Camacho Watcho

Well, this week is the home stretch…I have a couple posts from meals over the weekend to catch up on that then it’s the final push to finish everything by April 30th. I’m optimistic, although I do have meals planned for breakfast, lunch and dinner to make it happen.

So this will be a quick update on five recipes I’ve tried over the past week. Overall this group did not have many favorites – each was just okay, nothing special.

Green Chile Pork Posole:

I liked, did not love, this recipe. Although it did have a good amount of spice to it (just the way I like it!) I wish it had used fresh jalapenos or other chiles to make it spicy rather than just a bunch of chile powder. It just gave it more of a canned soup taste to it, than a clean fresh taste. Also, I used a cheaper cut of pork than the tenderloin it calls for and just simmered it longer than the recipe called for. I just had a hard time using such a nice piece of meat for a soup that should be simmered long enough to make the meat tender.

Green Pea Soup with Tarragon and Pea Sprouts:

This was another soup recipe that I liked, but did not love. It was a little bland and just didn’t have the fresh Spring taste. There was a pea soup recipe I made last year about this time that I just LOVED. I’ll have to dig up the recipe to make it again and post.

Tagliatelle with Baby Vegetables and Lemon-Parmesan Sauce:

Although this was one of the simplest recipes, I really liked this pasta and I loved that the recipe took a very basic sauce and just added lemon juice and zest to make it fresh and new. It had a good tang to it with the lemon zest and, although it was a cream sauce, it didn’t sit too heavy. I did have to swap out linguine for the tagliatelle (I couldn’t find any locally sourced tagliatelle). The ingredients are easy to keep on hand, so I could see making this again as a side dish with a piece of fish or grilled chicken.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Radishes, Cucumbers and Tarragon Pesto:

This is perhaps the most disappointing recipe so far. The picture of this dish is on the front of the magazine, which I have been drooling over for a couple months now. It looks gorgeous with the fresh, colorful vegetables, grilled chicken and intriguing pesto drizzled about. Unfortunately, the vinaigrette was just pretty standard and I really didn’t like the tarragon pesto. I think I would have liked this better if I would have just made my standby vinaigrette and drizzled the leftover walnut pesto (from the proscuitto) sandwiches on it. On the plus side, the chicken was really good – perfectly grilled, but I think that has more to do with Kyle’s grilling skills than the recipe.

Dijon-Cilantro Tuna Salad on Whole Grain Bread:

If I was most looking forward to the last recipe, this tuna salad recipe is one of the recipes I was least excited about. I do not like canned tuna, however this recipe partially proved me wrong. It was light, made with plain yogurt instead of mayo, and the cilantro, pickle relish and red onion gave it a nice zip! I could see making this recipe again, but substituting diced grilled chicken instead of the tuna.

So I know I sound like a total Debbie Downer, but I promise great recipes are coming up next! There was a pizza party night and a seafood fest that I really enjoyed.

All recipes can be found on Epicurious.com.

I just returned from a six day vacation (and subsequently took one more night off from cooking after)…and I realize that I need to get serious about this cooking challenge. There are 10 days left in April and I have 28 recipes to go….Now, it sounds worse than it is because a bunch are homemade pizza recipes – dough, toppings and sauce – that will be hammered out in one night. But, that doesn’t mean that there is any wiggle room for further slack. I am headed to the co-op this afternoon to load up on groceries and then it’s back to the grind.

As a quick update, however, I thought I would share some photos and ideas for using the leftovers that I had from the prior couple weeks of cooking.

Clockwise starting from the top left and with the recipes that the ingredients were leftovers from in parenthesis.

Egg Scramble with Asparagus, Shitakes and Creme Fraiche: I love egg scrambles so I was excited to use leftovers for this one last Sunday morning. A quick sautee of the shitakes (matzo stuffing) and asparagus (tarts) and then added eggs with half and half whisked in and a dollop of creme fraiche (tarts) on top – yum! The potato (flank steak) was sliced and sauteed in olive oil with salt, pepper and fresh thyme (tarts).
Lamb Pitas with Olive Tapenade: This was a quick lunch that I threw together with cut up pieces of lamb (lamb), olive tapenade (proscuitto sandwiches), spinach (just had on-hand), and a sauce made from plain yogurt, creme fraiche (tarts), olive oil and garlic.
Chocolate Caramel Crackers: As soon as I saw these crackers on Smitten Kitchen, I knew I had to make them. A layer of matzo (matzo stuffing) topped with homemade caramel, chocolate, nuts and coarse salt. They are absolutely addicting and, quite possibly, the quickest, easiest recipe! I just bought more butter and brown sugar to make another batch. These will definitely become a staple in my household.
Proscuitto Sandwiches and Pesto Pasta Salad: This was another quick lunch of leftover sandwiches and the pea and asparagus pasta with a tablespoon of the walnut pesto mixed in, as I mentioned in that post. I really thought these two recipes went well together and can envision a picnic with these on the menu in the future.

Okay, enough typing…back to cooking.

Perhaps it looks like I covered a lot of recipes with this post, but they were made within two dinners on consecutive nights. The first was a lamb feast I made for some friends and the second was a roast chicken meal that I made on Easter.

We started our dinner on Saturday night with the recipe for Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts. These were so simple and yet so amazingly good! Just thaw a sheet of puff pastry, cut it into squares…a quick sautee of shitake mushrooms and add in asparagus, gruyere, creme fraiche, thyme and lemon zest. Pop them in the oven and serve. I can still taste the bright thyme and lemon paired with the sharp gruyere…definitely a great recipe!

After the tarts we moved on to dinner, which was Roast Leg of Lamb with Tarragon-Mint Butter, Garland of Spring Vegetables, and Saffron-Scented Couscous with Pine Nuts. After a minor blip with the lamb (therefore turning me into a major kitchen b*tch for a couple minutes), I got things under control and it turned out moist and tender. The red wine-orange gravy was the icing on the delicious herb butter-rubbed lamb. The same herb butter is used in the vegetables, which tied everything together nicely. And, although the couscous didn’t stand out as a star, it rounded out the meal perfectly. Overall, I really enjoyed this menu and will definitely use the lamb as a go-to recipe.

The next night I prepared the Roast Chicken with Matzo Stuffing and Cauliflower-Spinach Puree. The recipe for the chicken itself, stuffed with lemon, thyme, rosemary and shallots, was very good. The meat turned out moist and the skin was crispy with a nice coating of herbs on top. The one change I made was to put the chicken directly into the roasting pan (I don’t have a roasting rack) and added water to the bottom of the pan throughout the cooking to keep it moist. I also basted the chicken 2-3 times with the pan juices while it cooked. The cauliflower-spinach puree and the matzo stuffing were nothing special. The puree did have a nice lemony zing to it but the matzo stuffing turned out mushy and just made me long for my mom’s light and fluffy sage dressing.

Next up on for my Bon Appetit challenge was to make Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Citrus Tapenade Sandwiches, Pasta with Peas, Asparagus, Butter Lettuce and Prosciutto and Halibut on Mashed Fava Beans with Mint. Overall I was pleased that these recipes called for fresh, Springy ingredients. This is definitely what I’m looking for in an April issue of Bon Appetit!

Let’s start with the sandwiches – these were fantastic! Grilled bread layered with citrusy kalamata olive tapenade with salty anchovies, then buffalo mozzarella and thinly sliced proscuitto, and finally a walnut pesto. I found that balsamic vinegar was a good, but not necessary addition – I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy a nice balsamic vinegar for these if you don’t have it on hand. These sandwiches have been eaten several times now in my house already (I love leftovers!) and they will continue to be a staple for me.

The pasta was good – not great…just good. Overall, I really liked all the elements and loved the freshness of the peas. When I speared the perfect bite – pasta shell, pea, proscuitto, lettuce and asparagus – it did come together for me but overall, I just felt like it was lacking something that blended the flavors. With the leftovers, I added a tablespoon or so of the walnut pesto from the sandwiches (above)…the missing link!

The halibut was another delicious recipe. Yes, the fava beans were a pain to de-pod, boil, shell and then sautee, but they were amazingly tender and flavorful. Definitely worth the effort! And blended with the subtle mint and pepper…so tasty! The fish was crispy on the outside and moist and tender inside. Next time I make this (and there will be a next time), I’ll serve it with a simple twirl of angle hair tossed in good olive oil a little parsley and red pepper flakes. Yum!

As always – the recipes for this challenge can be found on Epicurious.com.

The challenge has begun…

As a quick refresher, I challenged myself to cook all the recipes in the April issue of Bon Appetit during the month of April (17 main entree recipes plus appetizers, etc. and I’ll be out of town for 10 days in the month of April…yikes!). I just loved all the Spring-y veggies that were featured in the salads and pastas in this issue. Good-bye wintery root vegetables…hello Spring greens!

So back to the challenge…I’ve actually made several recipes thus far, but for this post, I’ll just talk about three: Moroccan-Style Vegetable Stew with Harissa Yogurt Sauce, Flank Steak with Artichoke-Potato Hash and Aleppo-Pepper Aioli, and Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Asparagus, Spring Onions and Parsley-Tarragon Gremolata.

Moroccan-Style Vegetable Stew with Harissa Yogurt Sauce

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed to see turnips featured in this Moroccan stew, therefore I made it a point to make this recipe first to then move on to better, greener things. I personally think this would have been a better recipe for the January or February issue…just my opinion.

Overall I liked, not loved, this recipe but it was mainly because I think Bon Appetit short-changed the cooking process. A stew like this works best when the flavors have time to blend together. The mint stood out nice and bright, but none of the other spices (cumin, paprika, coriander) came through – perhaps it needed more? They suggest blanching the vegetables first to shorten the overall cooking time but I found that blanching did next to nothing. I ended up cooking the stew for over an hour versus the fifteen minutes that they tout (after blanching the veggies). But even an hour didn’t do the ingredients justice. I would suggest skipping the blanching and simmering the stew for an hour and a half. Better yet, make it the day before and let the flavors blend together in the refrigerator. Rewarm on the stove and you’ll be ready to go!

The saving grace of the stew, however, was the harissa yogurt – Greek yogurt mixed with minced garlic, harissa and olive oil…so good! I’m thinking this would be a great sauce to use on pita sandwiches or just to dip some grilled naan in. Yum!

Flank Steak with Artichoke-Potato Hash and Aleppo-Pepper Aioli

Again, this was another wintery feeling meal, but I was at least excited about the artichokes. The flank steak was amazingly tender for this cut of meat (it was Thousand Hills Cattle). The hash was good, but I had some issues with getting the potatoes crisp. I don’t know if it was just me or the recipe. If I make it again, I will wedge the potatoes raw, toss them in olive oil with salt and pepper and throw them in the oven to roast until tender inside and crispy outside, then just mix them with the artichoke mixture after. Seems a little easier to me than boiling, slicing, and browning later.

The aoili was really good which I was happy about since I went to three places looking for Aleppo pepper. I finally found it at Penzey’s Spices on Hennepin (thanks to The Wedge for helping me!). I followed the aoili recipe but didn’t think it brought enough heat, so I doubled the amount of pepper. It was barely there, but it brought a nice, subtle heat on the finish, unlike some pepper that is hot just for the sake of being hot. I’m looking forward to experimenting with other recipes using this pepper (once I’m done with this challenge, of course).

Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Asparagus, Spring Onions and Parsley-Tarragon Gremolata

I loved this dish! It was bright, light and very Spring-y (finally!). While it does make for a light dinner, it would also be perfect for a lunch get together. Next time I make it, I’ll deglaze the pan with white wine before adding the broth to give it a kick and I’ll serve it with couscous and garnish with orange slices. Also, the Parsley-Tarragon Gremolata would be great on grilled fish. Just thinking about it makes me hungry!

Note: All recipes can be found on Epicurious.com. The links to recipes there always break, so I’m just linking to their homepage.
Post Note: The Epicurious link is just not working – the website is www.Epicurious.com.

Last week marked the end of my kitchen clearinghouse challenge. I cooked two last meals that almost wiped out the contents, then I headed out of town. If you recall, my kitchen’s random contents consisted of: penne noodles, risotto rice, long grain white rice, red lentils, steel cut oats, black beans, tomato sauce, kale, one carrot, asparagus, cilantro, radishes, two eggs, cheese, half & half, milk and chicken broth.

To use these ingredients, I first made an Indian curry dish. Searching on Epicurious I found a recipe for Curried Red-Lentil Stew with Vegetables. A few substitutions turned out a dish that used up my lentils, kale, carrot, cilantro and asparagus – overall a pretty tasty dish that I served with rice and black beans as sides. Searching for radish recipes, I stumbled upon a recipe for radish parathas (Indian flatbreads) that use grated radishes in their dough. I made a decent first attempt at these and they were pretty good dipped in the lentil curry sauce.

The second dish I made were some crustless mini quiches. Asparagus, swiss cheese, egg and half & half made up these quiches that I baked in muffin tins with a little bit of breadcrumbs. I prefer a quiche with crust, but these were really quick to whip up and made for an easy breakfast.

After all that and my refrigerator stood (almost) empty. I left some tomato sauce and penne for Kyle to make while I was out of town…but he opted to hit appetizers at happy hour instead. So I just ended up with a little wasted tomato sauce, milk (always a problem for us), and a little leftover curry.

My fridge is stocked up again (although it still looks a bit bare) and started my April Bon Appetit challenge – more updates to come.

Last fall I decided that I would take advantage of the bounty of squash available in the fall and winter. I did my research, cut out recipes, found a site that would provide guidance to the abundance of squash varieties…then I got busy with other things and abandoned the task. However, after resolving in the New Year to be a more conscious food consumer (more on that in a future post to come) and to look for local, seasonal ingredients (again, more to come), I thought now would be a good time to revisit my thoughts on squash.

At the co-op, I found a variety of locally grown winter squashes, beautiful with many colors, shapes and sizes. Some were nubby and others smooth. There were oranges, greens, yellows and blues. And they came in a variety of sizes, from extremely large to very small squash. But, none of them had labels. Hmmmm….interesting. But this did not deter me. I picked our four that looked interesting (I recognized the butternut squash, so I knew I was safe with at least that) and off I went.

At home, I did a little research and determined that I had bought a butternut (as I thought), an acorn squash, a delicata squash, and a mystery squash. You might not be familiar with the mystery squash…so I will explain. Or actually, let me provide a lack of explanation by saying that I couldn’t figure out what type of squash it was. I consulted two cookbooks and several sites online (none that had a picture of my squash), but the smallish, pale orange, smooth-skinned squash remained nameless.

Again, I was not to be deterred. I figured that most squash are pretty sweet, so I was safe just picking a winter squash recipe and going for it. I halved my mystery squash and removed the seeds, lightly salt and peppered it, put the halves cut side down on a lightly oiled jelly roll pan and stuck it in the oven at 375 degrees to roast for an hour.

When the hour was up, I pulled the browned, roasted halves out the oven and turned them over. And that was when I was met with a surprise…it was a spaghetti squash! Voila! If you’ve ever experienced a spaghetti squash, you know that it is quite distinct and interesting. The insides actually shred in thin strands, just like spaghetti. Fun! The only problem with this is that the spaghetti squash variety doesn’t have the signature sweet taste that I was hoping to use for my squash ravioli with sage butter recipe. I had to think quick and go to Plan B.

Plan B turned out to be melting a little butter in a sauce pan, adding a clove of chopped garlic and some fresh thyme and letting that soften for a bit. I then drizzled the garlic, thyme butter onto the squash halves and grated some fresh Parmiggiano-Reggiano on top. That went back into the oven for about 10 minutes to let the flavors blend. I served the squash halves with a salad of fresh greens, craisins, sunflower seeds, crumbled feta and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top. Add a couple chunks of fresh country bread and we were all set with dinner.

After all this, I’ve learned a couple lessons. First, while spaghetti squash is pretty tasty and fun to eat (with it’s individual strands and all), it’s not my favorite squash. I might have to try it again, but not until I’ve experimented with some other varieties. The second thing I learned was to use the following winter squash glossary. It was actually the site that I originally found and bookmarked last fall when I started thinking about squash. But when push came to shove, I completely forgot about it (Yup – see the picture of the spaghetti squash? That’s exactly what mine looked like…oops.) But not all was lost from this spaghetti squash surprise – we turned out a good meal and had a little adventure along the way.

One of my favorite things to do is to have friends over to share a meal. The planning, the cooking, the expectation, the conversation…it all goes into this experience of sharing something that I love to do with friends.

My love for entertaining comes from my parents. I remember when I was little and my mom and dad would have their gourmet group over for dinner. My mom would plan a fancy meal, making lists and prepping far in advance. My sister and I would help set the dining room table, learning quickly how to evenly space the napkins and each of the silverware pieces. Then the guests would arrive, dressed as if for a night out on the town. It was an occasion, made special by the simple fact that they were sharing it with friends.

This past Saturday night we held such an occasion, inviting a few friends over for dinner and a movie (a perfect plan for a cold night). To plan for the meal, I flipped through my recipe binder (a large binder of recipes I have clipped out and have been meaning to try), trying to decide what to cook. When I spotted the recipe for a hearty Italian recipe for Short Ribs Braciole, I knew the search was over. In fact, in the article I had clipped it from, the chef had described it as a dish that “…is great in the depths of winter; real stick-to-your-ribs stuff, if you’ll excuse the pun.” Perfect.

I was also excited to try my hand at braising short ribs, which I had never done before. I knew they would take several hours to cook and it was promised that they would be tender and delicious. Although the recipe called for boneless short ribs, I couldn’t find any meat that was boneless and from a local source. In the end, an extremely helpful butcher at Seward Co-op cut some just for me, although they were bone-in, I was happy they were fresh from a local, grass-fed source. I also grabbed a large piece of belly bacon from Seward and substituted it for the pancetta and used canned organic roma tomatoes instead of the whole tomatoes that the recipe calls for.

With the extra prep time needed, I started cooking at 4pm, dicing the onion, slicing the garlic and seasoning the meat. The bacon took it’s turn in the pan, adding the base flavor before adding the meat to brown. Next came the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and tomatoes and then it all went into the oven for a total of 3 hours.

The result was an ultra rich tomato sauce with complex flavors from the bacon and garlic and tender pieces of short ribs. I have to admit that I had hoped that the meat would be a little more fall-off-the-bone tender (especially as I cooked it for 1/2 hour longer than it called for), but despite this minor disappointment, the flavor was undeniably amazing. I had struggled in deciding what to serve with the ribs and had ultimately decided on polenta. This turned out to be a perfect pairing, as the polenta helped to soak up the saucy flavors and add sweetness to the overall dish. For some fresh flavors and color, I drizzled lemon juice and olive oil on salad greens to serve on the side. I loved how this dish turned out and I will be making it again for the cold weather leaves us.

For dessert, I served my standby galette, this time adding dried cranberries and apples for a tart-sweet flavor. There is nothing like pulling a galette out of the oven and serving up the warm slices. The recipe is here. So simple and so good.

Short Ribs Braciole
from Andrew Carmellini, Urban Italian

For short ribs:
1/2 cup roughly diced pancetta (about 1/4 pound)
4 boneless short ribs (about 2 lbs), cut into thirds
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, sliced ultra thin
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 – 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes
salt & pepper

For topping:
1/4 cup pine nuts, roughly chopped
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 TBSP chopped parsley
2 TBSP grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
salt & pepper

For short ribs: Prehead oven to 375 degrees. Over M-H heat, cook pancetta in large, dry, ovenproof sauce pot until fat renders, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Season short ribs on both sides with salt & pepper, add to pan and brown about 5 minutes. Add onion; cook until softens, about 1 minute. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, mix well, continue cooking. Crush tomatoes over bowl with hands; add to pot along with their juice. Bring mixture to low boil. Remove pot from stove; place in oven. Check ribs every 15 minutes to make sure they are not boiling too hard. Cook until meat is super-tender and a fork can pass through it without sticking, about 2 1/2 hours…I cooked for 3).

For topping: Toast pine nuts in a dry saute pan over low heat, shaking pan occasionally to avoid burning or sticking, about 8 minutes. Add olive oil and mix well. Add bread crumbs; continue cooking for low heat, mixing occasionally, until everything is toasty brown, about 2 minutes. Add oregano and parsley. Season with salt & pepper; cook together for a few minutes so everything is warmed but parsley does not wilt. Remove from heat; add Parmigiano-Reggiano (not before – otherwise you’ll have a melted cheese mess).

To finish dish: Remove pot from oven, immediately remove ribs to plate, using tongs. Use ladle to remove some of the fat from sauce by pressing chunky sauce away as you tip pot so ladle fills only with clear fat. Add 1/2 cup water to sauce; stir to bring together. Place meat on a serving place, pour sauce from pot directly over short ribs; sprinkly topping generously on top. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

When the weather turns cold, I turn to comfort foods. One comfort food that I love in particular is Ratatouille. Last winter as I randomly flipped through my Moosewood Cookbook, I came across this recipe and decided that is the perfect recipe for curling up on cold day in front of the fire.

When the weather took a turn for the worse a couple weeks ago, I headed straight to the kitchen and whipped up a batch. Fresh eggplant, zucchini, onion and bell peppers mix with garlic, herbs and canned tomatoes to simmer into a tasty, hearty stew that is sure to warm the soul. That first night I served it with polenta, then I ate it straight up the next day for lunch. Now, I love leftovers, but at that pace we were going to be eating Ratatouille for a good couple of weeks. The recipe says it serves 4-6, but with hearty sides like potatoes or polenta, it goes a lot further than that. With this in mind, I decided to use the leftovers (about half of the original batch) and turn it into lasagne, layering it with tomato sauce, cottage cheese, and lasagne noodles and finishing it off with fontina cheese. It turned out gooey, rich and fantastic!

The original recipe below is from the Moosewood Cookbook. There are variations for spicier versions, but the only variation I choose to indulge in is to add Kalamata olives at almost the end of the cooking time. Any excuse to add olives is perfect for me! My sister also served up some yummy Ratatouille while I was visiting her this weekend – she served it with mashed potatoes and farmers market sausages. Yum! I will definitely be serving mine with sausages next time.

Ratatouille
Moosewood Cookbook
3 TBSP olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic
2 cups chopped onion
1 bay leaf
1 medium eggplant, cubed
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. marjoram or oregano
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 medium zucchini, cubed
2 medium bell peppers, cut in strips
fresh black pepper
1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
Optional: 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add garlic, onion and bay leaf and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add eggplant, salt and herbs, and stir. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the eggplant is soft. Add zucchini, bell peppers, black pepper and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 10 more minutes, or until the zucchini and bell peppers are tender. Voila!

It’s that time of year when my ‘comfort’ recipes are being dusted off and enjoyed again. Last week it was wild mushroom risotto. I had not realized how much I enjoy risotto until last Spring when my mom suggested we make it one evening while I was visiting. That evening we made a roasted sweet potato risotto that was good, but not my favorite. Since then I’ve made risotto a few times, searching for a perfect stand-by recipe. I’ve found that it’s great to have a stand-by risotto recipe because the rice and cans of veggie or chicken broth can last on the shelf for a long time. Then, with just a few basic ingredients, you can make a warm, delicious meal in no time at all.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m going to try to oversimplify risotto. It is a dish that takes constant care and attention, otherwise it won’t turn out smooth and creamy. That being said, I’m including a recipe below that I based loosely on a few other risotto recipes to create one that really works for me. I love wild mushrooms, so I used that as the add in. If you prefer something else, like asparagus, just substitute that and an appropriate herb. Although it can be served on it’s own, you can also serve it with a tasty meat or fish on the side. And, of course, a nice white wine is the perfect complement to this dish!

Wild Mushroom Risotto
1 c. risotto rice
3 c. chicken stock
1 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 c. shitake mushrooms, destemmed and sliced
1/2 c. baby bellas, destemmed and sliced
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 TBSP. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 c. yellow onion, diced
1/4 c. shallot, diced
1/4 c. grated romano cheese
juice from 1/4 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Pour chicken broth into a medium saucepan and turn onto medium-low.

Heat medium saucepan to med-high head and add 1 TBSP olive oil. Add onion and shallot and sautee for 2-3 minutes, or until they are soft. Add rice and sautee another 3-4 minutes, until rice just begins to color. Add white wine and stir continuous until all liquid is absorbed. Turn heat to medium and add 1/2 c. warmed chicken broth and stir frequently until all liquid is absorbed. Repeat until all chicken broth is used and rice is just tender.

In the meantime, heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a sautee pan and add mushrooms and thyme. Sautee over medium heat just until mushrooms are soft. Remove from heat. Squeeze in lemon juice and stir.

When liquid is almost all absorbed by the rice, add mushroom mixture, salt and pepper to taste, romano cheese and butter. Stir until just combined. Risotto should be creamy and just slightly runny. Serve immediately, topped with a little romano on top.