Leftover Risotto….hmm…why not!!!

Leftovers

Took leftover risotto, fried it…then added sliced tomatoes, sliced avocado, a poached egg, little sprinkling of cheese, some salsa…cilantro and OMG…BREAKFAST!!!!! How easy is that?????

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Bacon, Wild Mushroom & Spinach Risotto

Bacon, Wild Mushroom & Spinach Risotto

BACON, WILD MUSHROOM & SPINACH RISOTTO

 

Before you start any recipe that I have on my blog it is IMPERATIVE…get that??..that you read the recipe over first,………… S L O W L Y…and then go get all the ingredients below and put them on the counter. NEXT..you open cans, measure ingredients, chop what needs to be chopped, reconstitute whatever needs to be reconstituted..and have everything READY TO GO so that all you need to do is just take the ingredient and put it in according to the recipe.  BLOGGERS, this is sooooo important.  It prevents you from going nuts and makes you realize how much time you waste running back and forth all over the damn place!

Your new mantra “MEASURED, CHOPPED & READY TO GO”!!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 5- 14oz cans chicken broth, opened
• 7 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion (that’s ½ of med onion)..now chop it or use a food processor to do it for you!
• 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 TBS minced garlic from jar
• 4oz cremini mushrooms sliced OR 1 pkg of dried, reconstitute & chop..yup, chop now
• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced OR 1 pkg of dried, reconstitute & chop, yup..now!!!
• 4 oz white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 c uncooked Arborio rice..measured and ready to go!
• 1/3 c dry sherry OR Madeira wine..measured and ready to go
• 4 cups baby spinach..measured, put in a bowl and ready when called!
• 1 c grated 3 cheeses (parmesan, asiago, romano) or whichever you want…you know it..measured & ready!
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Open cans of broth and put into a pan and heat over med heat.  Put aside
2. Cook bacon in pan, put aside and take drippings and add to dutch oven or large soup pot.
3. Now to the pot, with the bacon drippings, add the onion, oil, thyme and garlic until onion is tender..about 2 mins.
4. Next add mushrooms to onion mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 8 mins.
5. Now add the rice and cook 1 min stirring constantly and coating all the rice.
6. Add the dry sherry and stir until liquid is absorbed…and then…the fun part begins!!!
7. Stir 1 ladle at a time into this mixture and stir until liquid is gone and continue doing this until ALL your broth is gone. This should take you about 25 minutes (thus the labor of love) and PLEASE do not rush the process.  You will see the rice get plumper…which is exactly what you want!  Hell, have an adult libation next to you to help you endure the stirring!
8. Once this is done, add the spinach and stir, and cook about 1 minute
9. Next, the cheese, salt & pepper…and continue stirring…(you are now a stirring machine for sure!)
10. And finally, the bacon!!! Stir that in and voila!!!!  All that stirring will have paid off…you will be the BOMB of the kitchen!!!

This recipe will take 20-25 mins to prep and 25 mins to stir…so on the table in under an hour (depending on how much you drank in between!!)

It will feed 6 people with some leftovers…and leftovers are the BEST!!!!

Saffron Risotto by Chef-Boy-R-D2

Saffron Risotto

¼ cup olive oil

1 med onion, chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

1 cup white wine

3 cups chicken broth

2 “pinches” of saffron

4 TBS butter

1 cup Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

• Add ¼ c olive oil to cast iron pot and heat. Once heated, add chopped onion and saute for 3 mins.
• Next, add the Arborio rice and cook until completely coated with oil mixture and it becomes translucent.
• Now add the wine and cook over a medium heat, stirring, until that is absorbed.
• Next start adding a ladle at a time to the rice mixture and continue stirring until is is absorbed and then repeat this 1 ladle at a time until there is about 1/3 c left.
• Take the saffron and add to the last 1/3 cup and stir, then after it has sat for a minute or two, add to the rice mixture, and stir until it has been thoroughly absorbed throughout.
• Take off the stove and add the butter & cheese and continue stirring until it is smooth and creamy.
• Serve immediately or if the rest of the meal is not ready then put back on the stove and reheat as needed, then serve.
• This recipe SERVES 4

A “TRUE” Labor of Love!!!!

Mushroom Risotto

• 1 cup Arborio Rice
• 1/4 cup Good White Wine (no cheap stuff here!) at room temperature
• 2 TBS virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup thinly sliced white mushrooms
• 1/2 cup of assorted dried mushrooms (costco carries them)
• 4 cups of chicken broth/stock
• 2 TBS butter
• 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese or 3 cheese combo with asiago & romano
• 1/4 cup cream
• thyme, chives, dried parsley, S&P all to taste
• 1 TBS
• chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

First and Foremost…..PATIENCE….this will take 25-30 mins of stirring.  DO NOT RUSH THE PROCESS….the constant stirring will drive you “stir crazy” but it is worth the time!!

1. Take the dry mushrooms and clean under warm water in collendar. Heat 3 cups of H2O in microwave and then put mushrooms in to reconstitute for app 5 minutes.  Drain and coarsely chop and put aside.
2. Take white mush, clean and thinly slice…put aside
3. pour 4 cups of chix broth/stock in saucepan and heat over low heat.
4. in large pot, put 2TBS virgin oil and garlic and saute till garlic is light brown.  Add white mush and saute app 3-5 minutes.  Take reconstituted mush, seasonings (parsley, thyme & chive) & 1/2 ladle of chix stock and stir until stock absorbed.  Now use slotted spoon and take mushroom mixture and put into bowl and set aside.
5. Now comes the fun part….(yeah, right..!!)  Take the rice and add it to the pot where the mushrooms just came from and cook them, constantly stirring, until they havw a golden color.  Add the wine, and stir until absorbed.  Now, put one ladle of stock into pot and stir until mostly absorbed.  Repeat this until stock is used up continually stirring.  DO NOT RUSH THIS PROCESS!!!!
6. Once the stock is used, add the mushrooms and stir into rice mixture.  Then add the cheese, butter and cream and stir.  Season to taste.  Once all is mixed in, turn off heat and then put into bowl.  Add parsley on top and serve immediately!!!
7. The secret, once again, is “PATIENCE”…if you rush the process the rice will taste hard and crunchy instead of soft and creamy!