Planes, Trains & Automobile Risotto

As I mentioned in my last post, I was spending the Easter long weekend in London Ontario, with my good friend Lynn and her family. We had a wicked time!! I flew in Thursday afternoon, and back to Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon. Saturday we took the train into Toronto for shopping, eating & drinking. I got to visit with some wonderful friends from when I lived in the big city, Jamie Lee Burton and Matt Coffey. Busing back at 1am, arriving in London 3:30 to plan an Easter egg hunt for my godson Parker was exhausting but great. I got some cute clothes and a new tattoo. All and all a fabulous weekend!

On Good Friday, Lynn was host to a family dinner. Her and I were in charge of the appetizers, and her husband Jamie made the main dish, risotto. This is a fav of both theirs, and something I had never tried. It was extremely delicious and so versatile. I can't wait to try making it myself, and experimenting with new variations. This version is done with Parmesan cheese (Jamie pulled out a portion for me before adding it in at the end) but of course isn't necessary. I know there is a vegan parm out there, but I haven't seen it before. Enjoy!

4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 generous cup of risotto rice (Jamie recommends Arborino)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, de-seeded & chopped
8 oz (225g) white mushrooms thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained & chopped
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (if you can find a soy version, great, otherwise omit)
Salt & pepper to taste
fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs or bay leaves for garnish
whole rosemary twigs * this is Jamie's addition to the standard recipe

1.  Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce heat & keep simmering gently over low while cooking the risotto * throw in whole rosemary twigs and leave until the bitter end*
2. Heat oil in deep skillet or saucepan. Add rice & cook over low stirring constantly for 2-3mins, until grains are thoroughly coated in oil & translucent
3. Add garlic, onion, celery, & pepper & cook stirring frequently for 5mins. Add mushrooms & cook 3-4mins. Stir in oregano
4. Gradually add the hot stock a ladleful at a time. Stir constantly & add more liquid as the rice absorbs each addition. Increase the heat to medium so the liquid bubbles. Cook 20mins or until all the liquid absorbs & the rice is creamy. Add the sun-dried tomatoes 5mins before the end of cooking time & season with salt & pepper to taste.
5. Remove risotto from heat & stir in half the Parmesan (if using) until it melts. Transfer risotto to warmed plates and top with remaining cheese, garnish with parsley or bay leaves & serve at once.

 With a party of 10, Jamie needed to double or possibly triple the recipe

 The chef hard at work

Pretty Easter table by Lynn

 Belissimo!

For the pre-dinner party, we had an assortment of various flat breads, crackers, cheese, & fruit with chocolate sauce. We also tried this artichoke dip from a cookbook called "500 appetizers: the only appetizer compendium you'll ever need"  by  Susannah Blake. It is very simple, however Lynn does not yet own a food processor, so we had to experiment with mashing, using a hand mixer & a blender. The constitency may not have been exactly right, but it was tasty nonetheless.

1 can artichoke hearts drained

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Blend all ingreients in a food processor until smooth and serve with pitas, flatbreads or crackers

Happy Birthday Lynn & thanks for the awesome weekend vacation!