Rosie Risotto & dear friends

I have a lot on my plate right now, but sometimes that can be a good thing. My dh has been undergoing oncology care again--this time with stem cell transplant, and with my being his sole caretaker, I haven't had a lot of time in the kitchen or garden for that matter. With it being the height of gardening season, it's so great to know we have the best garden friends in the world!

This group of dear friends took it upon themselves to do my harvesting for me temporarily. What a blessing they are. Peas, peppers, beets, chard, cousa, zucchini and squash squash squash. Well you know the drill. No matter how well you plan your gardens -- once that heat finally arrives -- and it surely has - it all seems to mature overnight. This past weekend they came with baskets filled with our veggies, and as it turns out, a strong day for my dear patient. We decided on a potluck dinner with everyone contributing dishes from their own harvest along with just caught fresh cod.

With pounds of fresh peas in my own basket, I made a roasted eggplant, peas and pepper risotto. Yes, it's always a favorite around here -- and well tolerated at times like this. Even better there's nothing magical about preparing it. What I love the most about making risotto is how versatile and forgiving this dish can be. Dress it up or dress it down. It's always delicious in my book. You can find my basic risotto along with many more risotto recipes here.

Before serving the risotto, I dressed her up a bit with parsley and fresh calendula blossom in her 'hair' and we all named her Rosie -- Rosie Risotto -- mostly because it was a good day, especially for dh. :)

When I said I had a lot on my plate, I wasn't joking.. I really made way too much! So with my leftover risotto I managed to make three more simple meals for us this week, my Nunie's arancine, stuffed beet leaf holubsti and fried risotto cakes. Amazing isn't it, how far a bowl of risotto will go!

Nunnie's Arancine filled with pecorino cheese and bits of meatballs



Fried Risotto Cakes rolled in a seasoned panko crumb



Stuffed Beet Leaf Holubsti with a scrumptious dilly sauce that I'll be posting up next week.





Rosie and dear friends have been such a big help to me this week. Thanks guys so very much! xoxo

I'll only be blogging weekly at best for the next few weeks friends. Thank you for the notes and prayers, understanding and for coming back!

Cacciatore Risotto

We really enjoy chicken cacciatore, almost as much as risotto so I decided to combine these two favorites into one really hearty dish. I’m also kind of addicted to one pot meals and as we had guests over this week I wanted to be able to spend as much time with them and not be in the kitchen. I think it turned out great and from the look of their empty plates, would definitely make it again. I’d like to make it with boneless chicken thighs, as I think they are more flavorful. For dessert-- my Nonna's chocolate and almond cream pasticiotti’s that I only make during the Easter holiday.



Chicken Cacciatore Risotto

sea salt
white pepper
1/2 lemon
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
flour to dredge chicken breasts
2 shallots, minced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 green pepper, seeded & chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound plum tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ cups arborio rice
1/2 cup red wine
4 cups simmering chicken stock
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley




Preparing the Chicken:

Rub the chicken with the lemon and season chicken on both sides with sea salt and white pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet.
Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. sauté chicken until well browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into slices and set aside.

Preparing the Risotto:

In the chicken saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over med-high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, green pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook until mushrooms just begin to brown.
Add rice, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes more, just enough to coat the rice well—don’t brown it.
Add wine, stirring constantly, and let totally absorb. When wine is evaporated, begin adding warmed stock 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition evaporate before adding the next cupful. After most of stock is added--taste the rice. It should be full, just a bit chewy--al dente, but not mushy! Add chicken pieces after the last addition of chicken stock is added.
Once the last addition of stock is absorbed, remove from heat, and stir in butter, grated romano cheese, fresh basil and parsley. Serve with some nice crusty bread, a garden salad and dig in. Enjoy!

Almond & Chocolate Easter Pasticiotti's

Roasted Butternut & fennel risotto

Do you have a favorite risotto? As many of my readers must know by now, I just adore risotto, and as I make it often wondered if any of you have a favorite risotto dish?

This week I harvested the remaining fennel, shallots and butternut squash from the gardens to hopefully winter over, so for dinner tonite it was roasted butternut risotto for us. But if I had to chose my favorite, I'd have to say wild mushroom is right up there for me. My good friend, Celia recently sent me a new cookbook, Risotto and I'm anxious to try the savory scallop & fennel and saffron-marsala recipes, and the tiramisu risotto recipe has really piqued my interest, along with over one hundred other delicious risotto's found in it. Thank you again so much Celia. You couldn't have chosen a better gift!

Roasted Butternut Risotto
You can try more of my favorite risotto recipes here.



1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded & cut into cubes
1/2 small fennel bulb,finely sliced
3 TBLS olive oil
2 TBLS unsalted butter
1/4 cup shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
sea salt, white pepper
fresh savory, parsley & sage, minced
2 cups arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the squash and fennel on a baking sheet and toss with a tablesppon of olive oil. Season with sea salt, white pepper & herbs of choice. Roast uncovered for about 35 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with foil and set aside.

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan, then turn off and cover to keep it warm.

Melt butter, and gently saute the garlic and shallots until softened 5 or 6 minutes. Add the rice, coating it well and stir until it turns opaque about 2 minutes. You don't want the rice to brown. Now add the wine and cook gently until it has been absorbed. Add the warming broth, simmering the pot, ladle by ladle,until you've used all the stock and the rice is thick, creamy and tender, about 20 minutes or so. Now add the roasted butternut squash and fennel pieces to the cooked risotto. Remove from heat and stir in grated parmesan cheese and serve. Enjoy!