Brian's Quitting Dinner

Brian quit his job today! In celebration, we invited Nick, Sarah, & Miriam over and had a feast:

• Beef stew (beef from the farmers' market, using my new crockpot for the first time)
• Horseradish raw beet salad (we at this at Gaslight this weekend)
• Sesame bok choy (from the market as well- so were the beets)
• Salad (from the market)
• Wheatberry salad
• Strawberry rhubarb cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream (strawberries from my strawberry picking field trip this weekend; rhubarb from his grandma's neighbor)

Beef stew recipe: Beef chuck + wine + peas + carrots + dried mushrooms + herbs + broth

Bok choy: http://healthy.food.com/recipe/stir-fried-sesame-bok-choy-147784

Raw beets: Shredded raw beets with horseradish, olive oil, and greek yogurt + some chives from the garden.

Cobbler: Strawberries + rhubarb + flour/sugar/salt/oatmeal topping.

Wheat berry salad= wheat berries in the rice cooker + oil + lemon + salt + garlic scapes + tomato

Risotto

Abby gave me a box of arborio rice- and we wanted to make it together last week, but never got around to it. I made mushroom lemon risotto today to use up a few things in the cupboard: rice, dried mushrooms (we have SO many), and bottled lemon juice. I didn't use any up- but the lemon juice is almost gone!

I used the Mark Bittman recipe in my green cookbook. This is not it- but close.
I added herbs (oregano, chives,  & basil) from the garden.

Asparagus Risotto Adapted from Mario Batali
Time: 45 minutes

1 pound asparagus, peeled, trimmed and cut into one-inch-long pieces, tips reserved
4 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 medium red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add half the asparagus stalks and cook until quite soft, at least 5 minutes. Rinse quickly under cold water. Put cooked asparagus in a blender or food processor and add just enough water to allow machine to puree until smooth; set aside.
2. Put stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion, stirring occasionally until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine, stir, and let liquid bubble away. Add a large pinch of salt. Add warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring occasionally. Each time stock has just about evaporated, add more.
4. After about 15 minutes, add remaining asparagus pieces and tips, continuing to add stock when necessary. In 5 minutes, begin tasting rice. You want it to be tender but with a bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes total to reach this stage. When it does, stir in 1/2 cup asparagus puree. Remove skillet from heat, add remaining butter and stir briskly. Add Parmesan and stir briskly, then taste and adjust seasoning. Risotto should be slightly soupy. Serve immediately.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

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Anniversary pasta and sauteed mushrooms.

For our 3rd anniversary, I made a quick dinner of rigatoni with small heirloom tomatoes, garlic and mascarpone cheese. Brian loved it!

I also made sauteed mushrooms- I used the Mark Bittman recipe and combined sliced button mushrooms with rehydrated dried mushrooms. I added garlic and white wine and chives and thyme. It was great.

Mushrooms

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add mushrooms and a pinch or two of salt to coax out the moisture. Cook 10-15 minutes, or until tender.
   
   Add the wine and let it bubble away, about 1 minute.
   
   Turn heat to low, add parsley and garlic, and cook for one minute longer. Remove from heat, transfer to a plate or shallow bowl, and allow to cool about 1 hour.

Ice Cream

I finally used the ice cream maker I got for Hanukkah (only 6 months later!). I made a simple vanilla ice cream for my first try: 1 cup whole milk, 2 cups heavy cream, sugar, and a vanilla bean and some vanilla extract. I did follow the instructions of letting it sit in the fridge for an hour before- but have heard you don't have to do that. Delicious!