Mushroom risotto

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I made this over the holidays with my dad. We used the turkey stock he made after Christmas instead of chicken broth. It turned out really well. I think the secret is to include the mushroom broth that comes from soaking dried mushrooms. You could also add garlic. Another secret: do not rinse the rice. Usually I wash rice four or five times or until its water runs clear, but with risotto, you don't want to wash off the starches because they are what gives this dish a creamy consistency.

Mushroom risotto
Serves six

pat of butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
handful of dried wild mushrooms
4 cups turkey stock
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 2/3 cups arborio rice
2 1/2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
pinch of pumpkin spice
finely chopped parsley
grated parmesan

Bring the turkey broth to a boil in a stock pot and turn down to maintain at a low simmer.

Soak the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of boiling water from the kettle for about 10 minutes or until soft. Drain but keep the resulting mushroom broth and set aside. Slice the soaked mushrooms. Bring the mushroom broth to a simmer in a small saucepan.

Add the butter and olive oil to the bottom of a large, high-sided frying pan. Cook the onion until glassy (a couple of minutes). Add the rice and turn down the heat. Mix in the rice until it looks like every grain is coated with oil.

Add the fresh mushrooms and pumpkin spice (we used this because we didn't have nutmeg). Season with salt and pepper and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the sliced soaked mushrooms and their broth. Cook, stirring, until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Add a ladleful of turkey stock and stir the rice continuously until all of the stock has been absorbed. Repeat with another ladleful. Continue until all of the stock has been added and the rice is al dente. This will take about 20 to 25 minutes. The actual amount of stock you need may vary.

Remove the risotto from the heat and garnish with parmesan and parsley. Serve.

Rainbow trout with rice, red pepper and zucchini

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Last night I cooked the rainbow trout we bought from the Pelican Fishery & Grill. It was very quick and tasty meal. I made plain white rice in the rice cooker. By the way, I think everyone should own one of these — all you have to do is press a button! Then I seasoned the trout fillets and fried them in a saucepan, about four minutes on the skin side and three on the flesh side. I also made a vegetable side with cubed red pepper, cubed zucchini, diced onions and a sprinkling of dried herbs and ground chili pepper, just to give it a little zing.

Parmesan fish and mashed potatoes

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Health Canada recommends eating fish at least twice a week, so I'm giving it a try. I already happily devour canned herring and sardines, two varieties Health Canada recommends, on a weekly basis. I love them on crackers and toast. Recently I have also added this breaded fish recipe to my weekly roster. It's my favourite way to cook white fish, such as sole, cod or haddock.

Parmesan fish and mashed potatoes
serves 2

For the fish
2 fillets of white fish (sole, cod, haddock, etc.)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
lemon

Mashed potatoes
russet potatoes
butter (optional)
milk

Prepare the potatoes first. Peel, cut into quarters and place in boiling water. Cook until fork tender. Remove from heat, drain and mash with some butter and/or milk. Place the pot of potatoes in a high-sided baking tray. Add some hot water to the tray (but not the potatoes ;) and put the whole shebang in a slow oven to keep warm until the fish and salad are prepared.

Prepare the fish. Place three large bowls in a row on your counter. Add flour to the first, egg to the second, and breadcrumbs, parsley and Parmesan cheese to the third.

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan.

Dip your fillets of fish in the flour, egg and breadcrumb mixture in that order, then lay them in the frying pan. Fry briefly in a single layer, about four minutes on the first side and two on the second.

Serve the fish with mashed potatoes and a garden salad.

Thai Salmon

Today I found a definite keeper in one of S's cookbooks. It's another way to do salmon besides my usual mahogany marinated recipe. This one's a Thai-inspired recipe that I adapted from Jill Dupleix's Good Cooking: The New Essentials, and it's really delicious. The chicken stock I used was a commercial one with a high sodium content, so I didn't use any extra salt anywhere, but you still can and I've indicated where in the recipe.

Thai Salmon
Serves 2

2 salmon fillets (I used one large fillet and sliced it in half after pan frying)
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 lemongrass stalk
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 small red chilli, finely sliced with the seeds removed
4 mushrooms, sliced (I used shiitake)
about 40 g of baby arugula leaves (you could also use baby spinach)
500 ml chicken stock
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp grapeseed oil (or any vegetable or olive oil)
1 Tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper
fresh cilantro for garnish
rice

Put the rice on. Marinate the salmon in the fish sauce in a bowl in the fridge while you cook the rest of the recipe.

Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan. Add the chilli, mushrooms, shallots, lemongrass and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat (level 5 on an electric element). Add the salmon fillets skin side down, and cook for 3 or 4 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden. Turn over the fillet and cook the other side for a minute or two until also golden brown. Ideally, the salmon is still pink inside. Let rest on a plate or cutting board. Season with salt and pepper if the stock you used isn't high sodium.

Divide the arugula leaves among two shallow bowls. Place the salmon on top. Spoon the hot broth mixture around the salmon. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over each bowl and top with fresh cilantro. Serve with a bowl of rice on the side.