Delicious Risotto, Literally - Golden Delicious Risotto

I am a product of American Pop Culture.  I admit it, I have come to terms with it, and accept this in myself.

Every time someone mentions Pork Chops, I hear Peter Brady's imitation of Humphrey Bogart in the back of my mind saying, "Pork Chopsh and Apple Shauce, ain't that Shwell?"  And thus it is that, through the Brady Bunch, I learned to equate apples with pork.  True, there is the proverbial whole roasted pig with the apple in it's mouth, but I don't normally roast a whole pig.  And by "normally" I mean never.  So, for me, it was the Brady Bunch. 

Now, I am not saying that I actually "eat" said apple sauce with my pork chops.  It's not that I think the combination particularly odd or anything.  After all, if Peter Brady thought it was "shwell", then it must be, right?  Cause it was on TV, right?  If it wasn't "shwell", then why would the writers give him that line?  No, it's simply because I rarely have apple sauce around the house, and if I do, it has usually been utilized for Apple Sauce Cake or Apple Muffins, or some such other tidbit of deliciousness.  But, I finally got to wondering about the pairing of apples with pork and decided to give it a try.

Now, me being me, I had to walk a path less traveled by; possibly not at all...  By anyone... Ever.  This led to a little experiment (you saw that comin' didn't ya?) with a Golden Delicious Apple.

Now I am not a big fan of the Golden Delicious Apple, simply because they are so sweet.  I loved them as a kid, but only when they were green.  And let's face it... Produce moves around this country so fast now days that the farmers don't pick things as green as they use to.  Which has it's pluses, but in this case, the Golden Delicious Apples in the stores are almost always fully ripe.  But for this recipe, I thought I could get away with the apple being on the sweeter side cause I was gonna hit it hard with a crisp white wine and "savor-ize" it up with some Parmigiano-Reggiano and Mascarpone. 

If those ingredients ring any bells you probably guessed right.... I made an Apple Risotto.

The verdict on the experiment?  I thought it was tasty... So did my little brother... Savory with a hint of spiced sweetness.  Then again, we both like Cheddar on our Apple Pie so this dish is a natural fit.  My sister-in-law is not a risotto fan, no matter what the flavor so she opted out completely.  Dad was on the fence and Mom hated it.  I don't know... I would call 2 "likes", 1 undecided and 1 "no" a fairly favorable reception considering this side dish's unorthodoxy.

I am still trying to decide if I should have forewent the "hint of cinnamon" and opted for a "whisper of nutmeg" instead.  Personally do not care for nutmeg with apple.  Mace, yes, Nutmeg, no.  I am really more of a Cinnamon person.  I love sneaking Cinnamon in savory dishes when no one is looking.  Any excuse to buck the "system" that has regulated poor Cinnamon to only sweets.  Nutmeg, on the other hand, shows up in Bechamel as well as Spaetzle, Quiche (Lorraine and Florentine) and Scalloped Potatoes (like Pommes de Terre à la Dauphinoise) with a frequency that attests to it's escape from the same predicament as the ill-fated Cinnamon.

Delicious Risotto

4 cups Chicken Stock
2 TB Olive Oil
3/4 cup Golden Delicious Apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 TB unsalted Butter
1 Shallot, minced
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc (I chose one in the Green Apple and Gooseberry range)
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 TB Mascarpone
1/16 tsp Cinnamon or 2 grates of Nutmeg (your choice)

Bring the Chicken Stock to a simmer in a small saucepan and dice the apple.

In a large skillet, heat 1 TB of the Olive oil over medium-low flame.

Add the apple and cook for about 10 minutes, just until it begins to soften slightly.

Remove the apple from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 TB Olive Oil to the pan along with the Butter.

When foaming subsides, add the shallot and sweat until soft.

Add the Rice and saute for a couple minutes, until it begins to smell nutty.

Add the Wine and stir until it is absorbed.

Begin adding stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring until each ladel-ful has been absorbed before adding the next.

After 10 minutes of cooking (when the risotto is about 1/2 done) add the diced Apple to the rice, then continue adding stock and stirring until the risotto is still a little al dente. (you may not use all the stock)

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, Mascarpone and Cinnamon or Nutmeg.

Cover and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes.

Stir everything together and serve.

Peter Brady was right, Apple and Pork really do play together well.  

So the next time you are serving Pork chops, or Pork Loin chops or even a Pork Tenderloin, I urge you to give this a try.

Yep, Pork Chopsh and Apple Rishoto, it's Shwell.

Mangia!!
~~

Meatless Monday - Shiitake Mascarpone Cream

Normally I don't really participate in the "Meatless Monday" per se. I am not organized enough to coordinate my lack of animal protein to a specific day. Oh there are plenty of Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays that contain no meat as well as the occasional Friday, Saturday or Sunday. :) But today is just happened to fall that way.

This is the same recipe as the Chantarelle Mascarpone Cream  I made last fall but with 2 important differences.  Gruyere is the cheese of choice this time which just so happens to pair flawlessly with Shiitake mushrooms.  Proof that a good recipe has the ability to adapt and change with the season's offerings, yet remain delicious.  I have changed this so many times, depending on what was available in the market, that I don't even remember what the original recipe was anymore.  Incidentally, this is absolutely divine with Morels and Porcini too.

But, mmmm Shiitakes... The cancer fighting, blood clot preventing, serum cholesterol lowing, high blood pressure stopping wonder mushroom.

As if all that wasn't awesome enough, they are so deliciously "meaty", you won't even notice you aren't eating meat.  Especially when paired with a chunky pasta like rigatoni. So get your weekly dose of Lentinan (Cancer fighter), Lenthionine (Blood clot & High Blood Pressure), Eritadenine (Cholesterol reducer) and various anti-oxidants.   Your body will thank you. 

Rigatoni in Shiitake Mascarpone Cream

1 LB Rigatoni pasta
2 TB Olive Oil
1 Shallots, minced
1/2 Leek, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
1/2 lb Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb Shiitake Mushroomw, sliced
1/2 cup White wine, like Verdicchio
1/2 cup Vegetable stock (or Mushroom stock)
8 oz Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated Gruyere, plus more for serving
1/4 cup fresh Chives, chopped - Plus more for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 - 13 minutes.

While the pasta is boiling.........
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the Shallots, Leek and garlic to the pan, seasoning with a little Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.

When the Shallots are soft, about 3 minutes, add the mushrooms to the pan and season with a little more Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, cook for about 5 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with Wine and cook until liquid has evaporated.

Add the vegetable (or mushroom) stock and simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the mascarpone cheese, stiring until it melts and becomes all unctuously creamy.

Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl.

Pour the mushroom mixture over the pasts along with the Gruyere and Chives.

Toss well, but gently to coat pasta. (add some reserved pasta water, if needed, to smooth the sauce)

Garnish with the More Gruyere and more chopped Chives.

Mangia!!
~~

Chanterelle, My Belle...

You and pasta go together well,
My Chanterelle.

Ah, Chanterelle Mushrooms.... the scent of apricots, forest floor, and black pepper waft through the kitchen, making my mouth water as I try to prepare dinner.

The Chanterelle is an important mushroom here in western Oregon, for there aren't a lot of sunny days here.  Especially some the Fall.  Thus we all tend to run a little low in vitamin D.  Granted most milk is artificially fortified with it, but it's a minuscule amount and there are those of use who do not drink milk.  When ones diet is lacking in copious amounts of "moo juice" and the sun spends most of its time hiding behind cumulonimbus, we turn to other sources of the elusive "Sun Vitamin".  Enter the Chanterelle....  with up to 2500 IU per 100 grams of weight. 

This is an important consideration, since Vitamin D production in the skin only occurs when the UV factor is above a 3.  Why is Vitamin D so important?  That is a good question, considering that this fat soluble substance isn't really even a vitamin.

Nope, it's a secosteroid hormone.  I am not going to get in the full metabolism that is necessary to create the "Active" form your body actually uses, but suffice it to say that it is the most active hormone in the body.  Active D is responsible for unlocking the binding sites on the human genome (there are 2,700 sites) as well as controlling the calcium level in your blood.  There has even been research into your own cells' ability to utilize D in fighting some 17 types of cancer.  Pretty darned impressive I'd say. 

Sadly, if you are not out in the sun absorbing UVB for at least 30 minutes a day, then you are deficient in D.  You can take a supplement, but most are sorely lacking in the amount of viable D that one needs.  Thus, most of us are running around with a significant shortage of this vital vitamin (5,000 IU per day).  To get enough, per day, from milk, you would have to imbibe somewhere around 50 glasses and most multi-vitamins would require the consumption of up to 10 pills before you have replenished your D stores. 

All that being said, there are other ways of getting D into your system, especially in the winter.  For in the temperate climates the Chanterelle mushroom is available from September to April.  AWESOME! 

So with that I present to you a dish that is High in D as well as C & potassium.  Granted, this is a little high in fat, but I am on a roll with the Mascarpone sauces.  This is a variation of the Spinach Mascarpone pasta that I made a week ago.  Earthy & spicy chanterelles and shallots, sauted in olive oil, deglaced with white wine, a touch of chicken stock to round out the flavors... a delicate hint of tarragon (cause mushrooms + cream + tarragon = bliss) all bound together with, that ever so unctuous, Mascarpone with a touch of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  It's heaven on a plate.

Torchiette with Chanterelle Mascarpone Cream

10-12 oz Chanterelle Mushrooms
3 TB Olive oil
2 medium Shallots, minced
1/2 cup White Wine (I chose Pinot Gris)
1 tsp fresh Tarragon, chopped fine (just a pinch if using dried) 
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
Black Pepper, freshly ground
8 oz Mascarpone
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
optional fresh Chives
optional shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Clean the Chanterelles, then dry them with a paper towel.
Slice off the very bottoms; I usually leave the smaller ones whole and slice the larger ones in half.

Place a large stock pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil for the pasta, I like Torchiette (little torches) for this, cause the shape kind of reflects that of the mushrooms.

 

Meanwhile, heat Olive Oil in a saute pan over medium heat.

When hot, add the minced shallots and sweat until soft.

Add the Chanterelle mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften. (They don't throw off water the way button mushrooms do)

Deglace the pan with 1/2 cup of White wine.

Stir in the tarragon. (It releases more flavor in acids like the wine)

Continue cooking until the wine has evaporated, then add the Chicken Stock.

Cook until the chicken stock has reduced by half and thickened slightly.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the Mascarpone, to create a nice cream sauce.

Season with Black Pepper.

Drain the pasta and place in a warm bowl.

Pour the mushroom mixture over the pasta and toss to coat evenly.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss again until incorporated.

 

Serve with clipped chives (kitchen sheers are excellent for this) and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

 

Mangia!!
~~