Today is the Tuesday
after the Monday post not winning the HGTV Dream Home. Contrary to my
intuition and despite my daily entry attempts, the house, car and cool half a
million dollars went to Myra Lewis from New Orleans. Don’t get me wrong, I have
not been dreaming of moving to New Mexico. In fact, I’ve never really given New
Mexico much of a thought one way or another. But the house was pretty cool.
Could have been converted into a nifty little artists’ community, complete with
multiple outdoor fireplaces, a private casita and a three-car garage. And
certainly the half a mil was an attractive draw.
Despite my efforts,
though, the prize went to Ms. Lewis. It just wasn’t meant to be. I mean, really
… who knows what kinds of creatures live out there on those 3+ acres in the
middle-of-nowhere New Mexico! I’m a city girl. My dog is a city girl. 
I doubt
that Eve would have made fast friends with the coyotes, snakes and whatever
else is lurking around those tumbleweeds! The possibility of change may indeed
be in the air, but that change just won’t take me to New Mexico. I’m okay with
that.
Last night’s consolation
prize was a spectacularly well-rounded dinner concoction. I had a package of
organic mushrooms and some collard greens in the fridge that had come in the produce box delivery a few weeks ago, so I decided to make an attempt with a
risotto. 
This dish has a bit of a
notorious reputation: it takes a long time to prepare, you need to serve it
right away or the consistency falls flat, it’s rich, etc. Keeping all those
things in mind, a Monday menu with mushroom risotto as the centerpiece was
constructed: mushroom risotto, roast chicken and sautéed collard greens.
Ambitious as it may have seemed initially, it actually wasn’t really all that
complicated. Time consuming, yes. Lots of stirring, yes. But complicated? Nah.
And it sure was tasty!
The roast chicken was
the easiest part of the whole meal—simply remove it from its packaging, place
it on an oven-safe dish and bake for about 20 minutes. Collard greens aren’t
too challenging either. Just clean them real well, chop them up as desired,
heat some garlic and olive oil in a skillet, add greens, white wine vinegar and season with red
pepper flakes. Sauté until they lose a bit of their bitter edge and serve.
Don’t be afraid of risotto.
Get your wrist ready for some stirring action, and go for it. You won’t be
sorry and you’ll reap the risotto rewards! Let me know how it goes.
Mushroom Risotto*
6 c chicken broth (I
used organic vegetable broth)
3 T olive oil
2 lbs mushrooms (I had
slightly less than that)
2 shallots, diced (I
used red onion and a few cloves of garlic)
1 ½ c Arborio rice (I
used all 2 c in the package)
½ c dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black
pepper to taste
4 T butter (I took the
recommendation of a reviewer and used just 1 T)
½ c freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
In a saucepan, warm the
broth over low heat.
Warm 2 T olive oil in a
large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until
soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid and set aside.
Add 1 T olive oil to
skillet and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat
with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color,
pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add ½ c
broth to the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth ½
c at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice
is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes. (Actually, this part took closer to 30
minutes.)
Remove from heat and
stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter and Parmesan. Season with salt and
pepper to taste. Enjoy!
*Recipe discovered on
allrecipes.com.
