#67 The Case of Mushroom Risotto

If I'm admitting to a fondness for rice, I must also fess up to a passion for Italian food. I have no Italian heritage (great friend Gina does) but I consider Italian the finest of world cuisines.

Mushroom Risotto

2 cups boiling water
2 rounded teaspoons (for 2 cups) vegetable bouillon powder
1 shallot, minced (or an equivalent amount of minced onion)
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 teaspoons olive oil (plus 1 tablespoon for sautéing the mushrooms)
2/3 cup Arborio rice
1/6 cup white wine
1/2 cup dried, assorted mushrooms
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 cup chopped, fresh thyme
2 cups white mushrooms, sliced
1/6 cup grated Parmesan (or Pine Nut Parmesan for vegan option)
salt
pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme to garnish

Prepare a bouillon with the water and vegetable bouillon powder.

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the shallots and celery in the olive oil for 2 min.

Add the rice and sauté for 5 min.

Add the wine and stir until it's nearly absorbed.

Add the dried mushrooms, turmeric, fresh thyme and 1/3 cup of the bouillon and stir, and continue to simmer, until liquid is nearly absorbed. Continue adding 1/3 cupfuls of the bouillon, and stirring, for 25 min. or until the rice is creamy and firm but not hard (you will need to add 1/3 cupfuls of water toward the end).

While the risotto is simmering, sauté the sliced, white mushrooms in the extra olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. When nicely browned, remove from heat and set aside.

When the risotto is ready, stir in the Parmesan and the sautéed mushrooms.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with the fresh thyme sprigs.

Serves 2.

♥ Becki

Comments

The Case of Vegetarian Detective in Italy

B uon giorno! I feel like a snob saying, "I'm just back from Italy." That's me: jetsetter. Yeah, right! But wow...Italy! I could talk up a storm, and I surely will as I adjust to being back here, six time zones from magnificent Italia . I often ask people who've just travelled what was their favourite part of their trip. If I ask the same of myself, my answer is seeing Michelangelo's sculptures. His Pietà and The Statue of David literally moved me to tears. I just can't believe I saw "him" in person! So...our plane from Toronto was delayed six hours and we missed the first day of activities, but we still visited Rome, Montecatini, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Vinci, Florence, Cinque Terre and Assisi. Quite the agenda for ten days, including the two flight days, wouldn't you say? But Trafalgar made it work. I would go on a Trafalgar trip again in a heartbeat. Things I learned in Italy: In the regions we ...

#262 The Case of Lasagna

T he most important thing about making Lasagna is to NOT use ready-to-bake noodles. They will never, never, never, ever turn scrumptiously fork tender. Please note that this recipe is still a fast, easy version of Lasagna. If you're super full of love and energy, sub in homemade Anne's Favourite Spaghetti with Neat Sauce for the first 2 ingredients. 1 340g pack plant-based ground 24-oz jar of your favourite purchased pasta sauce 20 lasagna noodles, cooked until al dente, as usual, but with a tablespoon of olive oil added to the water to prevent sticking vegan Parmesan to grate on top Preheat oven to 375ºF. Sauté the plant-based ground over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning, for 4 min. Stir in the pasta sauce. Spread some of the sauce over the bottom of 2 loaf pans. Lay down the first noodle, followed by a layer of sauce then another noodle... Repeat using all of the noodles and finishing with a last, generous portion of sauce. ...

#266 The Case of Royal Icing

T o make filling your pastry tube easier, cut a tiny bit off the very tip to allow air to escape before you add your icing. Later, make the hole larger if you wish. 19-oz-can chick peas, shaken 2 cups icing sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon vanilla food colouring (optional) Add 3 tablespoons of liquid from the chick pea can (aquafaba) to a large bowl. Beat on high for four min., until foamy and thick. (Make Hummus with the chick peas.) Add the icing sugar, salt, vanilla, and colouring as desired. Beat until combined then on high for six min., occasionally scraping down the side of the bowl. A spoon stuck upright in the icing should remain standing but you want the mixture to be thin enough to squeeze easily out of your pastry tube. Add drops of water to thin, if necessary. Fill your pastry tube. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container with a clean, damp cloth. ♥ Becki

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