Saturday, January 30, 2010

Family Night



I had a lovely evening last night with my family. We stayed in and played a new game and had an amazing dinner. We made Beet and Blue Cheese Risotto, a lovely salad full of colorful fresh vegetables, and toasted ciabatta bread. We were feeling in a bit of a rut with our meal choices, so it was nice to have something new.
After dinner we all played a new game called Carcassonne. It's a highly addictive game of strategy. Joe and I both had dreams last night about playing it.

I'm including the recipe here but I have to say that this was my first try at risotto and if you read any recipes it is suppose to be something hard to learn and to be afraid of. I found it very doable and it turned out wonderful, but I'm not Italian and it could have been an abomination for all I know.
Beet and Blue Cheese Risotto ( adapted from my friend Brandy's recipe):
Ingredients-
1Tbl plus 1Tbl butter
1Tbl Olive Oil
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic chopped
salt
1 carrot diced
1/2 medium onion diced
1 cup rice - I used Carnaroli
5 cups water or broth, warm
1 large pre cooked and diced beet
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 cup blue cheese
A heavy medium sized soup pot ( you can use the same pot for the everything)

-Saute diced onion in the o.o. and 1tbl butter for about 5 mins add the carrot and garlic , continue to saute about 5 more mins
-Remove from pan
- Add the rice( you may want to add more butter or oil) saute until the rice turns slightly brown...keep stirring!
- Stir back in the onions and carrots
- Add the bay leaves and some salt
-Add a cup of water, let cook for a few minutes, continuing to stir
-Add liquid to cover the rice and cook for about 30 minutes , keep adding the broth/water as it cooks down. Continue to stir every couple of minutes. I started checking to see if it was done around 20 minutes in.
- When the rice is done turn off the heat and add the 1 tbl butter, 1/2 cup parmesan and 1/2 cup blue cheese. Stir and let sit for a few moments, serve and enjoy!

I had some for breakfast this morning and it was even better after the flavors had melded overnight. Delicious!

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