Fresh Peas and Mint Risotto - inspired by "The Dirty Life"

This is a recipe inspired by a book inspired by a life. The recipe is with Fresh Peas cooked in milk and mint (then turned into Fresh Pea and Mint Risotto.)

The book is "The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball. The life is Kristin's experience going from a city girl to falling in love with a man of the land, then falling in love with the land.

I have personal reasons for loving the idea of this book, but the story touched on themes universal and sustaining.

I spent my earliest years living with just a field of corn, vegetables, and berries between my house and my grandparent's survival farm. As a child, I watched the hard work of farming like my own personal theme park. The giant Shire horse that pulled the plow for my grandfather was the same one I shared a salt lick with in the hay barn. It didn't occur to me, that he was also the source of indispensable strength required to work the soil.



My brother, cousins and I built many elaborately chambered forts of hay bales that had recently been tediously gathered and tied for feed. We threw grains to the chickens and gathered eggs when we felt like joining in, not knowing it was a daily chore the adults were bound to every morning at dawn. We ran through the yard from escaped pigs, not reading the concerned faces of the tired parents who had already spent this season's budget on fence repairs.

We'd grab the handle for churning butter and claim our success after a few strokes, leaving the rest of the hour to Grandma. We stole strawberries and mulberries from the vines for our own red stained version of paintball wars. We sprinkled salt into one palm of our hands and dipped fresh hot juicy tomatoes into it and ate them like apples. We'd sit in the yard with a lap full of chores and feel besieged with suffering that we couldn't go play until we had snapped our little bowl of green beans, or shucked our share of corn.Grandma gave us steaming buttermilk biscuits that we poked holes into and filled with molasses to eat while we headed out for the day on what we thought were newly forged faraway pathways through the woods. We returned late in the afternoon, grouchy with exhaustion from our difficult day of work and exploration. Later, as an adult I realized it was only about a city block in distance away from the main house.

For these and other memories of farm living, "The Dirty Life" gave me a new appreciation for how much work had been going on around my little world.If I had never experienced a farm, Kristin Kimball's book would still be on my bedside table. Her writing tone feels like a letter to a friend, and somewhere in there I start feeling like I am the friend.

Through the journey of her falling in love with her husband, community, animals and nature, I am inspired. In her words, "Why is farming like a relationship? Because you do not reap what you sow. That's a lie. You reap what you sow, hill, cultivate, fertilize, harvest, and store."Along the way, Kristin casually tosses us a few recipe and cooking ideas. One of my favs is cooking fresh summer peas in a saucepan of milk briefly, then adding a few sprigs of mint.After gathering our first season peas from my tiny little "dog run" size garden, I turned the minted peas into a Risotto for a family dinner.Obviously I really enjoyed this book, so you can imagine how exciting it was to have Kristin Kimball join in during an online virtual book club meeting this past week. She was generous and funny, spoke of her two kids being watched by her farmer husband, Mark, while our book club tweeted comments and questions regarding her writing, her inspirations and her plans.

At one point Mark brought her a plate of fresh and simply prepared asparagus and she mentioned how the right ingredients were so much more important than the recipe to her. It was a joy.

This online book club was hosted by Allison for Leite's Culinaria (David Leite). You are invited to join us for the next event/book which will be decided soon. It's a great way to challenge and encourage yourself to carve out time for reading and then discussing what we read without even leaving your own home/office. A time is set, you go on twitter and put in the subject #LCBookClub and join in the meeting.(Here's a special treat: there will be another time with Kristin Kimball this coming Tuesday night, June 13th, 2011 at 9PM EST. Even if you haven't read the book (yet), stop by and experience the energy.)

RECIPE: Fresh Peas & Mint Risotto

2 cups fresh peas
2 cups milk
pinch of salt
1 Tbls fresh mint leaves or chopped in pieces
3 Tbls. Butter
3 Tbls. Olive Oil
1 small Shallot (chopped)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine (or non alcoholic Verjon)
1 qt. stock (vegetable or chicken)
1/2 cup grated cheese (parmigiano or pecorino work well)

1) In a small saucepan, bring the peas and milk to a simmer for about 2-3 minutes, then add the mint and salt. Remove the pan from heat and hold.

2) In a sided skillet over med. heat, cook the shallot in the butter and oil until tender (about 3-5 minutes).

3) Add the rice and stir (season with salt) until the rice turns opaque (about 5-10 minutes).

4) Add the wine and stir to deglaze the skillet until almost all the liquid has been incorporated (au sec.)

5) Add the stock, one cup at a time, for 3 times. Stirring between each addition until the liquid is absorbed and the rice begins to create its own sauce.

6) Stir in the milk and the peas (as you did the stock), continuing to incorporate and cook the rice. Use the rest of the stock as needed to stir in and keep the Risotto creamy. Season to taste.

7) Stir in the grated cheese, briefly and serve with more grated cheese as desired.

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Pumpkin Spice Orzo Pasta

This Acorn Squash was so beautiful, I just wanted to bake and stuff it right away.

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed w/Pumpkin Spice Orzo Pasta

The other day, I was dashing through my local Farmer's Market happy to grab the few things I needed just before the tents were going down. With my favorite Honey B canvas bag filled with Autumn produce (Acorn Squash, apples, California Fuyu Persimmons), I had every intention of breaking rank and just sliding through between two of the stalls for a clever short-cut back to my car. It was one of those times when your mind and eyes register words and colors, but it takes a minute for your brain to catch up. I stopped mid-escape, realizing I had just seen a multitude of fall colored pastas. Pastas? Multi-colored? At the farmers market artisanal section? How could I, a giant nerd-ball Italophile obsessed with making homemade pasta, not pull a personal u-turn and check that out?
Even now, after way too many platefuls of golden roasted Acorn squash filled with Harvest Pumpkin and Spice Orzo (simmered in toasted pine nuts, apples and sage) I'm wishing for more.
I am honestly so happy I took that pasta-pause and purchased pumpkin orzo from these wonderful folks: Pappardelles Pasta (say THAT sentence twice, fast.)
Orzo means "barley" in Italian and is called that more for it's shape than anything else. A lot of Italian pasta has a name based on its shape or story behind how it was formed.
Orzo is used in a lot of Mediterranean dishes and served as a warm dish and also in cold pasta salads. I spoke with Kyle Crocker, a really friendly and knowledgeable guy, about how the Pappardelle artisan pasta company makes all its pasta in small batches, by hand or hand machines and air dried in rooms according to the best choice for each pasta shape. This is a company I could love. There were so many different sizes, shapes and flavors I could hardly hold back my Italy-style tears of over dramatic joy.

RECIPE: Roasted Acorn Squash stuffed with Pumpkin Spice Orzo Risotto

1 Acorn Squash
3 oz. butter
1 oz. olive oil (plus more for pan and rubbing squash)
1 shallot (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 cups Orzo (Pappardelles Autumn Harvest)
6 cups Vegetable stock
1 med. apple (peeled, cored, chopped)
dash of ground cinnamon and fresh nutmeg
salt/pepper to taste
Pinch of fresh thyme leaves, fresh chopped parsley, and fresh chopped sage leaves
3 Tbls. pine nuts (toasted)

Preheat oven to 350F
Grease large sheet pan

1) Cut Acorn squash in half and scrape out all seeds and filling. Rub insides of squash halves with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place cut side down on prepared baking sheet and roast in oven for about 1 1/2 hours til inside is tender, but not mushy.

2) In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil together and saute shallot and garlic on low/med heat until tender (about 5-10 minutes) In the last minute, add apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well.

3) Add Orzo and stir, coating all the grains and heating for about 8 minutes.

4) Gradually pour in Vegetable stock, stirring constantly and incorporating all the flavors.

5) Cook, stirring, for about 15-20 minutes until Orzo has almost doubled in volume and is al dente (or tender to the bite.)

6) Stir in herbs, pine nuts and adjust seasonings.

Serve by filling the acorn squash with the Orzo Risotto and garnish with fresh sage leaves. When plating, scoop a nice serving of Roasted Acorn Squash with each serving of Pumpkin Spice Orzo Risotto, too.

This serves 4-6 with good portions, but could serve more if used as a side dish in a large meal (ie. Thanksgiving or Holiday menus). It's easy to give thanks for this golden toasty, crunchy autumn awesomeness! Happy stuffing.

Eccola! Caramelized Onion & Fennel Risotto- Daring Cooks March 2010

Rice is the one grain that is a staple for almost every country in the world. And every country, sometimes even towns and villages, have their own size, style, traditions and ingredients for cooking rice. For Italy, one of the most famous rice dishes is risotto.

Caramelized Onions and Fennel Risotto
w/ Stinco d'Agnello
(Braised Lamb Shank)

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

Risotto is classically cooked by slowly braising the Arborio style rice in a stock (and sometimes a soffrito of carrots, garlic, celery and onions.) and finishing with Parmigiano Reggiano. What starts out as a pan of solid white grains, gradually becomes a serving of opaque starch drenched creamy bites of deep flavor with a hint of cheese.


The additions of mushrooms, or artichokes, seafood, or perhaps green vegetables varies according to the regions of the country and it's local, fresh, available goodies. Seafood in Venice is a definite (also the gateway that rice was most likely brought to Europe.) In the more central parts of the country, it might be meats like pork, wild boar or lamb.

There are many opinions on how to best make risotto. Every Italian cook that I've ever asked has preached of "slow and steady" stirring on low heat, adding stock little at a time. There have been other cooks (ala Food Network, etc.) who have insisted that technically you don't have to even stir or watch so carefully. You can probably imagine where I fall on the subject. Lentamente, sempre!

Part of our challenge included making our own stock for the risotto. The recipe as listed includes making it with a whole chicken, however I usually buy a whole chicken and break it down for pieces to be used in meals,(saves a lot of money) then use the carcass for stock. That's what I did for this one, too. Here's my very simple stock recipe:
Simple Chicken Stock (ShowFoodChef)

1 onion chopped rough
2 carrots chopped rough
2 celery stalks chopped rough
handful of fresh parsley chopped large
bay leaf
fresh thyme sprigs
a few peppercorns
1 Chicken carcass broken into large pieces
(DO NOT ADD SALT, wait to add salt according to what you use the stock in)

Place all ingredients into a large stew pot and cover with cold water. Heat on High just to boiling, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain well into a bowl and cool, then chill overnight in refrigerator. The next day, skim off fat and strain stock again into containers for freezing or using.
Caramelized Onions and Fennel: (ShowFoodChef)

1 onion sliced length wise, thin
1 fennel bulb sliced into thin strips
1 tsp butter
2 tbls olive oil

Add all ingredients into a saute pan and cook on low/med for about 20 minutes, stirring often until a nice caramelized color is reached. Do not cook faster on higher heat as this will make the onions taste bitter.
These can be used in the risotto, but are also great as garnish on meats, or egg dishes.

Click HERE for a Recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto.

Chicken Stock as given by Daring Cooks:

Ingredients:
1 large chicken 2-3 pounds about 1 kg
chicken bones 2-3 pounds 1 kg
2 onions, roughly diced
1 medium leek - white part only, roughly diced
2 sticks celery, roughly diced
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. white peppercorns ( Any type of whole peppercorn will do)
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried, it doesn't matter.)
peel of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. allspice

Directions:

1. Wash the chicken and bones and places in a 5 Litre pot, cover completely with water and bring to a boil
2. Skim away any scum as it comes to the surface
3. Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil
4. Add the rest remaining ingredients and simmer very gently, uncovered for 1.5 hours
5. Carefully lift out the chicken, set aside. The chicken meat can be removed from the chicken, shredded off and used for other things like soup!
6. Simmer the stock gently for another hour. At , at the end you should have around 2 Liters
7. Carefully ladle the liquid into a fine sieve, the less the bones and vegetables are disturbed in this process the clearer the stock will be. 
The stock is now ready for use. Freeze what you don't need for later use.

Risotto Base (as given by Daring Cooks)

Ingredients:
olive oil 2 fluid oz 60 ml
1 small onion, quatered
rice 14 oz 400g
Any type of risotto rice will do. I use Arborio but the recipe itself says Vialone Nano. Another to look for is Carnaroli.
white wine 2 fl oz 60 ml
chicken or vegetable stock , simmering 2 pints 1 L

Directions:

1. I did not follow this > Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry for a few minutes to flavour the oil then discard. (We diced ours and left it in as we like onion). ** I reheated the caramelized onions and fennel in a tbls. olive oil, then continued with these steps...
   
2. Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.
3. Add the wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.
4. Add enough stock to cover the rice by a finger’s width (about an inch or two). Don't actually stick your finger in, it will be hot. Just eye it off.
5. Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.
6. Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step. .
7. Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage.
8. Once you are at this point, the base is made. You now get to add your own variation.
9. At the end I finish with 1 tbls. butter and 1/3 cup of fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
   

LAMB SHANK RECIPE: (ShowFoodChef)
Soffritto: 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery, 2 bulbs garlic (all chopped rough)
2 Lamb Shanks
3Tbls.+ Olive Oil
1 Tbls. Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Red Wine
2-3 Cups Stock (chicken or vegetable)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Heat a deep sided pan on Med/High with a covering of olive oil. Season the Lamb Shanks, then brown them on all sides working for a nice crunchy brown skin all over. Remove and hold to the side.
Turn the heat down and add the soffritto to the pan, season and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add 1 Tbls. tomato paste and stir into the soffritto (this adds a depth of flavor).
Add 1/2 cup red wine and stir, heating on Med. until the liquid is reduced in half.
Put the browned Lamb Shanks back into the pan and pour in 2 cups of stock, bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the shanks are "fall off the bone" tender (about 2 hours) You can also, put this into the oven preheated to 325F for the 2 hours instead of stove top, if you want.
When done, remove the shanks and keep warm. Strain the sauce, carefully, and return the sauce to the pan and reduce to a thicker au jus.

This is delicious with risotto, rice, potatoes or pasta.
ENJOY and thanks for checking out my post! :D

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Riso Delizioso! Butternut Squash Risotto

Have you ever gone to the store for one thing and returned home with a dozen things, except the thing you went to get? I do that at the Farmer's Market...often. That's how I came to own more Butternut Squash than anyone needed to have for one week. What's a gal to do, but use it as an excuse to heat up some butter and wine and make Risotto? It's what the Italians would do, so who am I to question fate.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT RISOTTO

I find there are a few keys to making authentic Risotto: Use the correct rice (round or semi round, like Arborio), heat the rice and coat with oil/butter well in the pan before adding other liquid, after adding the wine make sure to cook it down to au sec (almost dry) before gradually adding the stock.

In some Squash Risotto recipes, the squash is added to the rice as it cooks, but I like to roast the Butternut in the oven until it's nice and caramelized.
Then, cut into cubes and add as one of the last ingredients. That way, the squash still has a nice clear bite to it, but its texture is still compatible with the creamy rice.

RECIPE: ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO (serves 4-6)

1 Butternut Squash
Olive Oil
6 Tbls. Unsalted Butter
2 Tbls. minced fresh Sage
1/2 onion (chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
3/4 cup Alborio rice
4 cups Veggie stock (may use Chicken Stock, also)
1/3 cup white wine

Cut the Butternut Squash crosswise small top from bottom bulb. Cut each half in half from top to bottom. Drizzle w/Olive oil and salt. Roast in oven on 350F, cut-side down on baking pan, for 20-30 minutes til fork tender. Turn once, halfway through. Cool and scoop out seeds. Peel and cut into bite-size cubes. Hold.

In a large straight-sided pan, heat 3Tbls. Butter and 1 Tbls. Olive oil on Low/Med. until butter melts. Add chopped onion, 1 Tbls of the Sage, and minced garlic. Stir often until onion is cooked through (about 8 minutes). Pour in rice and stir to coat. Continue to cook and stir until rice is opaque (about 10 minutes). Turn heat to Med., carefully pour in the white wine and stir - cooking til almost all the wine is absorbed (about 5-8 minutes). Pour in 1 cup of the stock and stir gently and often while the rice absorbs the liquid. Add the next cup, only after most of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until all the stock is used and the Risotto is creamy, but the rice still has a bite (al dente) to it. Stir in the Roasted Butternut, the remaining butter and sage; Heat through and serve (Optionally; add some grated Parmigiano Regiano to the last stir.)


Restaurant secret: They make the Risotto to the point of half-way through the "adding the stock" part. The rice is definitely only half-cooked. They spread it out in a large baking sheet to cool, cover and refrigerate. It's cut into serving sizes and brought to room temperature and the cooking, adding stock and cheese is done per order.

Quote from my older son: "Oh Mama, (garbled eating), yeah...is there more?