tetra-Pak veggie or chicken broth (though it never hurts to have extra)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I like to use extra dry Vermouth. Martini and Rossi preferred)
Various vegetables: My favorites are asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, fresh basil, but you can really do anything...butternut squash, zucchini etc.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large wok-type pan
1 small saucepan (to heat the broth)


First you should cook up your vegetables. In this case, I steamed the asparagus and sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil. When they are done, just put them aside on a plate to add at the end.



Now chop up the onion and peel a few gloves of garlic. Pour your broth into a saucepan and turn on low. This is an ESSENTIAL step. The broth must be hot in my experience or else your rice will turn out all mushy and weird.

Pour a liberal amount of olive oil in the pan and saute the garlic for a couple minutes until nice and fragrant. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, do not let them brown/caramelize.



Next, add a few more tablespoons of olive oil and stir in your rice. Saute the rice in the oil for about 3-5 minutes. They say the rice should appear "transparent" over time...I've never noticed this effect.

Next add the wine to your taste and simmer until it is all absorbed. Your stove should be on about medium heat. Do not let the rice "cook dry" thus sticking to the bottom of the pan. This is not a "set it and forget it" meal.

Add the broth about a half a cup at a time letting it fully absorb before you add more. Give the rice a few stirs. There is no need to constantly stir as that can create mushy rice, but make sure the broth is evenly distributed.



Taste the rice as you go...it should be firm to the bite but not raw. The rice should be about double in size. When the rice is done, turn off the stove and add any spices you like. I am a fan of the obvious salt/pepper but also fresh basil (or dried) and even a little oregano or rosemary. Then add the cheese. I add a lot of cheese because cheese is DELICIOUS.


It should melt quickly. Fold it into the risotto.

Lastly, add your vegetables and you're done!

Yum!

Recipe #2 - Curried Cauliflower ala Williams-Sonoma
Click here for the recipe.

I used this basic recipe, but added half a yellow onion, a couple of tomatoes, three red potatoes and frozen peas to make it a full meal. I also cooked up some brown jasmin rice on the side. Perfect!


Beautiful cauliflower from the Farmer's Market and other veggies from my corner-store.

I chopped up all the ingredients and then poured them into a big salad bowl. I then sifted the spices through and mixed them up with my hands. Finally, I spread them in a single layer on a couple of baking sheets and cooked at 425F for about 45 minutes. The recipe says that it should only take about 30, but potatoes always take forever.


Take the veggies out every once and awhile to turn them. If they start to stick (which mine did) you can give them a quick spray of cooking spray (I use Pam Organic Olive Oil).

Then I mixed up the sauce which was just yogurt and dijon mustard. I was a bit skeptical about the sauce...never had THAT at an Indian restaurant, but it turned out to really compliment the dish! I didn't add all of it though.




Ta da! Aside from the fact that it takes a long time to roast the veggies, this was a very easy and delicious dinner! It was especially good because I don't often cook Indian. I just realized that this was also a gluten-free dinner...I am accidentally on a roll.


AND FINALLY...a craft update. So after discovering those felted coasters I decided to take a stab at felting myself. I discovered this adorable little yarn store near the Marina called Greenwhich Yarn. Super cute, very helpful ladies, great selection and it's been there for 30 years. A bit far away, but totally worth it. I walked all the way back (about 2 miles) and it was super fun...great walk through a few fun neighborhoods.

At first I wanted to make placemats, but then I decided to try something smaller since I'm just experimenting. I opted for hot-pads.

These were quick to knit up. I did them in an afternoon. I used size 15 needles, and double stranded the yarn (one verigated and one solid). I cast on 30 stiches and used a basic stockinette stich.

The end result pre-felting:


I washed the pieces twice on the hot cycle at my local laundromat. Unfortunately, I just don't think the water got hot enough because they didn't shrink nearly as much as I thought they would. I think I'm going to try and refelt them again the next time I do laundry. Or maybe try another laundromat. Even better...maybe I'll have to mooch off a couple of friends who are LIVING THE DREAM and have their own in-unit laundry. Someday...

The end result post felting:




They're a bit large and a bit square. But still kind of fun. I'm happy to be back into knitting and I'm looking forward to more trying out some more felting projects. I also think I'm going to crochet a cute border and a knob-loop on these so I can actually use them in the kitchen.

What else should I felt?