Spicy Korean Chicken with Cucumber Pickle

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
At our last festive get-together I planned a dazzling menu of international cuisine. I was planning on serving my new obsession: spicy, non-greasy, super crisy, not-even-messy, Korean wings. Then I thought about it, and realized the best way to eat them is from the fryer straight into your mouth and that would keep me in the kitchen the whole party. So I had a rethink and decided to use similar ingredients, but turn it into a chicken dish that could be eaten over rice or made into lettuce wraps. Korean food is complex and each bite has a great assortment of flavors. This marinade would also be fabulous on shrimp, chicken, beef ... you name it!



Ingredients for marinade
3 green onions, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 pound chicken (thighs, breasts, or thin strips of chicken)

Ingredients for pickle
2 Lebanese cucumber thinly sliced
1 long red chili pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

To serve
green onions, thinly sliced
sesame seeds, toasted
brown rice
butter lettuce leaves (if you want to make wraps)

Procedure
For the marinade, place the onions, garlic, soy sauce, hot pepper paste, sugar, honey, sesame oil and the rice wine vinegar in a small food processor. Blend until combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade and set aside. Place the chicken in a large ziplock bag and add remaining marinade. Toss to coat and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the cucumber, chili papper, green onions, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Toss to combine and set aside.

Remove chicken from marinade. Heat a lightly oiled, thick-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat and cook chicken for 6 to 8 minutes, turning regularly, or until cooked through. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with the green onion and sesame seeds.

Serve with the cucumber salad, brown rice, lettuce, and reserved marinade.

Salvadorian Quesadillas (a.k.a. Quesadillas)

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is a really simple brunch recipe to start the new year right. It's for these heavenly cakes from El Salvador which they call quesadillas, who knew? Even if you are severely hung over (and you wouldn’t be if you showed some moderation or had a few packets of Emergency C before you went to bed) you could still make this.

Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated hard cheese, such as Cojita or Parmesan
sesame seeds, to taste

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 350F. Whisk together the rice flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, in the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter with sugar. Drop in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Next beat in the sour cream, cheese, and rice flour mixture until a smooth batter forms. Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling each one about 80% of the way up (this batter does not rise much). Sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. This recipe makes 18 small cakes.

White Chocolate Risotto

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This time of year, it's all about fruit and berries and cool stuff like that. But I saw this recipe and I thought this would be perfect to use as a base for fresh fruit and the sound of it totally took me in!

Ingredients
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped from a block
2 ounces heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup Arborio rice
2 1/2 to 3 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Procedure
The first thing you are going to do is make a ganache which is a mixture of white chocolate and cream. Carefully combine the white chocolate and the cream and stir it over medium heat till the chocolate is melted and smooth. Now add butter stir and refrigerate till firm.

In a saucepan, combine the rice, sugar, milk, and vanilla bean over medium heat. Stir frequently till rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Now add in the white chocolate ganache a little at a time till you reach the desired sweetness. Serve warm with blueberries, raspberries, plums. Or how about some crumbled pinon brittle or toasted sesame seeds for topping? Though tempting, please do not use as a facial.

Marjoram

Excellent Ingredient of the Week
Marjoram is a perennial herb from the mint family with oval, inch-long green leaves and a mild, sweet, oregano-like favor. Wild marjoram is actually just another name for oregano. Marjoram is much more interesting than oregano, sweeter and more exotic in aroma. Add near the end of cooking or the heat will destroy its delicate flavor.
It grows wild in the Mediterranean region, with 90% of the world’s supply coming from Egypt.
What do I do with it? I use it with poultry, I use it in the crust on my racks of lamb, I toss some leaves in my garden salad mix. Here are some other ideas.

marjoram marinade

This is a great marinade for shrimp.

Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Procedure
Just combine and marinate shrimp for 30 minutes then grill.

carrot and rice puree flavored with marjoram

Ingredients
2 pounds carrots
2/3 cup long-grain rice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons fresh marjoram leaves or 1 1/4 teaspoons crumbled dried marjoram

Procedure
Peel carrots and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Fill a 7- to 8-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil. Add carrots and rice and cook, stirring until water returns to a boil, until carrots and rice are very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain mixture well in a large sieve. In a food processor puree half of carrot mixture with half of butter until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Puree remaining carrot mixture and butter in same manner and transfer to bowl. Season puree with salt and pepper and stir in marjoram. (Puree may be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered.) Serve as side dish to roast chicken or fish.

Wild Rice and Turkey Salad

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Here is something which would be great for school lunch, something you can basically make out of leftovers! It's a simple, nutritious salad with some sweet elements (dried cherries) which keep it interesting and fresh-tasting. Instead making a sandwich that could get soggy while it sits in your kid's locker, how about sending all the ingredient separately and they can make a sandwich when they are ready to eat?

Ingredients
2 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken
15 oz. cooked wild rice
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
2 cups cubed Havarti cheese
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Just combine everything and let sit, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour to let flavors combine, or even better make it the night before. Then send it to school along with some whole grain bread, some fresh spinach and sliced tomato, and some fresh fruit. Now that is a good lunch.

Apple and Prosicutto Risotto

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Risotto, when made right, can be a meal. Add some wine, a side of grilled veg or a salad and you are done. Yes you must stand and stir, but that’s no big deal. Here we go!

Ingredients
5 cups chicken stock (I use Trader Joe's organic chicken stock)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup diced hard sweet baking apples (Winesaps are great)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
6 tablespoons chopped Prosicutto (or Panchetta or good quality ham)
3/4 cup hard cider
4 ounces Asiago cheese
1 apple to be sliced and sautéed to garnish at the end
Sage leaved for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer turn down and keep warm. In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the apples about 10 minutes till lightly browned. Remove from the heat and keep covered to stay warm. In a large saucepan melt the remaining butter and add rice and ham and cook 2 minutes to coat rice. Add the hard cider and cook 2 minutes more and cook till cider is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of hot stock and cook and stir until absorbed. Keep going until rice is firm but tender. In the last addition add the apples. You might need more or less liquid to get to the right texture. After the luscious texture is achieved, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Now spoon risotto into warmed bowls and using a vegetable peeler top risotto with shaved Asiago, then add thin sautéed apple slices — which you had time to do in between the stirring — and top with chiffonade of sage leaves and some black pepper.

Chicken and Brown Rice with Chorizo

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Here is a great hearty recipe for Chicken and Brown Rice with Chorizo. It’s all made in one pot and baked in the oven. Pretty much any dish with Spanish chorizo interests me. In Santa Fe, you can buy Chorizo at Ziggy's and at The Spanish table. The recipe uses chicken thighs, which are cheap and really much tastier then the all-too-common boneless chicken breast. This one-pot dish is similar to arroz con pollo, the classic Spanish and Latin American specialty, but the brown rice is a big plus.

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs. bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. smoked, dried Spanish chorizo, cut into 1"-thick slices
2 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups Basmati brown rice, rinsed
1/2 cup white wine
3 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded, and cut into thick strips
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas (optional)

Procedure
Heat oven to 400°. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook, without turning, until the skin is a deep golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Pour off and discard any accumulated fat and juices. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to a plate, leaving the fat behind in the Dutch oven.

Add oregano, red pepper, garlic, onion, and bay leaf to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned and somewhat soft, about 8 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until surface is glossy, about 2 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil while stirring often, and reduce by half, about 1 minute. Nestle chicken, chorizo, and peppers into rice mixture. Pour in broth and season liquid to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Transfer to the oven and bake until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove the dish from oven, uncover, and gently stir in the peas with a fork. Let sit for 10 minutes, covered, to allow the flavors to meld.

Caramel Rice Pudding with Brown Butter and Crème Fraiche

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a cool recipe! Sort of a grown up rice pudding, not too sweet, made with good solid rice with a complex flavor. You could cheat and just throw some dulce de leche in the milk and take it from there but this process is worth it.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons crème fraiche, plus more for serving
6 cups whole milk
Seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cups Arborio rice

Procedure
Put the butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter stops foaming, and you see orangey brown specks start to appear, stir gently with a wooden spoon. After a minute or two, when the specks are nut brown and the butter smells nice and toasty, sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar over the butter and stir to combine. (It will clump up a little, but don’t worry!). Switch to a whisk, and cook the butter and sugar, whisking all the time, until the sugar has melted and the mixture becomes a smooth, rich brown caramel, about 5 minutes. (Early on, the butter and sugar will separate, and the butter will pool around the edges of the sugar, but never fear! Once the sugar has fully melted, the two will start to come together again, and you’ll have a nice smooth caramel. When the caramel is a rich nut brown and starts to smoke, remove the pan from the heat and quickly and carefully whisk in the Crème Fraiche and about 1/2 a cup of the milk. Don’t worry if the mixture bubbles up when you do this – it’ll settle down again quickly. (This step cools off the caramel and keeps it from cooking further.) Return the pan to the heat and whisk in the rest of the milk, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, the vanilla seeds and the salt. If the caramel seizes a little, just keep whisking until the mixture becomes smooth again.

Switch back to the wooden spoon and stir in the rice. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the milk is simmering steadily and cook the rice pudding uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, especially towards the end. The rice should be tender but not mushy, and the pudding should thicken but still be quite loose — remember that it will thicken a lot more while it’s cooling. Transfer the pudding to a container, cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of Crème Fraiche.

Guest Helga Ancona: Feijoada

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Feijoada is the undisputed national dish of Brazil. It is a recipe of bean stew with rice and pork meat. It usually includes “farofa” (mandioca, a root from the rainforest, mixed with maize flour and oil. Sometimes bacon...)

Originally Feijoada was made using every part of the pig, such as ears, tails, and nose floating among the beans. As this upsets tourists, a version of it is made especially with them in mind only using the fine meat parts of the pig. The origin of the Feijoada goues back to the sixteenth century with the introduction of slaves in Brazil. Slaves were used for many things, cotton production, cocoa production, rubber and with the goldrush boom for extraction of diamonds and mine digging. The culinary culture of Africa was mixed with the European food traditions. The African slaves had the basic bean stew, the Portuguese added the linguiça (sausage), and the Indians added the farofa (toasted manioc flour). The result was a particularly "heavy" dish wich lasted long and gave the workers the energy they needed.

Ingredients
1 lb. black beans
1 lb. smoked ham hocks
1 of each: pork foot, ear, tail, and tongue
(optional)
1 lb. Mexican "chorizo," "pepperoni" or Brazilian "linguica"
1/2 lb. Chunk of lean Canadian bacon or
Brazilian "carne seca"
1/2 lb. Smoked pork or beef ribs
3-4 strips of smoked bacon
1/2 lb. lean pork
1/2 lb. lean beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt to taste
black pepper
hot sauce (optional)

Procedure
Soak beans overnight in large container. Next morning, cook beans for 2-3 hours at low heat. Place ham hocks, chorizo, ribs and Canadian bacon in deep pan with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Change water and bring to a new boil, repeating the procedure at least three times to tenderize cured meats and remove excess fat. In a large frying pan, sauté onion and garlic using either vegetable or olive oil (smoked bacon strips optional) for two or three minutes. Toss in cubed pork and beef. Sauté an additional two-three minutes.

Mash 5-l0 tablespoons of beans and add to large pot. The resulting paste will thicken sauce. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, three garlic cloves all chopped-up or mashed, along with a tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of red-hot pepper. Stir, heat over medium fire for two-three minutes, and then transfer to contents of frying pan. (You may use two frying pans, if necessary). Let simmer for l0-l5 minutes. Add contents of frying pan(s) to the beans and let boil at medium heat for 1-2 hours. Serve over rice, with additional red-hot sauce, if desired. Then lie in a hammock and take a nap!

Variations on Rice and Beans for Tight Times

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
If we are concerned about saving money, they we should all be eating more beans and grains. They are a great, cheap source of protein. Black beans and rice are a staple of cheap and cheerful college cooking. You can make a huge batch and freeze it in single-serving bags and then pop it into the microwave as needed. They are nutritious and filling and go a long way.

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked rice (I like brown basmati, but white is more traditional)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (for added flavor you can roast the red bell peppers first)
3 cloves minced garlic
2 16-ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained, organic are cheap
2 Tbsp white vinegar
A few dashes of Tabasco
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Procedure
Cook rice according to package instructions. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high. Sauté onions and bell peppers for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to soften, then add garlic and sauté a minute more. Add the black beans, vinegar and Tabasco. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in rice and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste. This can easily go from a side dish to a main course with the addition of a little sausage, some pulled chicken or pork if you need meat to feel full.

Variations
If you are feeling exotic, replace some of the water you use to cook the rice with unsweetened coconut milk, or almond milk, or miso broth, or veggie stock. Substitute or add: red beans, black lentils, pinto beans, brown rice, Cajun spices, jalapeno, or chipotle. Or just skip the meal all together and have a cocktail. Did I really suggest that?

Rice Pudding Cake with Warm Apricot Sauce

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This week I have a cool recipe for a rice pudding cake with apricot sauce. It’s from Bistro Cooking at Home, a cookbook I picked up two weeks ago at the new animal shelter thrift store. This cake is not too sweet and not too gummy (which is my complaint about rice pudding) and it’s made with good quality Arborio rice (the stuff you use for Risotto) that makes all the difference in flavor and texture.

Ingredients for Cake
4 1/2 cups whole milk
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Arborio rice
Pinch kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Ingredients for Sauce
3/4 cup chopped small dried apricots
1/3 sup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup Sauterne

Procedure
Combine the milk and lemon zest into a large saucepan. If using vanilla bean, cut it down the long-ways and scrape the seeds into the milk as well as the pod. If using extract you will add that later. Bring milk just to the boil and whisk in the rice. Reduce heat to low and stir every few minutes till most of the milk is absorbed, 30-40 minutes. At this altitude, if milk evaporates before rice is tender, add more milk. Now stir in the sugar and vanilla extract if using. Let rice mixture cool to room temperature.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. While rice is cooling, butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake round. Line the bottom with a parchment circle and butter. Dust the sides and bottom of pan with graham cracker crumbs and shake out excess. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and extra 2 yolks. Stir into the cooled rice mixture. Now pour this mixture into your prepared pan. Bake until the center of the cake feels somewhat firm to the touch about 45-50 minutes. Don’t let overcook and puff, as that will adversely affect the texture. Don’t worry about ugly top as that will ultimately be the bottom. Cool the cake at room temperature and then run a knife around the outside to loosen the cake. Invert onto a serving platter and remove the parchment from what is now the top. Dust cake with powdered sugar and serve with warm apricot sauce.

To make apricot sauce: Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil and then pour over chopped apricots in a bowl. Let cool to room temp. In a small saucepan combine sugar and 1/3 cup water and bring to the boil. Drain cooled plump apricots and add to sugar syrup with the lemon juice. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring often until sauce becomes flavorful and syrupy. Remove from heat and add Sauterne.

Brown Rice and Wild Rice Salad with Dried Fruit

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Here is a very creative recipe for a healthy brown and wild rice salad which can work both summer and winter. This time of year, I use dried fruit but in the summer you can go all fresh. The wild rice cooking technique makes all the difference. This recipe serves 6-8 people.

Ingredients
3 cups water x2
1 1/2 tablespoons Tamari sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons unsulphured Molasses
3/4 cup wild rice, rinsed
3/4 cup brown rice, rinsed
1 cup dried sour cherries
1 cup dried mango diced
1 cup toasted pecan halves chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped scallions
5 tablespoons good olive oil
5 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
4 teaspoons orange zest
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, Tamari, and molasses, and bring to a boil. Add wild rice, partially cover and simmer till tender, about 45-50 minutes. Drain well and cool. Bring another medium pan of water to the boil and add the brown rice and a teaspoon of salt and cook till tender as well, about 40 minutes. Drain well and cool. In a large bowl combine the 2 rices with all the rest of the ingredients. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Stuffed Tomato with Chorizo and Rice

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I loved stuffed things. Like stuffed cabbage and stuffed pasta shells and even stuffed tomatoes, especially if Chorizo is involved, and it is! This recipe is from The Esquire Party Book from the collection of Bram and Monica. I did however update it a bit!

Ingredients
8 ripe Roma tomatoes
1 large chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 finely chopped Pallacio chorizo sausage
(available at the Spanish table and sometimes at Ziggy's)
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 cups cooked Basmati Rice (still a bit firm)
1/2 cup shredded Manchego cheese
1/2 cup Panko mixed with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper
2 oven roasted green pepper, peeled and cut into julienne strips

Procedure
Cut the tomatoes the long way and scoop out seeds. Sauté the onions with the garlic and Chorizo in a sauté pan with a little olive oil, the Chorizo will supply oil as well as it heats up. Now add the rice, cheese, and other seasonings except the peppers and breadcrumbs, and taste to adjust flavors. Fill each tomato half with rice mixture, then top with a criss-cross of peppers and top with breadcrumbs. Place in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes, or under the broiler and cook till browned but firm. This would be wonderful to serve with a piece of grilled fish.

Lemon Risotto

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Risotto is just a mushy, creamy, Italian rice dish laced with lots of sexy aromatic ingredients, which I like. It’s not difficult, it just takes patience. This is from Nigela Lawson’s book Nigella Bites, and I have found many of these recipes to be winners. This recipe serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a side.

Ingredients
2 Shallots
1 rib of celery
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups Aborio rice
1 quart of veg stock or chicken stock (appropriation)
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Needles from 2 small sprigs of fresh Rosemary
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
4 tablespoons heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Puree the shallots and celery in a small food processor until you get a fine mush. Heat 1/2 the butter and the oil in a wide saucepan and add the shallots and celery mix. Sauté 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the rice. In another pot on the side, heat the stock, keeping it just below the boil. Put a ladleful of stock into the rice and stir till it is all absorbed. Then add another ladle and so on, and so on, till the rice is al dente. Mix the lemon zest, the rosemary into the rice. In a small bowl whisk together the yolk, lemon juice, Parmesan, cream, and pepper. When rice no longer tastes or looks chalky, take off the heat add the egg and lemon mixture and the remaining butter and salt to taste. Garnish top with shredded Parmesan and a slice of lemon. Bon Appettito!

Celery Root and Wild Rice Soup

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Santa Fe is known for many things... Deborah Madison and the Farmer's Market are just two of them. This recipe is from Debra’s Local Flavors cookbook, and it's for a nice autumnal soup made with celery root and wild rice.

Ingredients
1/2 cup wild rice
1 celery root, about 1 pound
2 large leeks, white part only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 piece of celery diced
1 cup thinly sliced Russet potatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
1 fresh Thyme sprig
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
drizzle of truffle oil (optional)

Procedure
Cover the wild rice with 5 cups water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover for 45 minutes, or until rice is tender. Set aside till the end. Thickly cut and trim celery root to remove nasty outside, then cube into bite-size pieces. You should get 3 cups. Chop the leek, rinse well, and drain. Melt the butter in a soup pot and add vegetables, parsley, thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and bay leaf. Cook 5 minutes. Now add stock, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add half-and-half and simmer till everything feels tender. Take out 1 cup of vegetables and soup, puree, then add back to soup pot. This will thicken the soup! Adjust salt and pepper. Divide into 4 warmed soup bowls, fill with soup, and add a mound of wild rice to the center of each bowl. Drizzle with truffle oil before serving. Top with a little extra chopped parsley.

Smoked Salmon Risotto

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Risotto is not difficult, but it is also not without labor. But after your mother labored through your birth isn’t she worth it? This is a great recipe for smoked salmon risotto. This is a recipe for 2, you and your mom.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 minced shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup Arborio rice
4 1/2 –5 cups chicken stock, heated
1/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
2 packed cups coarsely chopped watercress
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces good quality smoked salmon or Gravlax, diced

Procedure
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add the shallots and sauté over low heat for 3 minutes. Stir in wine and cook 1 minute or till reduced by half. Add rice and cook, stirring 1 minute. Add 1/2 the hot chicken stock and allow to simmer, stirring till almost all the liquid is absorbed %#151; about 5-8 minutes. Repeat, adding 1/2 cup broth at a time till rice has creamy consistency and is almost tender. Stir in 1/2 and 1/2, watercress, and scallions and simmer 2 minutes or until greens are limp. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle in smoked salmon and serve immediately. Start with a fruit course like pears wrapped in prosciutto, then a beautiful salad, and the meal is complete!