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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

recipe for a happy marriage...

... or strawberry risotto.

last night mil and i decided to celebrate our anniversary on the cheap with a romantic homemade meal. we even went so far as to sit at the dining table instead of the coffee table as we usually do. of course, that doesn't mean that we didn't watch hell's kitchen while we consumed our romantic dinner... an addiction's an addiction, you know.

anyway, the one somewhat fancy meal i know how to cook is strawberry risotto. it's a recipe ms. cartoonsite introduced us to a few years back when we were looking for an exciting summer meal that didn't require leaving the confines of our air conditioned apartment. i was surprised that red meat mil was even willing to try such a fanciful dish, but like most things, after trying it he was hooked. here's my somewhat mangled interpretation of that recipe:

5 c. chicken or veggie broth
1 small yellow onion chopped
2 T olive oil
1 c. arborio rice
1 c. + chopped strawberries
3/4 marsala wine
3/4 c. grated fresh parmesan (plus more to garnish)
1 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

heat the broth in a saucepan to boiling, then keep at a simmer for the duration. you can make the broth with veggie or chicken stock, too. in a deep frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the chopped onions over medium heat. stir them for a few minutes until they start to turn golden. add the rice and the strawberries. stir for a couple of minutes and make sure that the rice is coated in the oil. add the marsala wine and salt and pepper. cook till the wine evaporates. start adding the vegetable broth 1/2 c. at a time (i use a big ladle to do this). you want the broth to slowly absorb into the rice, creating a creamy texture. wait till the liquid is gone before adding the next 1/2 c. of broth. continue doing this for 25 - 30 minutes until the rice is the texture you like. once it is creamy and soft enough, remove the pan from the heat. stir in the butter and the parmesan. serves 4. (or two if you eat it like mil and i do.)

just to show how romantic (and cheap) we really are, my gift to mil was the book that inspired this very, very sick game. as you can imagine, the book is also very, very sick. just the kind of thing my baby loves.

2 comments:

Cartooniste said...

mmmm... you've inspired me. i hardly ever make risotto anymore because L always complains that there isn't a large quantity of fake meat involved. but we have some leftover strawberries in the fridge... maybe i'll make some tonight.
happy anniversary, guys!

moosk said...

thanks!

we always feel so hip when we make strawberry risotto. i credit you and hef for showing me how easy it is to make... i'd really love to make a yummy mushroom risotto, but mil is anti-mushroom. ah well, i should be grateful he'll do strawberries.