It's a Very Merry Christmas Risotto!

Christmas cards are just one of those things; either I get them out far too early, or, not at all. I only start feeling bad about not sending them out a week before Christmas, when my mailbox is stuffed full with beautiful greetings from my much loved family and friends. This year, my lovelies, there will not be a card from me in your mail box, so I sincerely hope this red and white risotto brings as much cheer or more. Try it - I know you'll love it! And please don't let the long name deter you from cooking risottos - they are much easier than you might imagine. (And who doesn't love a fancy shmancy dinner in about 30 minutes?)

Creamy Asparagus and Sundried Tomato with Asiago Risotto,

topped with Shrimp and Scallop Scampi
Serves 4 - 6

3 + 2 tbsp tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium shallot, finely minced

1 lb Italian Arborio Rice

about 1.5 liters of good quality, low sodium chicken stock

about 1/3 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

a bundle of thin green asparagus, stalky ends removed and chopped into fine discs, leaving tops intact

10 sundried tomatoes in oil, drained, patted dry and diced

For the shrimp:

3 tbsp unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

about 1/2 lb each raw, peeled, deveined shrimp and scallops

juice or half a lemon

Since risottos require constant, gentle stirring, make sure all ingredients are measured out, chopped, ready to go before beginning to cook. Get the chicken stock to a good simmer on a separate burner, leave it on low temperature until it's been used up in the rice.
Now, begin with a large saute pan or stock pot. Melt 3 tbsps butter on medium - low heat, then add the minced shallots and allow to cook until softened. Do not brown.

Add all the rice, stir and cook until the butter has absorbed into the rice.

Using a ladle, scoop one ladleful of the hot broth into your rice, stirring constantly until it's about 95% absorbed, then add your next ladle.

Repeat until the rice is cooked al dente if you like, or creamier if that's more to your taste, adding the chopped asparagus to the hot broth pot about half way through to gently cook it (the risotto should take about 25 minutes from start to finish, so toss the asparagus into the broth at about 15 minutes into cooking). Keep the heat for the rice on low-medium, so the broth doesn't absorb too quickly, other wise you'll end up with a gluey, yet still yummy, mess.

Side note: you may not use all the broth, at about 20 minutes into cooking, start tasting the rice to check for doneness. Check every couple minutes after that.

When the rice is done to your liking, remove it from the heat, and add in the chopped sundried tomatoes, 2 tbsp butter and shredded asiago.

For the Shrimp Scampi:

Rinse and pat the seafood nice and dry. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, take out a second saute pan, heat 3 tbsp of butter on med - high, then add the garlic, saute for about 30 seconds. Quickly add your shrimp and/or scallops, cook just until the color changes to pink (please don't over cook!). Add the fresh lemon juice, and you are done.

To plate the risotto, spoon rice into a deep plate, drizzle with a little olive oil, and top with shrimp and scallops. Have additional asiago available at the table for the cheese lovers in your family.

Wine suggestion: Jackson Triggs Riesling

Harvested some Chives, made some Salmon

Yup, that's right, these chives are fresh, green and beautiful - and - from my backyard. So what, you say? Well, let me tell you, they've been in my backyard since Earth Day, about 6 weeks, and they are not only alive, but thriving! For someone struggling to keep house plants alive, that is a really, super big deal. There just might be hope for me after all... I do have pretty big dreams of a pretty big garden.





I made a decision this week. Salmon is going to be bumped up from splurge to regular item on the weekly grocery list. My love, Paul, immediately throws in some advice - let's beer batter and fry it! And although I may give into this once in a while, salmon is a symbol of heart, brain and skin health to me - deep frying is not. However, if that's how lovey gets excited about fish, then I will oblige. Once a year.





Citron salmon is seasonal, light, and quickly thrown together. It ranks quite high on my favourites list, actually. I especially love that I can drizzle perfectly paired asparagus with a little olive oil and roast them simultaneously. Chardonnay, anyone?





Citron Salmon

half a fillet of whole Salmon (about 2 pounds)
1 Lime
1 Lemon
2 tbsp of Chives
fresh Dill Sprigs
1/2 cup Butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Mix the juice of half the lemon, half the lime, 2 tbsp chopped each dill and chives into the softened butter.
Generously line a casserole dish with aluminum foil. Place the salmon, skin side down, in the dish.
Spread with flavoured butter. Lay about 10 dill sprigs on top of the butter.
Slice the remaining lemon and lime, lay on top of dill.
Enclose everything tightly with the foil. Bake in the 400 F oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Baking time will vary according to the thickness of the salmon. But please, do not over cook! Rather, under cook just a little, and allow the residual heat in the foil to finish cooking it, while sitting on the counter.

#1 Reader

It's been a busy week, not overly busy, just more so than usual, but I am oddly happy for Monday, 9am, and a coffee date with myself! I love to reflect on time passed, especially when it is busy and the minutes seem to whizz on by without me being able to get every ounce out of it. You see, I put much importance on not wasting time (or food), which is why I love to reflect as I feel I can put value on some things that I didn't get around to appreciating. So here I am, spending quality time in front of the computer (ha!), I am wearing a super cozy hoody, with the hood over my head, a space heater is blowing warm air my way and my pup is snuggled up close by. It's in these moments I do dream of summer, of sitting by the water, and if you were there with me, we'd talk of times passed, of a great future ahead and the amazing thing that is called today. We'd sip coffee and talk about food, or better yet, nutrition, and how keeping things simple is where it's at. I can almost see it, if I close my eyes and allow myself to drift away...

Right now, however, we have business to take care of! I have a winner to announce! The winner of my very first give away is a special friend that shares the love of food and writing, one who inspires me to be content, a better baker and quite often, a better mother, too. She drinks coffee with me, even though she doesn't necessarily like coffee, but rather enjoys that moment shared together. She is also my #1 Reader, and my one and only entry, but that's OK, because my friend Wanda deserves to win!

Here's what she wrote:

I found myself in the kitchen today, the day before the contest closes, thumbing through my only nice meal cookbook, scrambling for a recipe and ingredients. I settled for the Bacon Topped Meatloaf and Emerald Rice.

I like the idea of both recipes... the Meatloaf had Chili Sauce in it and bacon on top of it. Two items that make any meal delicious in my mind. The rice had spinach, cheese and cream in it. Mmmmm. I figured it would be a fun experiment, and my kids will eat whatever I put in front of them (eventually) so I rolled up my sleeves and dug in.

The meatloaf was very easy to prepare, so I plopped it into a stoneware loaf pan and set it to baking while I prepared the rice. I didn't have half-and-half cream, so I made a mix of sour cream and milk instead. I also ran out of cheddar cheese making the meatloaf, so I used mozzarella instead. I considered lightly steaming some broccoli to go on the side, but my husband and I decided the spinach, rice and meatloaf would suffice for a complete meal tonight.

As the family dug in, they started rating the meal. Boy #1 said the meal was 997 good. (The meatloaf was 1000, the rice was 997.) Girl #1 said the meatloaf was 1000 and the rice was 2. (She was not a fan of the spinach in the rice.) Boy #2 said the meatloaf was 81 and the rice was 10. He's four though, so any number he throws out there is arbitrary. When I asked my husband, he said, "I'd eat it again". Coming from a man who thought he hated meatloaf until a couple of years ago, that's a pretty good rating.

The meatloaf did not hold together well, but it was so moist and tasty. I think next time I'll do them in individual loaf pans. I also commented to hubby that the rice would be great with mushrooms. He agreed... but he's always trying to get more mushrooms into my recipes. I'll definitely give them both another try! I give the meatloaf an A- and the rice a B. And my good friend over at Sprout Culinary Studies gets an A+ for prompting me to try something new!

Bacon - Topped Meatloaf

Serves 8

1/2 cup chili sauce

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

2/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 bacon strips, cut in thirds

In a bowl, combine first 9 ingredients. Pat into an ungreased large loaf pan or 9x13 baking dish. Top with bacon. Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 70 minutes.Drain and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Emerald Rice

Serves 8

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup half and half (I used 1/4 cup sour cream and 3/4 cup milk)

1/2 chopped onion

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Bake in a covered 1 1/2 quart dish at 350 F for 25 - 30 minutes, until heated through.

Soups on, again!

Yes, I am about to do it again... get excited about soup, that is. I think my soup thing started as my babies grew to be toddlers and I was introduced to the world of picky eaters. Thankfully, I discovered early on that soups are an amazing opportunity to introduce veggies and even meat to kids who's taste buds are hyper sensitive and would rather not chew on something for hours. Sure it's messy for them to attempt to eat on their own, but who cares if you have to help feed them for just a little longer. Don't worry, this won't turn into a habit, as I don't know of any teenager or adult that would like their mommy to spoon feed them still! Every time a mom asks me what they should feed their finicky eater, without hesitation, I proclaim, Soup! Who doesn't love Cream of Broccoli? Or soft cooked carrots who's nutrients have made their way into a beautiful broth? Soup can be a balanced meal, too - protein can be delivered in so many different ways. Think beans, meat, poultry and dairy.

As the kids grow older, we can make soups a little more sophisticated, check out this Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup. We enjoy it quite often at our house. The wild rice is a little time consuming, however the rest is very simple to put together. Round this out with good bread and butter - stunning!

A gentle reminder to get your recipe entries in - just 5 more days to go until deadline!

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Serves 6

1/2 cup wild rice, washed and drained - use a fine mesh sieve to drain the rice, if you have one

3 cups water

90g butter

100g Onion, chopped fine

150g carrot, cut into small cubes

70g flour

900ml chicken stock

30g butter

200g mushrooms, sliced

300ml milk, hot

to taste salt and white pepper
150ml heavy cream hot - optional

handful of finely chopped parsley

Place the washed rice with the 3 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Take off the heat and let stand for another 20 - 30 minutes, until rice is tender. Drain and set aside.

Once you have boiled the rice, and it is now sitting off the burner, heat the butter in a large stock pot over low - medium heat.

Add the onion and carrot and saute for about 5 minutes, until just starting to become tender.
(Do not brown.)

Add the flour. Stir to combine (this is called a roux) and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes, stirring, but do not allow to get brown.

Gradually add the chicken stock, whisking to blend into the roux. Bring to a boil, continually whisking until thickened.

Lower the heat, allow the soup to gently simmer until there is no taste of raw flour, about 5 minutes.

If you are using home made chicken stock, you will need to skim the soup at this point - all this means is to skim the white bubbles off the top.

While the soup is simmering, heat the butter in a saute pan on medium heat and and add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes or until tender, then add them to the soup.

Stir the hot milk into the soup, and add the cooked and drained rice. Simmer for a couple of minutes, to heat through.

Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with a swirl of hot cream (if using - I don't always do this) and top with a sprinkling of finely chopped parsley.

Creamy goodness in a bowl.

Risotto. If there something I love about the Italians, it is Risotto. I have made all sorts of these and seem to fall more and more in love with them! This Squash version is inspired by eatingwell.com - it delivers plenty of vitamins A and C along side it's stunning fall flavors. And even though we are headed for spring (what a nice thing to be able to say), I could eat squash in any season. The earthy mushrooms with the creamy rice bring comfort but I think they deliver it in style. Risotto, in my opinion, is simple to prepare and there's no reason to be daunted. After a few tries, I have discovered the right texture for it: lightly al dente, but not crunchy, and creamy but not gluey. Serve with a crisp white wine like a pinot grigio, and you've got yourself a nice meal!

The white wine in this risotto *could be* optional, but, I think it is that little extra something which brings it over the top. I have made it with and without, either way, the risotto received a standing "mmmmmmmmmm"!

Creamy Squash Risotto

Serves 4

5 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth (if you don't have reduced sodium, use 3 cups broth and 2 cups water)

2 tbsp olive oil

3 medium shallots, minced

3 cups peeled butternut squash, 1 cm pieces

2 cups shitake mushrooms (caps only, so buy more than 2 cups), sliced about 1/4 cm thin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat the broth in a saucepan, over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to keep the broth warm but not simmering.

Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep skillet. Add the shallots; cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Stir in the squash and mushrooms; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add the thyme, salt and pepper, cook for 30 seconds.

Add the rice; stir until translucent, about 1 minute.

Add the wine and cook, stirring until almost absorbed by the rice, about 1 minute.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the hot broth at a time, cooking over gentle heat (just over low heat), stirring constantly, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 cup of broth at time, stirring at all times, until all the liquid has been absorbed, and the rice is creamy and tender. This will take about 30 - 40 minutes. You may have broth left, or you may run out - if so, use hot water to finish it off.

Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

Mamma Mia!

I am thrilled to finally be working with my new cook book, David Rocco's Dolce Vita. (I happen to have a pet dog named after this guy...) This does leave me a bit distracted from my pro books, but when is there a better time in the year than the dead of winter to eat healthy comfort food, which is even doable on the weekend?! This menu makes me want to get in the kitchen and COOK, but it's after bed time right now so it will have to wait, at least until tomorrow afternoon. Many of the recipes in this book simply list ingredients - no amounts, hardly any directions. Instead a little blurb explains the desired result, the aura of the dish if you will. And then it's all by feel, by knowing what you want out of your food. Here's what we'll be enjoying this week:

Risotto Spinaci di Orsala (Spinach Risotto)
with Pork Sausages and Salsa di Porcini (Porcini Sauce)



Salsa Bolognese with Spaghetti (Meat Bolognese)
Finocchio al Forno (Caramelized Fennel)



Lenticchie con Pancetta (Sauteed Lentils with Pancetta)
Baby Greens with simple Vinaigrette
Tomato and Basil Bruschetta



Crocchette di Patate (Sesame Crusted Potato Croquettes)
Baby Greens with Mustard Vinaigrette



I am also making a semi-hard Doughnut out of flour, sugar, olive oil, white wine and aniseed, called Ciambelle. A doughnut that just might be good for you...! European desserts in general are a lot less sweet than they are here. In Italy they like to dunk their cookies in coffee or wine, rather than smother them with frosting. Either way, dessert is dessert, it is meant to be an indulgence, and we like what we like.