Risotto With Edamame, Lemon, and Tarragon

from RealSimple.com

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 40m | Total Time: 40m

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
4 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups shelled edamame, thawed
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan
kosher salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
3. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is absorbed.
4. Stir in the broth, ¾ cup at a time (waiting until each addition of broth is absorbed before adding the next), and cook, stirring occasionally. It should take about 25 minutes for all the broth to be absorbed.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the edamame, lemon zest, tarragon, ¾ cup of the Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
6. Spoon into individual bowls and top with the remaining Parmesan.

Uni Risotto with Seared Japanese Scallops, Truffle Vinaigrette and Ikura

Recipe courtesy Chef Rodelio Aglibot, Koi, Los Angeles
FoodNetwork.com

Cook Time:  25 min
Level:  Easy
Yield:  1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup prepared risotto cooked in dashi
• 2 tablespoons uni puree (reduced cream with ratio of 1-ounce uni to 1 1/2 cups cream)
• 2 (10/20 count) scallops, preferably "dayboat" or Japanese
• Salt and white pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 pieces fresh uni
• 1 teaspoon ikura (salmon roe)
• 1 teaspoon truffle vinaigrette (either store-bought or homemade), or sherry vinaigrette finished with white truffle oil

Directions
As the risotto finishes cooking, stir in the uni puree to coat the risotto. Set aside and keep warm.

Remove the "foot" of the scallops and pat them dry. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Add scallops and sear until golden brown on 1 side. Turn scallops over and sear on the other side until golden brown and just cooked through in the middle. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

To serve, place risotto in a bowl and top with scallops. Carefully position a piece of uni on each of the scallops. Garnish with ikura and drizzle with truffle vinaigrette.

Green Risotto

from "Nicole Routhier's Fruit Cookbook" by Nicole Routhier

"I have often served this simple and delicious risotto with watercress and green grapes for a light meal. Besides providing a pleasing green shade, both the watercress and grapes give a surprising nuance of flavor to this rice dish. The best types of Italian rice for making risotto are Arborio, Carnaroli, and Valione Nano. Never rinse this rice, or extra starch will be released during cooking, and you'll end up with a gluey mess."

Yield: 4 Appetizer or 2 Entrée Servings

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup Arborio rice

2 cups finely chopped watercress

1/2 cup dry white wine, preferably Chardonnay

1 cup green seedless grapes, halved

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preparation

1. Place the chicken broth in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep the broth at a simmer.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated and shiny, about 3 minutes. Stir in the watercress.

3. Add the wine (be careful – the mixture will splatter violently) and cook until it is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and allow it to simmer, stirring well until it is absorbed. Continue adding the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until all the liquid has been added and the rice is slightly creamy and tender, but firm to the bite – al dente. The risotto should be slightly runny. Altogether, the rice should cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Just before removing the pan from the heat, stir in the grapes and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among warmed dinner plates, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve immediately. Pass additional grated Parmesan cheese on the side, if desired.

Spring Risotto with Asparagus and Peas

From "A New Way to Cook" by Sally Schneider

Asparagus and peas appear at the same time in spring and, like all things of the same season, they bring out the best in each other. The raw vegetables are added to the cooking rice so their juices flavor the risotto.

You can use almost any kind of vegetable, from butternut squash to parsnips, in the same way. The only trick is to calculate when to add the vegetables to the rice. Longer-cooking vegetables such as winter squash should be added sooner; quicker-cooking vegetables such as leafy greens, later. The vegetables should melt into the rice without being mushy. Al dente vegetables are not appropriate in risotto.

For 4 servings, you need 2 to 2 1/2 cups raw vegetables.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a first course

Ingredients

8 ounces asparagus

1 pound peas in the pod or 4 ounces sugar snap or snow peas

3 1/2 to 4 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium shallots, finely chopped, or 1 leek, white part only, finely chopped

1 cup Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or Arborio rice

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 tablespoons regular or reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of kosher salt and/or sugar if necessary

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh chervil or flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Break the tough ends off the asparagus (when you bend a stalk with both hands, it will break at the point where it is becoming tough and dry). Coarsely chop the stems and put them in a medium saucepan. If using peas in the pod, shell them and add the pods to the saucepan. If using sugar snap peas or snow peas, pull off the stem ends to remove the tough string that runs along the "spines" and add to the pan. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes; keep at a simmer.

2. Meanwhile, slice the asparagus stalks on a diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces. Slice the sugar snaps or snow peas, if using, on a diagonal into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside.

3. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over low heat. Add the shallots, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to moderate, and cook, stirring, until the shallots are golden. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains look chalky with a white dot in the center of each, about 5 minutes. (Do not allow the rice to brown.)

4. Add the wine and simmer, stirring, until it has been absorbed by the rice. With a skimmer, scoop the vegetable trimmings out of the simmering broth and discard. Stir in 1/2 cup of the broth and simmer, stirring frequently, until almost all the liquid is absorbed, 3 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup broth and simmer, stirring, until it has been absorbed. Stir the asparagus into the rice and add 1 cup of the broth. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Stir in the peas. Continue adding the broth in the same fashion, 1/2 cup at a time, until the rice grains are tender but still firm in the center and the risotto is creamy but not soupy. Remove from the heat.

5. Stir in the sour cream, about half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and pepper to taste. Add the salt and/or sugar and the lemon juice if necessary to pick up the flavors. Garnish each serving with the herbs, and pass the remaining cheese on the side.

In Advance
You can sauté the shallots and rice up to 2 hours ahead. Set aside at room temperature.

Saffron Chicken over Creamy Rice

from Monday-to-Friday Chicken
by Michèle Urvater

The consistency of the rice in this recipe is similar to that of an Italian risotto, but the way I prepare it is a lot simpler. The creamy rice acts as a sponge to absorb the saffron-laden juices from the chicken. Use dark rather than white meat because it is moister, and be sure you use a short-grain rather than a long-grain rice, so that the texture is appropriately creamy.

Makes: 4 servings
Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
4 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups short-grain rice, such as the imported Italian arborio
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
1/4 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
2-ounce chunk of fresh Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 package (10 ounces) frozen "petite" peas, thawed
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Preparation

1. Combine the broth with salt and pepper to taste in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. In a separate 3-quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring, until the kernels are coated with oil and are beginning to turn translucent. Add 2 cups of the hot broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook over low heat, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Give the rice a stir and continue to cook until the rice has absorbed the broth, 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, remove the skin and all fat from the chicken, and cut the meat into 1/2-inch dice. Dissolve the saffron in the white wine. Grate the cheese and chop the garlic.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring continuously, until it turns opaque around the edges, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is almost cooked through, 1 minute more. Add the peas and cook until they are warmed through, about 1 minute. Add the white wine and saffron and cook over medium heat until the chicken is just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes.

4. Add the remaining 2 cups broth to the rice, and bring back to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. Cook until the rice is tender and creamy, and there are only a couple of spoonfuls of unabsorbed broth surrounding the grains, 3 to 4 minutes more.

5. Right before serving, stir the cheese into the rice and adjust the seasoning. Spoon some rice in the middle of shallow bowls and spoon a portion of chicken, peas, and liquid in the middle; the saffron liquid will pool around the rice in a gorgeous way.

Variations

Instead of Parmesan cheese, stir 1/4 cup crumbled soft goat's cheese into the rice just before serving.

For a more Latin version, in step 1, bring 3 cups chicken broth and 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk to a boil. Omit the cheese, and in step 3 add 1/4 cup golden raisins when you add the peas to the chicken.