Wild Mushroom Risotto

The 40 minutes of constant stirring over the stove are always well worth it when you taste the resulting risotto. Wild Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods, being so earthy, with their depth of flavor, and power to infuse other foods.

Risotto is best stirred with a wooden, paddle style spoon.

Ingredients

1/2 Onion, diced
Dried Porcini Mushrooms, reconstituted in a hot sherry/water mixture (Drain and Chop Porcini and Reserve liquid for risotto)
Shiitake Mushrooms, diced. (I used about 8 ounces.)
Butter
Olive Oil
2 Cups Rice (Short-Grain Arborio works best. I use whatever i have on hand. It always comes out good.)
1 Quart Good-Quality Chicken Stock.
Salt
Pepper


In large saucepan, melt 1 teaspoon each of butter and olive oil. Add onions and saute on medium until translucent. Add diced Shiitake and add more olive oil if necessary to saute until par-cooked. Add 2 cups of rice, drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat. Saute over medium heat 3-4 minutes, toasting the rice lightly, until mixture dries out. Add Porcini and stir.
Add reserved porcini liquid, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon or paddle. (Be cautions: Liquid will bubble, boil, and steam.) Continue stirring until most liquid is absorbed. In small batches, add Chicken Stock (1/2 Cup at a time. Ish.) Keep stirring the entire time, adding more Stock as the liquid is absorbed. You will do this for at least 25 minutes. At that point, taste the rice for done-ness and add salt and pepper to season to taste. (The rice will probably still be too al-dente.)
If the rice is still al-dente, add more of the stock, stirring, stirring, stirring *It's a great workout* until the rice is the consistency you'd like.

I prefer mine still a LIIIIITLE firm, but not crunchy. The liquid starts to "creamify" as time goes on, making a "sticky" texture that is the key of Risotto.

When the Risotto is the texture you'd like, remove from heat source.

You can finish with fresh, chopped parsley, if you like. It compliments the risotto quite nicely.

Turkey Salad

Simple. Basic. Old-School.

Ingredients:

1/2 Pound Smoked Turkey, Thinly Sliced
Mayonnaise

Cuisinart

Directions:

Pulse Turkey in Food Processor until uniform. Add Mayonnaise to taste. Pulse until salad is smooth.

Serve with Crackers.

Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
7 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Sift Flour, Sugar, Baking Soda, & Salt in a large bowl.

Add Sour Cream to Flour Mixture

In separate bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla together Pour egg mixture into sour cream/flour mixture.

Stir gently until all ingredients are mixed well. Do NOT OVER MIX!

Grease or Butter your skillet. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto hot skillet. Cook the pancake until the edges start to brown and the center begins to bubble. Flip and cook on reverse side 2 minutes-ish. Serve with Butter and Real Maple Syrup. **Preferrably Grade B**

(Recipe inspired by SmittenKitchen adapted from Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes.)

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Macaroni and Cheese

Les Ingredients:
2 Acorn Squash, Split
4 Thick Cut Strips of Bacon
2 Tablespoons of Butter
2.5 Tablespoons of Flour
3 Cups Milk
Freshly Grated Nutmeg
Cayenne Pepper
Kosher Salt
2.5 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded (Additional for Sprinkling)
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
8 Ounces Pasta. (Shells, Elbows, Penne. Whatever.)

Preheat oven to 350.

Halve the Acorn Squash and remove the seeds. Place in Pyrex Baking Dish cut side up. Add water to bottom of pan (Maybe half an inch). Salt the top of the halved squash. Cover with Tin Foil and Bake for 45-60 minutes.

Meanwhile...

Boil 8 ounces of Pasta 1-2 minutes less than package directions. Drain well.
In large saucepan over medium-low heat, render fat from and cook 4 thick strips of bacon.
Remove bacon when cooked to paper towels.
Add 2 Tablespoons of Butter and melt.
Whisk in 2.5 Tablespoons of flour to make a roux.
Stir the roux over medium heat 2-3 minutes
(At this point I add some flavoring. Freshly Grated Nutmeg and a pinch of Cayenne Pepper are my favorite)
Slowly Whisk in 3 cups of Milk. Continue whisking until it's incorporated. Stir until sauce thickens (5 minutes usually does it)
This is where I add my Kosher Salt. Coupla Pinches.
Add 2.5 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, a little at a time, stirring to incorporate each handful.
Add 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese and stir to incorporate.
Sauce should be thick but not stiff.
Return Par-Boiled Pasta to Cheese Saucepan and Mix Well.
Crumble Bacon into smaller pieces, sprinkle them over the Macaroni and Cheese and Mix to Incorporate.
***The Cheese Sauce will look like it's "Too Much" for the Pasta. It isn't. That's the key to this dish. The pasta should look "over sauced" at this point!***
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, in casserole or Pyrex dish. (I usually put it beside the squash for the last half of cooking)
Remove Baked Macaroni from oven and set on cooktop.
Remove Squash from oven, drain water and return to Pyrex.
Top each half with generous, heaping portion of Macaroni and Cheese.
Sprinkle with Cheddar and return to oven for 10 minutes, to meld and melt.

Yum. (No, seriously. YUM. This stuff ROCKS!)