What’s better than risotto?  “Nothing!” we hear you scream. Not so fast.  We think we’ve managed to find a way to make it even tastier, even more decadent (although perhaps not as decadent as our white alba truffle risotto recipe), and give it a crispy crust: stuff it in a squash blossom and fry it! …

Here’s the nuts and bolts of making risotto. This is not a risotto recipe per se, but rather a general tutorial that will allow you to improvise and tailor to your own tastes. Part one below, lays out the five general steps. Then, below is a list of embellishments that you might want to consider. …

What is the Pilaf Method? When professional chefs cook rice, they often do it using specific methods that may help the home chef achieve better tasting and better looking results. Perhaps the most well known; the risotto method, results in a soft, delightfully oozing and rich rice dish called a risotto.  The texture of the …

While the phrase “rice cakes” may conjure up images of plastic wrapped puffed-rice pucks, restaurant-made rice cakes have more in common with crab cakes in terms of their moist consistency.  Using this technique gives your rice an interesting shape on the plate, a nice browned color, and a delightfully crunchy crust.  These beautiful green rice …

Brian from A Thought For Food won our 2010 Morel Recipe Challenge and is back with a victory lap and guest post.    ———– Ever since I learned that I’d be receiving 2lbs of fresh morel mushrooms, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’d do with all of them.  I’ve thought of just about everything, …

As decadent as food gets, this risotto showcases the complex flavors of parmigiano reggiano cheese and incredible earthy white alba truffles (some of the finest truffles in the world). Whipped heavy cream adds richness while making the finished risotto luxuriously thick.  Let’s just say that when this came off the stove we took a break …

  Thai red curry has a flavor that’s a complex blend of spicy, sweet, citrus, creaminess from the coconut milk and a slight musky taste from the fish sauce and coconut palm sugar.  Once you’ve made the thai red curry paste, the final dish is a snap! Ingredients: 1 lb of chicken breasts or chicken …

Nettle Risotto with Sheep’s Cheese and Preserved Lemon Melted sheep’s milk feta and whipped cream make this risotto exceptionally creamy and luxurious, with the brightness of the preserved lemon and fresh green flavor of the nettles providing balance.  If you don’t have nettles handy, you could substitute other cooking greens like kale or spinach (although the …

This is a simple, but very satisfying mushroom stir fry.  You can easily substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock to make it completely vegetarian/vegan if desired. Ingredients: (Makes 4 Servings) 1 cup Dried Shitake Mushrooms, reconstituted 1 cup Bamboo Shoots ¼ lb Snow Peas 2 tbsp Oil ¼ cup Chicken Stock ½ tsp Salt …

Fresh and crisp, this simple saute has rich full flavor (thanks to wild morels and quality balsamic vinegar) balanced with lighter bell peppers and zucchini.  You can serve it as a side dish by itself, or use it as a topping for rice or pasta.  And, if fresh morells are in season, they are a great …