Parmesan Risotto

 

Tonight I had my first Vodka Gimlet since this whole virus situation started.  Both Chris and I are still going to work every day so we are not experiencing the #stayhome way of life. We get up, go to work, come home and hunker down.

Grocery shopping has taken on a new life. If the parking lot is not crowded I will go in. Twice this week I have pulled into Bishop's Market and did not stop because I know the size of the store and there were too many cars in the lot to be sure there would be a 6 ft social distance between other shoppers. Crazy times! Next week I will order my produce online from Bishops and sit in the pick-up line.

 

Tonight for dinner I made what has to be my favorite Saturday night dinner. Breaded Pork Chops. I pan fry them and finish them in the oven. Always moist!

But the star tonight was the Parmesan Risotto. The recipe is from The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook. Spot On Risotto.

Ingredients-

2 1/2 cup water

2 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 small onion chopped or 2 shallots chopped

salt and pepper

3/4 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Method-

Bring water and broth to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove heat, cover and keep warm. 

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until grains are translucent around edges, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2 to 4 minutes.

Stir in 2 cups reserved warm broth. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed about 12 minutes.

Stir 1/2 cup reserved warm broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes. Repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 times, until rice is al dente, you may have broth leftover. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and parmesan.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin and Butternut Squash Risotto

After a day a baking we still needed something for dinner. I had a small piece of Pork Tenderloin in the freezer along with some bacon. The start of a delicious dinner. Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin was so easy to make it was scary. Sear the tenderloin. Wrap it in bacon and put it in the oven. That's all there is to it. The original recipe called for a glaze. I did not do the glaze.

Here is the recipe as it appears on RecipeTinEats

Ingredients-
8 to 10 slices of streaky bacon, long enough to wrap around the pork 1½ times.
1lb / 500g pork tenderloin, at room temperature
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)

Method-
Preheat oven to 180C/350F (fan forced/convection) / 200C/390F (normal oven).

Lay the bacon next to each other on a cutting board, slightly overlapping. The width of the bacon should be enough to wrap the length of the pork.

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Tuck the thin end under so the length of the pork is roughly the same thickness.

Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear the pork on all sides until nicely browned.

Place pork on the bacon. Use a knife to help keep the bacon together and roll the pork up, finishing with the seam side down.

Use the knife to transfer back into the skillet. Drizzle over honey and brush all over.

Roast for 25 to 30 minutes (Note 1), basting once or twice with the pan juices, mopping up plenty of the honey pooled at the base of the pork. Remove from oven and baste again. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Baste once more just before serving. To serve, cut into thick slices.

The Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto was my favorite part of dinner. The recipe is from Cookie and Kate. Another easy recipe. The risotto bakes in the oven. No standing over the stove with a glass of wine in your hand stirring, stirring and stirring. You would of course need a glass of wine in your hand, right?

The onion is sauteed. The rice is added with the broth and into the oven it goes. The squash roasts at the same time. Perfect! Oh and the fried sage leaves are brilliant! The recipe called for Brown Aborio Rice. I had the regular Aborio and it worked out fine.

Click here for the recipe!

Risotto With Chicken and Arugula

Not just any Risotto, Low Maintenance Risotto. This was a combination of 2 recipe from the Real Simple site. I don't ever make risotto. I make Aborio rice as a side dish but not as risotto. Why? Time. But now it is quite quick and easy. I was able to make a cake while the risotto was cooking! The addition of the Chicken and Arugula came from another Real Simple recipe. Have you ever taken the meat off of a rotisserie chicken with a cat in the same room. Archie was barking at me for meat.
Anyway Chris loved this dish. It was really creamy and the arugula gave it a nice peppery taste.

 

Now about that cake.  My mom's Apple Cake. It's just the 4 Egg Cake with sliced apples and cinnamon on top. When I was growing up we had dessert every night. Right after dinner, even before the dishes were done. We don't eat like that anymore, except when we go out to eat. Sorry I digress... the cake looks perfect. I am bringing it over to my dad's tomorrow.