Lemon Risotto

This is a delicious tangy lemon risotto recipe from Rachael Ray.  I enjoyed it very much.  My husband is not as much of a lemon lover as I am but he did not complain.  As Rach says in her description it will make you "pucker up."

Lemon Risotto

By Rachael Ray

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 quart chicken stock

2 cups water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 small-medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

1 cup Arborino rice

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon (1/4 cup)

½ cup white wine

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

2 tablespoons slivered mint leaves

A handful basil tops, shredded or torn

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

1.      In a large pot, heat the stock and 2 cups water over medium-low heat.

2.     In a risotto pot or large skillet with rounded bottom, heat the EVOO over medium to medium-high heat.  Add the onions and garlic to the pan and sauté to soften, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the rice and add the zest of lemon.  Heat the rice a minute or two, then add the wine and cook to evaporate.  Add in the stock a few ladles at a time and stir for a minute with each addition of stock to develop the starch and creamy aspect.  Keep adding the stock each time pan starts to become dry at the edges.  The total cooking time will be 18 minutes or so.

3.     When the rice is cooked to al dente, stir in the butter, lemon juice, cheese and herbs.  Serve immediately.

 Enjoy!

The Creative Cook

Potato-Kale Soup with Gruyere

I made this soup for dinner tonight.  It was a quick and easy soup to make.  It hasn't been very cold lately but I've been craving soup anyway.  This recipe could easily be made-over into a vegetarian meal with just a few tweaks.  I would suggest switching to low-sodium vegetable broth.  If you are a vegan then you would have to use a butter substitute and a cheese substitute but if not the switch to veggie broth is about all you need to do.  You could also bring this up to a dinner stew level with the addition of some shredded chicken.  Too bad I thought of that idea after I had already eaten a bowl of soup.  I was also thinking that you could substitute frozen spinach or even Swiss chard if you don't like kale.  The recipe is originally from www.myrecipes.com.  I thought the soup was very tasty.  Serve with some crusty french bread for a delish meal.

Potato-Kale Soup with Gruyere

Yield:  6 Servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1-1/2 cups finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

7 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

4 cups coarsely chopped peeled Yukon gold potato (about 1-1/2 pounds)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

6 cups chopped fresh Kale (about ¾ pound)

1 teaspoon dried basil

9 tablespoons (about 2 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese

Preparation:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.  Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Stir in broth, potato, salt, and bay leaf; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender.

Stir in kale and basil.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until kale is tender.  Discard bay leaf.  Partially mash potatoes with a potato masher until thick and chunky.  Top with cheese.