So here is another two more new recipes I tried. The Risotto is a recipe that I got from a professional chef at a cooking class that I attended last fall with Monica
Rasband, one of my best friends. It is so easy and very yummy. If you want to impress people cook this. The vegetable stacks I got the recipe from
Williams Sonoma. They ask to add eggplant but Josh and I do not really like eggplant so I omitted that. This is a new favorite of mine. So easy and from the words of Josh, "It tastes like it is from a
restaurant." It is super good. Also recommended if you want to impress people for a party. The recipes are below. Once again tell me if you try it and like it.
Wild Mushroom RisottoINGREDIENTS:
1 oz olive oil
1 oz butter
2 shallots, minced (or you could use a purple onion)
2 lb mixed wild mushroom, cleaned and sliced
1 lb
arborio rice
2 qt chicken stock
1 cup
asiago cheese (
asiago cheese is expensive next time I would cook it with just
Parmesan cheese)
4 oz butter,
sliced into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup chopped herbs (I chose to use basil and parsley)
salt
black ground pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil and butter on medium heat in a thick bottom saute pan
2. saute shallots until translucent but do not brown
3. add wild mushrooms and cook until they are wilted
4. add rice, saute 2 minutes, then add 1/4 of the chicken stock, stir and cook until the stock is absorbed
5. add the second 1/4 of the stock, stir and cook until the stock is
absorbed6. add the third 1/4 of the stock, stir and cook until the stock is absorbed
7. add the remaining 1/4 of stock, stir and cook until the stock is absorbed. you
may need to cook the rice more depending upon your taste. If you like it
al dente or a creamier texture.
8. add the cheese, butter, herbs, and season to your taste.
Eggplant and Tomato StacksINGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp. olive oil, plus more as needed
4 yellow onions, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 garlic cloves, minced
10 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 eggplant, 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, sliced 1/8 inch thick (I
omitted this in my recipe)
5 tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 zucchini, halved crosswise and sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick
1/2 cup grated
Parmigiano-
Reggiano cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat an oven to 425°F.
2. In a large
sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 6 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, basil, oregano and parsley and cook for 2 minutes more.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Rub the bottom and sides of a 12-inch cast-iron fry pan with olive oil.
5. Place 8 eggplant slices in a single layer in the pan and season with salt. Top each with 1 tsp. onions and 1 tomato slice and season with salt. Top each with 1 tsp. onions and 2 zucchini slices and season with salt. Top each with 1 tsp. onions.
6. Repeat the layering 2 more times, ending with the zucchini.
7. Drizzle each vegetable stack with 1 tsp. olive oil.
8. Bake until the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.
9. Sprinkle each stack with 1 Tbs. cheese and bake for 7 to 10 minutes more.
10. Let the vegetables rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
