Risotto Primavera

Ahh, spring!  It's been on deck for weeks, but I feel like it's finally official.  Time to open the windows and take the chance that it won't snow if I take my warmest coat to the dry cleaner.  Time to start asking bartenders if they have Sam Summer on tap.  Time to revel in the fact that both hockey and baseball are on TV!

The most wonderful aspect of spring is that everything seems to be coming back to life.  The world is waking up and beginning to bloom.  The Italians celebrate the vernal equinox by cooking pasta primavera, a dish encompassing the crisp, bright flavors of young vegetables at their peak in the springtime, seasoned with a bit of garlic and parmesan.  This weekend, I took the idea of primavera and stirred it into a great risotto.  Try this recipe when spring's bounty is at its best!

Risotto Primavera
1 T. butter
1 shallot, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
1 small clove garlic, halved
1 T. chervil
1 T. very finely minced sun-dried tomato
4 cups chicken broth, heated
1 cup each:
    -ham or canadian bacon, cut into 1/4" dice
    -sliced blanched green beans
    -sliced blanched asparagus spears
    -sliced green onion
    -artichoke hearts (don't use the kind with seasoning added)
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
handful chopped mint
salt and pepper to taste
sprigs of fresh mint, for garnish

In a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the shallot and arborio rice, stirring until the shallot has softened up a bit.  Now, add the lemon juice, white wine, garlic, chervil, and sun-dried tomato.  Bring to a boil, stirring intermittently, then reduce the heat to low.  Continue to stir until all the liquid has been absorbed. 

Next, add a half cup of the warmed chicken broth.  Again, stir until the liquid has been absorbed.  Repeat this with 3 out of 4 cups of the chicken broth. 

Now, add the final cup of the chicken broth, along with the ham, green beans, asparagus, green onion, and artichoke hearts.  Stir as you did in the previous step, until all the liquid has been absorbed. 

Finally, add the swiss cheese, mint, salt and pepper.  Stir until the cheese is melted and well-blended.  Serve hot, garnished with sprigs of fresh mint.

Callaloo Recipe

I promised you my Callaloo recipe, so here it is for those of you interested.  This recipe was adapted from the Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary edition - I used their ingredients but did not follow the proportions (all the measurements given below are estimates).  It is very simple - if you can chop and stir, you can make this recipe.  It goes together rather quickly, but the prep work is time consuming, so this isn't a stew to make if you're looking for something quick.  Save this for a rainy weekend and freeze the leftovers.

Callaloo:
5 strips bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1/2 red onion, minced
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1/4lb. ham, diced

1 large bunch callaloo, leaves only, cut into bite-sized pieces*
4 cups chicken or seafood stock (seafood stock recipe follows)
1t. fresh thyme
1/2t. chile flakes
1 can coconut milk
1 cup fresh or frozen okra**
1 fillet tilapia, sliced into bite-sized chunks
1/4lb. crab or shrimp
salt and pepper
boiled rice, to serve


* If you cannot find fresh callaloo, canned callaloo can be purchased online.

The first thing I did was prepare the ingredients.  This took about half a decade, but I am admittedly very slow at doing prep work.  That's what happens when you get a neurotic cook who needs to have every slice of onion the exact same size...

First step to the cooking is to fry the bacon in the bottom of a large stock pot until it crisps up.  Then, add the red and green onion and the ham, stirring regularly, until the onion turns translucent. 

Next, add the callaloo, seafood stock, and thyme.  *If you are using fresh okra, add it during this step.  You probably won't be able to see any of the liquid, but this is OK - the leaves cook down quickly. Think of them as edible shrinky-dinks. Place cover on your stockpot, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook gently until the callaloo leaves have wilted down.

Once the leaves are cooked down, stir several times, then add the coconut milk, tilapia, crab or shrimp, chile flakes, and salt & pepper to taste.  **If you are using frozen okra, add it during this step.  Cook for 5 - 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the fish is translucent and flaky. 



Serve over hot boiled rice.

There you have it - a yummy stew.  Although this was good, I felt like it needed something else, but I couldn't place my finger on what.  Next time I make this, I'm going to try adding a little lime juice - I think something acidic could give it a little punch.  Don't get me wrong, the stuff is rather delicious.  Thank God, because I have enough to feed me for the rest of the week! 

Here is how to make a basic seafood stock:  Anytime you eat fish, shrimp, lobster, etc., save the shells, bones, and trimmings.  Also, some markets sell fish heads, which are perfect for making stock.  You can make as much or as little as you'd like - whatever the measurement of seafood bits you use, use 1.5 times as much water (i.e. if you use 1 cup of shrimp shells, use 1.5 cups water).  Boil it with a little salt & pepper and a squirt of lemon juice, reduce to a simmer, and taste throughout - simmer less time for a milder stock, and simmer longer for a stronger flavor.  It freezes well. 

Vamos comer!