Something for Nancy

Okay, so each time I've posted (this year a bit more irregularly than last), I've kind of jammed my Indianized recipes or twisted Indian recipes down your throats whether you liked it or not. Today I thought, I'll start with an Italian one, for my friend Nancy, who loves Italian (food I mean, men, I'm sure) and also Asian food.  
   A couple of days earlier, after a long hanging out session with Nancy in her lovely La Jolla home, I somehow managed to return to my apartment with a bunch of parsley, oranges, lemons and avocados from her garden. Don't ask me how, but that's what happens when you go to Nancy's. No, you don't steal from her garden, she just hands these beautiful veggies to you.
   So I thought, how about making something that I know she's good at making, but something that I have been hesitant to try. No reason, but the first time I had this dish, it was dry, too cheesy and the rice was undercooked. And I was told that it was how it always tastes. Did. Not. Like. It. And I like pretty much everything. Risotto. So, I tried it again in Portland. And it was AMAZING. And no, I don't have images of it, I ate it up way too fast for the camera to capture it. But I can tell you where it was. A place called Equinox on North Shaver, Portland--it's a small place, with a patio, and cozy dining area, all built with recycled materials. If you are planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest, give this place a try--fresh local ingredients, with a keen respect for vegetarian, vegan as well as meat eating customers.
   And since I don't have a photo of that restaurant itself, how about just a cool Portland shot? Like this one at the Saturday Old Town Market.

And not to miss the most wonderful Voodoo doughnut shop that is just decadent, crazy and a Portland must-do and has nothing to do with this blog:

   Okay, enough digression. Risotto with Shitake Mushrooms (a mix of Italian with Asian mushrooms, and of course, par-boiled rice is the Indian aspect to it). Did you know, Shitake mushrooms have been cultivated in China, Korea and Japan since pre-historic times? And that they grow only in cold places, so San Diego may not be the place to start a shitake farm? Did you even think you'd get a history/agriculture lesson from a food blog? Hah. Anyway, the mushrooms have a fragrance, and a texture that adds a lot of body to the risotto, so it's a good addition (in my opinion) to the Italian dish.

 

Ingredients
1 cup par-boiled rice
Optional: 1/4 cup barley and spelt mixed
1 cup grated (good) parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp vegetable broth mix added to 3 cups water, or
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups roughly chopped mushrooms
1 cup sliced white onions 
4 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp (or more) garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground pepper
salt to taste
2 tbsp grapesed oil
1 tbsp melted butter

 

Recipe

• In a big pot, boil the broth. Check for salt. If it's too salty (some pre-made broth mixes are oversalted), dilute it with water.
• In a pan, add the oil and butter on medium low. Cook the onions, and then the mushrooms, till they are browned. Add the garlic, sauté some more.
• Bring the pan off the fire once the vegetables are cooked. You can substitute this with asparagus, salmon, carrots, you name it.
• Cook the rice in the broth on medium-low flame. Once all the broth is absorbed in the rice, stir in the mushroom/onion/garlic mix.
• Keep stirring (the mixture, not yourself). Add the parsley. Your kitchen should smell very nice or else, you've done something wrong.
• Add the cheese at the end. Switch off the gas, stir the pot some more.
• Add more parsley, sprinkle some ground black pepper, more salt (if you want to get high blood pressure) and enjoy the dish warm!

 

Serves (at least) two.

Mine looked like this:

Anyway, if you really want a closeup of the same, this is what it looks like when it's hot, steaming:

     And like I said, I'm sure Nancy has made this multiple times, but it's worked for me this time. So I am a risotto convert.

     Happy Birthday, Nancy, enjoy!