Archives for posts with tag: risotto

Leek, Bacon and Pea Risotto
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I love risotto but after a few disastrous attempts at making it at home I basically gave up. I’d follow a recipe line by line but instead of 20-30 minutes of stirring to cook the rice al dente it took over an hour. And frankly, as good as risotto is it wasn’t worth carpal tunnel syndrome. But, one day I was talking to someone (I can’t remember who, sorry!) about my bad luck with risotto and they suggested that perhaps the abrorio rice that I was using was old and that was why it wasn’t absorbing the liquid. Genius! So, now instead of buying a large or even medium sized bag of rice I try to only buy what I need for that recipe or at least get the smallest bag I can find and use it up quickly.

Anyway, this recipe is relatively simple and delicious and makes a lovely spring meal, especially with a glass of rose!

 

I’m trying something new this week. Instead of four meals, I’m sharing three plus a recipe for fava bean puree which is wonderful. The minute I saw the fava beans at my farmers market last Sunday I knew I had to make this recipe and I wanted to share it with all of you. I brought the puree to a friend’s house for the US vs. Portugal World Cup Match (wasn’t that a bummer?) and they loved it too. I also traveled for work this week so consequently I only made three meals.

Speaking of traveling – I’m traveling again for work at the beginning of this coming week and then heading up north to Vermont for the July 4th holiday – staying a whole week. I can’t wait! But, that means that I’ll probably not be posting my usual meal plans for a little bit, but I hope to update the site once in awhile with a recipe or two. To help you plan while I’m gone  you always can check out previously posted meal plans or meals.

What I was doing yesterday when I should have been posting this meal plan.

What I was doing yesterday when I should have been posting this meal plan.

Meal #1: Leek, Bacon and Pea Risotto
Meal #2: Nancy’s Chopped Salad + Bread
Meal #3: Roasted Salmon and Potatoes with Herb Vinaigrette + Sugar Snap Peas 
Bonus: Fava Bean Puree

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

Idaho potatoes – 2
lemons – 2
red onion – 1 small
shallots – 2 medium
leeks – 2
sugar snap peas – 1 lb.
cherry or grape tomatoes – 1 pint
iceberg lettuce – 1 head
radicchio – 1 head
fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley – 1 bunch each
frozen peas – 3/4 cup
fava beans – 2 lbs.
chickpeas – 1 (15 ounce) can
low-sodium chicken broth – 12 cups (96 ounces)
arborio rice – 2 1/2 cups
pepperoncini – 1 small bottle
dried oregano (if you don’t already have it)
red wine vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
provolone cheese – 1/4-1/2 lb.
salami – 1/4-1/2 lb.
bacon – 4 slices
salmon fillets – 2 (6 ounces each)
white wine