Baked Risotto with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

Risotto is delicious. It is creamy, dreamy, Italian rice goodness. It also requires at least 20 minutes of near constant stirring. And while I currently have more free time than I know what to do with, I am well aware that most people have better, or at least more important, things to do than stand over a stove stirring a pot of rice for 20 minutes. But what if you didn’t have to stir your risotto? What if you could have perfect, rich and creamy risotto with almost none of the work? Would you be tempted to make risotto all the time?

Folks, get ready to be tempted because you can bake risotto in the oven.

For a basic baked risotto, all you have to do is combine Arborio rice, chicken broth, and white wine in a baking dish. Cover it up and bake it until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy, yet still a bit toothsome. When the rice is done baking, stir in some butter and cheese to make it extra luscious. Season it up with a little salt and pepper and you are good to go without ever breaking a sweat.

From there you can flavor it up any way you like, simply by stirring in some fun ingredients at the end. The possibilities are endless – roasted butternut squash, bacon and onions, sun-dried tomatoes and basil, or one of my personal favorites – mushrooms and goat cheese. The combination of earthy mushrooms and tangy goat cheese makes this baked risotto extra special. And it’s still easy enough for any night of the week – no lengthy stirring required.

Meyer Lemon and Asparagus Risotto

Spring has sprung in Nashville. Okay, maybe not quite, but it is trying. The sky continues to be gray and gloomy, but there are signs of hope people. Daffodils are popping up all over town and the magnolia trees that blanket the city are budding, getting ready to fill the air with their heady fragrance and beautiful color. Can you tell I like spring? And man, I am ready for it to get here in full force.

I have to believe this is what led me to jump the gun last night. By that I mean getting a little over-eager for spring produce and pretending it is asparagus season somewhere other than Mexico or Chile or maybe California. You know, somewhere like Nashville. And while the local growing season is still a few weeks away, I couldn’t resist picking up some asparagus during my last trip to the grocery store. Try as I might to buy things in season, the lure of spring asparagus was too tempting to resist. So I bought some, product of Mexico label and all.

My original plan had been to roast the asparagus. It’s my favorite was to prepare asparagus, no surprise considering my documented love of all roasted vegetables. (I’ll post my recipe for roasted asparagus in a few weeks, once asparagus is really in season.) Plans changed when I realized I did not have enough time to prepare my intended entrée/accompaniment. A little fridge and pantry raiding came up with all of the ingredients to make risotto, so I figured, why not?

I decided to pair the asparagus with some citrus for an even more spring-like flavor. I’d been trying to figure out what to do with some meyer lemons I picked up on impulse a few weeks ago, and this seemed like a great use for them. If you’ve never tried them, meyer lemons are less sour than regular lemons and have a beautiful golden-orange color. I used the zest and the juice of the lemons to perk up the flavor of the creamy rice. The asparagus provided great texture and color contrast. I have to confess, I burnt all the taste buds off my tongue while checking the rice for doneness, so I had to rely on Stan for a full review of the finished product. Happily, he said he really liked the risotto and would definitely enjoy eating it again in the future. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to fully taste and enjoy it too!

Roasted Beet Risotto

As I’ve mentioned before, February 14th is a big day in our house. Not so much because it’s Valentine’s Day, though. Stan is firmly of the “it’s a Hallmark holiday designed to make people spend money” camp. I, on the other hand, love Valentine’s Day despite its pervasive commercialism. I like the hearts, and the pink and red, and the candy and flowers, and all other manner of girlish whimsy.

But that’s not the point. February 14th is a big day in our house because it’s the anniversary of our first date. Six years ago, we went out on our first official date, and it just so happened to be on Valentine’s Day. So every Valentine’s Day since then has had special meaning. This year, however, was extra special because it was our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple.

Every year, Stan plans a super secret Valentine’s date for us. It’s the one night a year where I know nothing about the plan. I just know it will involve dinner, and I should look spiffy. In keeping with tradition, Stan surprised me with a fabulous dinner at a restaurant I have wanted to try for months. (And these flowers!) We went out on Saturday, the night before Valentine’s Day, so that left me to figure out something special for us to do on Sunday, our “real” big day.

Since Stan had to spend the whole day at school and the office, I wanted him to come home to a special dinner. I kind of wanted it to look Valentine’s-y too. Enter the humble beet. An often-maligned root vegetable, beets have an undeserved bad rep. They are sweet and earthy and pair well with a number of foods. Even better for my purposes, they are a gorgeous, deep pinkish-red color that could not be more perfect for a Valentine’s Day recipe.

I decided to take my beets and incorporate them into a risotto. Creamy and hearty, the risotto paired very well with the savory-sweet chunks of vibrantly hued beets. I served the risotto with homemade rosemary foccacia, an Arugula salad with shaved Parmesan, and a light pear ginger crisp (recipe to come later this week). All in all, it was a memorable, delicious meal, perfect for our first married Valentine’s Day.

Risotto with Spicy Garlic Shrimp (and shrimp stock)

Risotto is one of those “restaurant” foods. You know, foods you only eat at restaurants, but never make at home. Why? Because it seems too scary, too difficult, too labor intensive. Whatever the reason, people seem to be afraid of attempting homemade risotto. Until very recently, I was one of those fearful people. If risotto was on a menu, I’d order it in a flash, but make it at home? Despite how easy the chefs on Food Network always made it seem, I was reluctant. But no longer. I made risotto for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and it was amazing. Unbelievable. Like at a restaurant. Victory was mine. And it can be yours too.

(That particular glorious recipe will be posted soon, once I make it again to get some better pictures.)

If you haven’t had it before, risotto is a Northern Italian specialty traditionally made with short-grained Arborio rice. The rice’s natural starch makes the rice creamy without actually adding any cream. It is slow cooked with gradual additions of hot stock, resulting in plump, creamy yet still al dente rice.

For this recipe, I used shrimp stock. I have to confess, I normally buy good quality stock at the store. However, when a little research told me how easy shrimp stock is to make, I decided to be adventurous and make my own. The research was right – homemade shrimp stock is simple and basically free to make, if you purchase shrimp that still have their shells. For me, it was actually quicker and easier than making an extra, last minute run to the store. For you, do whatever is easier.

The real star of this recipe though, is the spicy garlic shrimp. Marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes, the shrimp’s flavor explodes in your mouth. The marinade and shrimp juices combine to form an unbelievably flavorful sauce, with very few ingredients and very little effort. Most of the shrimp are chopped up and stirred into the risotto, so you get a chunk or two in every bite. The remaining shrimp are left whole, decorating the top of the plated risotto, inviting you to dive in. That is, if you manage not to eat all of them while waiting on your risotto…