Parsnip Risotto with Shiitake Mushrooms

Risottos are one of my favorite cold weather meals. They are surprisingly easy to make and, for me, offer the same comfort-food satisfaction as a bowl of rich mac n' cheese.

Another nice thing about a risotto is how versatile a dish it is. You can put just about anything in a risotto. I had some parsnips to use, as well as some heavy-hitting pecorino romano I brought back from Rome, so with a risotto in mind I picked up some shiitake mushrooms at the farm shop on my way home today.

I never really use precise measurements when I make risotto (or in any cooking really, except baking where exact measurements are important--you know, chemistry and all). I just eyeball the proportions according to what I think would taste good. However, here I've tried to give approximate measurements to be helpful.

Here are my ingredients, so you can see the ratio I'm using and how I've chopped everything: one very large parsnip peeled and cut into small cubes; three cloves of garlic peeled and minced; and about 10-15 shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped.

I've also included two small, diced onions (not pictured). Many risotto recipes will instruct you to mince the onions, and I agree that most of the time that makes for a nicer texture. But tonight I was feeling a little lazy, so I diced them (resulting in larger pieces). All this means is that the finished risotto will be a little more "rustic" which, tonight, is fine by me.

Risotto is usually made with arborio rice. It's a variety that, when cooked, releases a lot of its starch which is what produces the risotto's creaminess. Isn't it a lovely grain? Very pearly. I'm using one and a half cups, because that feels like a good ratio to my veggie ingredients, above.

You'll also need about 6 cups of stock (or water). Get this simmering on the stove before you start cooking. You'll need it to be hot because you'll be adding it little by little to the rice and if it's not hot it will halt the cooking. Keep it covered so it doesn't evaporate too much as you work.

You'll also need good Italian cheese (parmesan, pecorino, etc.) Buy good stuff--in my opinion, the quality of the cheese can make or break a risotto. Here's my heart-stopping pecorino (I'll use about a cup or a cup and half, grated):
























Finally, a few words about mushrooms before we get cooking. First, don't wash them! Mushooms are little sponges. If you submerge them or run them under the tap, they'll absorb water and consequently their flavor will be less intense. Instead, wet a paper towel and just brush off any dirt. Depending on the mushroom, you may want to remove the stem. If you are using plain button mushrooms, this isn't necessary. But for some of the wilder varieties I find the stem woody and hard to cut. My rule of thumb is: if it feels like it would be unpleasant in my mouth, I remove it.




Finally, the best way to store mushrooms is in a plain paper bag at room temperature--this keeps them in optimal condition (for a short period!) in terms of flavor, texture, and moisture level.

OK, let's begin.

Start off by heating a few tablespoons of olive oil and some butter (1 tablesppoon at least) in a large saucepan (medium-high heat). Add chopped onions and parsnip and sautee for 7-10 minutes.


When the onions and parsnips have softened somewhat, add the garlic and mushroom and cook 3-5 more minutes.

Now, add the arborio rice and stir so it gets coated with the butter and oil. Keep stirring and sautee for about a minute.



Now, add enough stock to just cover the rice. Stir.



Keep an eye on the heat--you don't want the bottom to stick, and it shouldn't be boiling, just gently, barely bubbling.



Once the stock has absorbed, gradually add more as the rice aborbs it(about 1/4 C at a time) and stir frequently, making sure to scrape the bottom.


It takes about 20-25 minutes for the rice to become tender. If you run out of stock and the rice isn't done, you can add hot water.

Once the rice is done, add salt and pepper to taste and stir in the cheese. Serve immediately!
We've drizzed ours with a little truffle oil before eating. And we're having a side of sauteed brussels sprout tops tossed in olive oil.

Yum!

Roma

Just back from an excellent weekend in Rome visiting my friend Jasmine. Here are my top ten highlights [click on photos for larger versions]:

1. My lovely hosts, Jasmine and Marco.

2. Leisurely capuccinos and freshly squeezed blood orange juice each morning at the local cafe. The incredibly sweet man who made our coffee suprised both Jasmine and me each morning with a little drawing in our foam (although no picture for Marco or any other male patron).


3. Shopping around the neighborhood.








4. Cheese shopping at Antica Caciara. The proprietor addressed us as "my little treasures" and when he learned that I would be transporting cheeses to England said he would not sell them to me if I did not promise they would be eaten on Sunday (after which they would no longer be optimal and he did not want me eating non-optimal cheese). He also wanted toknow why I was leaving when we were "only just gettting to know one another."


























5. Long dreamy lunches, including at Taberna Recina, a husband/wife-owned/operated slow food restaurant with an impressive wine selection. The friendly husband/sommelier came round after we'd ordered lunch so we could sample a variety of wines that would compliment our meal. We ate Roman style artichokes, puntarelle salad (a green in the chicory family which is dressed in olive oil & vinegar and tossed with anchovies), a hearty chick pea stew with homemade taglietelle, and then we shared a ricotta, pear, dark chocolate tart with a perfectly paired dessert wine. And then they brought us some toblerone. Excellent!


























We also had a long lunch at Da Augusto in the Trastevere neighborhood. Just wonderful. I had simple rigatoni tossed with pecorino romano and olive oil with a side of bitter garlicky greens, crusty bread and some white table wine. Simplist food in the world but when it's of this high quality it is just unmatched.

6. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the 17th century master whose works changed the face of scuplture. If you're interested, take a look at this short clip from Simon Schama's documentary The Power of Art which highlights many of the sculptures we went to see this weekend.



7. Baroque churches. Rome has no shortage.




8. This woman who, though in her 80s, still manages an unmistakeably girlish pose while waiting at a counter.
























9. A lively, late-night dinner at Retro near Jasmine & Marco's house where I ate a wonderfully simple risotto with truffles, zuchini flowers, and pecorino cheese.

10. Quality time with a good friend!

Apparently I'm an Undeserving Slacker

One of the great joys of English life is the allotment system. These community gardens, tended largely by retirees, are wedged into patches of otherwise unused land, some large, some small. People keep their plots for years; I've heard that in many towns the only way to get one is to wait for someone to die.

So, last fall, you can imagine how delighted I was to secure the last available plot from my local allotment association. It was no beauty; it was covered with a thorny, invasive bramble and one corner had been used as a compost heap by other gardeners for the past year. It would take a lot of work to clear, including re-homing a brood of nesting slow worms, but it was in a great location: close to the water spigot, in full sun, and BIG. All fall I dreamed of the beautiful vegetables I'd be growing come summer, the senior citizen friends I'd make, how cute I'd look in my straw hat and polka-dotted gardening gloves.

About three weeks ago I went down there bright and early to clear my plot and get it ready for planting. The plan was to burn the refuse with an incinerator contraption I'd bought from the garden center and then cover the plot with black plastic to kill off the bramble. In a few weeks it would be dead and by that time the ground would be soft enough to till the soil and commence spring sowing. I ate a hearty oatmeal breakfast. I donned my Wellies and gloves. I made a thermos of coffee to ward off the cold.

Upon arrival, I was crestfallen to discover that someone else had already done all the work! I rounded the garden twice to make sure I wasn't looking in the wrong row. I wasn't. Bloody hell! Turns out the association thought I'd abandoned the plot because I hadn't cleared it earlier this fall. They deemed me a slacker and gave my plot away! Total heartbreak.

Well, no time for brooding. I'm still determined to grow vegetables this summer and so I've been investigating what can reasonably be grown in containers here at home. Turns out many things.

Today I planted seeds for an assortment of salad greens (little gem lettuce, sangria lettuce, wild rocket and radicchio). The packages say they should germinate in 6 days. When they're big enough they'll go into troughs in the garden and by May/June we'll be able to go out back and pick a salad for dinner. The novelty!

Pistachio Ice Cream

Flipping through some cookbooks today, I was reminded of a recipe for pistachio ice cream I've been meaning to try.

We went through an ice cream phase this summer-fall, where every few days the best fruit in the house would wind up as cherry ice cream with dark chocolate, fresh strawberry ice cream, and mint chip, for example. Later this fall it was pumpkin ice cream, cinnamon ice cream, vanilla pecan. Pure heaven.

Somehow with all the New Year's resolution-inspired exercise, we fell off the ice cream train. Well, I want back on, dammit. Will you join me?

Basic Ingredients/Equipment

1 Cup pistachios (roasted, non-salted)
2 Cups half-and-half
2/3 Cups plus 2 teaspoons sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 Cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Double boiler system (I just use a small bowl that fits into a regular sauce pan filled with water)
Bowl of ice water large enough so the small bowl can sit inside it. (keep in freezer until needed)
Ice cream maker (I use a Krups, which costs about $60. Worth every penny)

How To

First, put a pot of water on to boil (for use as a double boiler). This way, by the time you need it the water will be ready.

Now, shell the pistachios.




Especially at this time of year, with Spring so close, the fresh green of a pistachio is a welcome sight, don't you think?

Now, place 2/3 Cups of the pistachios into a food processor or blender.


Process until the nuts are finely ground.




Next, place 2 Cups half-and-half into a small bowl.

Add the ground pistachios.

Now, cook this mixture for 15 minutes using your double boiler.




The water should be barely simmering. This is really important. Don't overheat the water--keep an eye on it and adjust temperature as necessary. The water should be steaming but not bubbling. Stir the mixture often and scrape down the sides.

While that's cooking, prepare the eggs. If you buy your eggs from a back to nature type farm concerned with the hens' "freedom of expression and fullness of life" you may first have to remove a few feathers:


Now, separate the yolks. I assume most people know how to do this, but if not it's very easy. Crack the egg in two over a bowl. Let the whites drip out while keeping the yolk in one of the shells. Transfer the yolk back and forth between the two half shells a few times to allow all of the whites to drain out.



Now, add 2/3 Cup sugar to the yolks and whisk until well blended.



Don't forget to stir the cream/pistachio mixture on the stove. Keep your eye on the water to make sure it's not boiling!

After 15 minutes, whisk in some of the hot cream/pistachio mixture into the eggs (maybe 2/3 Cup). Whisk it quickly to incorporate. The idea is to "temper" the egg, or gently raise its temperature so that you can add it to the rest of the hot cream without it cooking instantly.

Now, add the egg to the cream/pistachio mixture and stir constantly.

When the mixture coats the back of a spoon, it's done (usually a few more minutes).

Once it passes the "spoon test" take the bowl immediately out of the double boiler and plunge into the cold water bath you've prepared. Add the vanilla extract and the heavy cream.

Allow it to cool to room temperature, then cover it with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

While you wait for it to chill, coarsely chop the remaining 1/3 Cup pistachios.

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the chopped nuts. Stir to coat them evenly with the melted butter. Now, add the 2 teaspoons of sugar.


Saute over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar melts and the nuts take on a golden brown color. Remove from heat and let cool.

After 3 hours, freeze the mixture according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

















When the ice cream is partially frozen add the sugared nuts.


Enjoy!