Kitchen Sink Risotto

I make a mean risotto.

When I tell people that, the typical response is a combination of "prove it" and "what's the secret?" The truth is, risotto is about as easy as it gets. And the greatest thing about it is its versatility. I am not joking when I say just about anything can go into making a great risotto. That said, my basic recipe for risotto rarely changes:

1/2 Onion (or 2 Shallots), chopped finely
2 cloves (sometimes more) Garlic, chopped finely
2 or 3 T butter
1 1/2 cups Risotto Rice
1 cup white wine (I use pino grigio)
4 1/2 cups Chicken stock (or vegetable, depending on later ingredients)
1/c grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & freshly ground Pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy Cream (if desired)

In a saucepan, bring stock to a simmer. Keep stock at this temperature throughout the rest of the cooking process.

In a risotto pan (which is flared, wider at top than at bottom), saute onion or shallots in butter over medium heat until transcluscent, but not brown. Add rice and stir to coat well.

Add wine to deglaze pan and allow rice to absorb all liquid.

By single ladle amounts, begin adding stock to rice, stirring well after each addition and waiting until liquid is completely absorbed by the rice. Stir often so that rice never is allowed to stick to bottom of pan.

After about 35 minutes, test rice for doneness. Rice should be soft, yet still have a slight "bite" or firmness to it.

Remove from heat and add grated cheese and cream. Stir thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

At this point, pretty much anything goes. I have been known to add sauteed butternut squash, shrimp, chopped ham and peas or whatever I have leftover from previous meals during the week. Two nights ago, I sauteed some spinach and arugula and added it at the end along with some (frozen, thawed) peas. Add a piece of cooked chicken or salmon for a complete meal.

Issaquah Salmon Days

Tom and Thierry are having a salmon sandwich competition. I can't compete with them. I don't even pretend to try. But since this week's broadcast is live from Issaquah Salmon Days I decided the best thing to do would be to bring my old standby salmon bake to the table.

I first learned about salt bed baking while living in Sweden. I'd gone shopping at Fiskekyrkan ("the fish church") in Göteborg and asked one of the vendors what I should do with the salmon I bought. Previously, I typically sauteed or grilled salmon. I wanted something that would showcase the freshness and clean flavor of salmon, rather than doctoring it up with too much effort.

Dill is widely used for salmon in Sweden. It's what I grab most often (and mostly out of habit).

Salt beds are remarkably simple. Just pour and go:

Salmon fillets (about 1.5 " thick)
Olive oil
Lemon juice (from 1/2 a lemon)
Salt
chopped Dill
coarse Kosher Salt

Brush the fish with oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with a little salt and dill.

Pour the coarse kosher salt into a baking dish and set the fish on top.

Bake at 450 until for about 15 minutes. Fish will be opaque and but not dry.

That's it! Toss the salt and serve with a sauce and some roasted or baked potatoes.

I make a quick sauce by sauteeing half an onion in oil until soft, adding a little white wine and cream and then seasoning with more salt and dill.

It has been suggested that I use some of the fancy flavored salts that are so popular right now. I might experiment with that next time.

Introductions

I've been on the air with Tom and Thierry a few times now. It happened so serendipitously. On a whim, Sean and I decided to take some wine to the guys in studio. Just for fun. A few days later, we were dining and and causing trouble for Thierry at Rover's (I tend to spill wine in nice restaurants). We casually suggested that we would soon stop by the studio again, with food and wine. And a few weeks later, we found ourselves suddenly on-air, talking about our experiment with morrells and fiddle-head ferns.

That's how I got this illustrious start.

Among other things, I've grilled shrimp, sauteed steak and learned how to make pizza at Serious Pie.

Still hoping for success with a red-wine reduction. Stay tuned!