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August 27, 2006
cooking and cleaning
Summer's not ready to give up on us yet. It was another hot day -- 96 degrees -- despite last night's chilly breeze.
This weekend, Ben and I worked hard. We both spent hours cleaning and doing laundry. He also practiced his saxophone. I emptied my closet and purged it of ill-fitting, ugly, stained and less-worn clothes. We chased the cats around.
I made risotto with tomatoes, basil and corn:
* Cook three ears corn, slice the kernels off the cobs into a bowl.
* Make tomato-basil mixture:
1 cup chopped plum or cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves, divided
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the basil. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
* make risotto:
3 1/2 cups to 4 cups vegetarian vegetable broth
3 tablespoons butter
1 shallot or small onion, minced
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring broth to a slow, steady simmer.
In a large heavy 4-quart pan over medium heat, heat butter; add shallot or onion and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft (be careful not to brown the onions).
Add the arborio rice. Using a wooden spoon, stir for 1 minute, making sure all the grains are well coated (toasting the rice in melted butter keeps it from getting mushy). Add the white wine and stir until completely absorbed. Add the hot broth (1/2 cup at a time), stirring frequently. Wait until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup, reserving about 1/4 cup to add at the end. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
After approximately 18 minutes, when the rice is tender but still firm, add the reserved broth. The rice is done when it is tender, but firm to the bite. Turn off the heat and immediately add corn kernels, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter, stirring vigorously to combine with the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
Fold in the tomato-basil mixture. Transfer risotto to warmed serving plates garnished with the remaining basil leaves, and serve immediately
It was amazing. Amazingly amazing, even. And it put our corn, cherry tomatoes and basil to good use.
Sunday's almost over. It's 7 p.m. Time to relax.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at August 27, 2006 06:40 PM
Comments
Oh this sounds delicious. I spent the weekend in just the same way you guys did. John went camping on Mt. Rainier with Gwen and Long, and I decided that I needed to do lots of errands and housework, and to sleep as much as possible. I still haven't quite recovered from the flu I got on the day after your wedding. I think I went a long way toward feeling better after this weekend, though. It was peaceful.
Posted by: Sue at August 28, 2006 11:05 AM