Roasted Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

I’ve let you down my friends. Where was I this week when I could have been blowing up your news feed and inboxes with an influx of Thanksgiving recipes?

The last week has been spent in the kitchen working on some great dishes and some serious quality time with family.

This year, I was not in charge of the Thanksgiving meal so I decided to really embrace my Wednesday and Thursday outside of the kitchen.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t spend Tuesday in the kitchen and that I won’t be cooking for hours after yoga today.

You better believe that there will be more amazingly tasty dishes being born today. Just like this one.

You will need…

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lb asparagus, rough ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 slices prosciutto

½ lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the asparagus, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper.

Lay the asparagus out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them for 20 to 30 minutes. Just until they are browning.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and add in the onions.

Cook until the onions have softened, about 7 minutes.

Add in the asparagus, nutmeg and the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the rice and chicken stock and season well with salt and pepper.

Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the soup until the rice has cooked. About 20 to 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, spread out the prosciutto on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until crispy. About 7 to 10 minutes.

When the rice has booked, remove the soup from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and blend the soup in batches in a food processor or blender or use an emersion blender.

Serve hot with crispy proscuitto on top.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lb asparagus, rough ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 slices proscuitto

½ lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the asparagus, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper.

Lay the asparagus out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them for 20 to 30 minutes. Just until they are browning.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and add in the onions.

Cook until the onions have softened, about 7 minutes.

Add in the asparagus, nutmeg and the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the rice and chicken stock and season well with salt and pepper.

Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the soup until the rice has cooked. About 20 to 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, spread out the prosciutto on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until crispy. About 7 to 10 minutes.

When the rice has booked, remove the soup from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and blend the soup in batches in a food processor or blender or use an emersion blender.

Serve hot with crispy prosciutto on top. 

Herbed Brown Rice with Crispy Shallots

It was only a matter of time. I made it through Independence Day, a rowdy river weekend and a surf trip. Of course I use the term surf trip very loosely. More like a really fun trip where I also surfed for a little while and then relax in a hot tub with a glass of vino.

But that is neither here nor there.

What is here, is a soon to be new scar.

The worst part is, I didn’t even do anything cool to earn it.

I very rarely use the curling iron, so I should have known it would be my demise.

Not realizing that the barrel was still hot, I attempted to put the hair tool away as to please my landlord (Mom and Dad). Unfortunately, I ended up whipping it around and right into the under side of my left arm.

You know that part of your arm where the skin is as smooth as a baby’s butt and as thin as tissue paper?

Yeah, that part.

And now that I’ve gotten you all excited about my super awesome burn, here is a really yummy side dish to take your mind off of it…

You will need…

1 cup brown rice

1 bullion cube

1 white onion, diced

2 tablespoons chopped oregano

4 green onions, chopped

½ cup vegetable oil

3 shallots, thinly sliced into rings

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by adding your onions to a medium pot and heat it over medium heat.

Cook the onions until they start to brown. About 4 minutes.

Add in the bullion cube, oregano and the rice. Cook the rice until it is slightly toasted. About 2 minutes.

Pour in 2 cups of water and bring the water to a boil.

Once the liquid boils, immediately reduce the liquid to a slow simmer and cover.

Cook the rice for about 40 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed.

When there are 10 minutes left until the rice is done, heat the oil in a medium pan over high heat. 

When the oils I very hot, add in the shallots and fry them until they are crispy and brown.

Sprinkle them with salt, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and lay them on a paper towel to cool and drain.

As soon as the rice is cooked, add in the green onions and fluff the rice.

Serve hot and topped with the crispy shallots.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Herbed Brown Rice with Crispy Shallots

1 cup brown rice

1 bullion cube

1 white onion, diced

2 tablespoons chopped oregano

4 green onions, chopped

½ cup vegetable oil

3 shallots, thinly sliced into rings

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by adding your onions to a medium pot and heat it over medium heat.

Cook the onions until they start to brown. About 4 minutes.

Add in the bullion cube, oregano and the rice. Cook the rice until it is slightly toasted. About 2 minutes.

Pour in 2 cups of water and bring the water to a boil.

Once the liquid boils, immediately reduce the liquid to a slow simmer and cover.

Cook the rice for about 40 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed.

When there are 10 minutes left until the rice is done, heat the oil in a medium pan over high heat. When the oils I very hot, add in the shallots and fry them until they are crispy and brown.

Sprinkle them with salt, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and lay them on a paper towel to cool and drain.

As soon as the rice is cooked, add in the green onions and fluff the rice.

Serve hot and topped with the crispy shallots. 

Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

Saturday marks the second birthday of this here blog.

Two years of dinners and friends and mistakes and ridiculous stories. Two years of marriages and babies and breakups and love and family. Two years of words. Thousands and thousands of words.

And in two years, there have been few things that I’ve hesitated to make.

Normally, someone suggests something to me or I see something on television, and I just go for it. Never look back. Worst case scenario, it tastes like poop and I try again next time.

But for some reason, I was scared to make risotto.

It probably has something to do with the fact that pretty much everyone who makes the dish on Top Chef gets eliminated. Quick status.

After almost two years, I decided it was time to go for it.

And man oh man am I glad I did.

While risotto is a labor of love, it is so tasty and so worth it.

I highly suggest giving it a try if you want something absolutely decident and luxurious.

Don’t be like me and wait two years to try.

You will need…

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic

1 ½ pounds assorted fresh mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, cremini) sliced  

1 pack dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 3 cups hot water

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and chopped

1 medium or 2 small onions, diced

2 cups of a short grained, starchy rice (like Carnaroli or Arborio)

2 cups dry white wine

4 to 7 cups chicken stock (could be anywhere from 4 to 7 cups)

½ cup finely grated Parmigiono cheese

½ cup chopped chives (garnish)

Salt

Start by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add in the garlic clove and simmer the oil until the garlic cloves are slightly brown and very aromatic. 

Remove them and discard.

Add the mushrooms to the garlic oil and season them with salt.

Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes and add in the asparagus.

Continue to cook until the mushrooms are soft and the asparagus are bright green and slightly softened. About 5 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, carefully scoop the now reconstituted porcini mushrooms out of the hot water and put them in a food processor.

Add in 2 tablespoons of the mushroom water and blend until the mushrooms are a paste. Set aside.

Reserve the remaining top 2 cups of the mushroom water (the bottom cup can have dirt that has settled).

Now, coat a large saucepot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add in the onions and season generously with salt.

Cook the onions over medium high heat, stirring frequently until they are soft but not browned.

Then, add in the rice and stir to coat the rice with the olive oil.

Cook the rice for a couple minutes just to toast it.

Add in the wine to cover the surface of the rice and stir often until it has completely absorbed.

Then, add in the remaining mushroom water and then as much chicken stock as you need to barely cover the rice (I only needed a couple tablespoons).

Stir frequently until the stock has absorbed into the rice.

Repeat this process 2 more times with the chicken stock.

On the last go round of chicken stock, add in the porcini paste and combine well.

Then add the reserved sautéed mushrooms and asparagus.

When the last bit of stock has been absorbed into the rice and the rice is cooked but not mushy, add in the cheese and combine well.

Serve and garnish with chives.

And never be scared to try the hard stuff. Be it writing down your thoughts or trying something you think you can’t do. Go for it.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic

1 ½ pounds assorted fresh mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, cremini) sliced  

1 pack dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 3 cups hot water

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and chopped

1 medium or 2 small onions, diced

2 cups of a short grained, starchy rice (like Carnaroli or Arborio)

2 cups dry white wine

4 to 7 cups chicken stock (could be anywhere from 4 to 7 cups)

½ cup finely grated Parmigiono cheese

½ cup chopped chives (garnish)

Salt

Start by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add in the garlic clove and simmer the oil until the garlic cloves are slightly brown and very aromatic. Remove them and discard.

Add the mushrooms to the garlic oil and season them with salt.

Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes and add in the asparagus.

Continue to cook until the mushrooms are soft and the asparagus are bright green and slightly softened. About 5 minutes. 

With a slotted spoon, carefully scoop the now reconstituted porcini mushrooms out of the hot water and put them in a food processor.

Add in 2 tablespoons of the mushroom water and blend until the mushrooms are a paste. Set aside.

Reserve the remaining top 2 cups of the mushroom water (the bottom cup can have dirt that has settled).

Now, coat a large saucepot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add in the onions and season generously with salt.

Cook the onions over medium high heat, stirring frequently until they are soft but not browned.

Then, add in the rice and stir to coat the rice with the olive oil. 

Cook the rice for a couple minutes just to toast it.

Add in the wine to cover the surface of the rice and stir often until it has completely absorbed.

Then, add in the remaining mushroom water and then as much chicken stock as you need to barely cover the rice (I only needed a couple tablespoons).

Stir frequently until the stock has absorbed into the rice. 

Repeat this process 2 more times with the chicken stock. 

On the last go round of chicken stock, add in the porcini paste and combine well.

Then add the reserved sautéed mushrooms and asparagus. 

When the last bit of stock has been absorbed into the rice and the rice is cooked but not mushy, add in the cheese and combine well.

 Serve and garnish with chives.