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 …

Make your risotto more robust and complex with wild porcini mushrooms! Ingredients:  (makes 8 servings) 2 oz Dried Porcini Mushrooms, reconstituted & thinly sliced 4 tbsp Olive Oil 1 small Onion, minced 2 cups Carnaroli Rice (could substitute Vialone Nano Rice or Arborio Rice) ½ cup White Wine Strained Mushroom Rehydrating Liquid + enough Chicken or …

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! …

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 …

Sweet, savory & earthy, but still light and filled with bright colors, this salad would be delicious with teriyaki chicken or fish. Ingredients:  (Makes 8 side servings) 1 oz Dried Shitake Mushrooms 3 cups cooked Basmati Rice ½ cup finely chopped Scallions 1 cup Green Peas (frozen or fresh) ¾ cup diced Roasted Red Bell Pepper ¾ …

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, …

Joanne of Eats Well With Others shares a baked risotto recipe that’ll warm you up on your next cool summer evening (if you live in Seattle like us, that would’ve been perfect this past week). ———- So I’ve taken to telling people that orange is the new tan. It was a last resort this winter when the …

Amie Valpone, HHP, AADP Culinary Nutritionist and author of The Healthy Apple, is back with fabulous and healthy cod, roasted squash, and rice pudding recipes using black garlic.  ————————- Black Garlic Braised Cod with Quinoa Ingredients • 1 large onion, halved and sliced • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced • 6 cloves black garlic, sliced • 2 …