risotto (without arborio)

I started making risotto and after sautéing onions and having already chopped the asparagus, I realized that I was put of arborio rice. Japansese short-grain rice made for a great substitute, and Grüner Veltliner made for a great base to start the risotto (the broth was chicken-based otherwise).

fried risotto

Risotto from the other night, tossed in flour (mixed with mace, cayenne, crushed fennel seeds), then in egg, and then in some coarse breadcrumbs (from toasted sourdough). Fry in olive oil mixed with grapeseed oil (maybe just under 1/4" of oil). Garnish with fennel fronds. So good.

orange-fennel risotto

This was a mostly-by-chance and with-food-laying-around success: risotto with sautéed fennel added halfway through cooking, some lemon zest and juice (cooked with the fennel), a pinch of mace, and orange zest. Finish with parmesan (in the risotto and on the risotto, of course). Used chicken stock.

ramps. asparagus. grill.

A red hot grill + Ramps and asparagus =

Really quite simple, and delicious. Marinate ramps and asparagus in olive oil, preserved lemon, Korean chili flakes and lots of white wine vinegar. Heat the grill up very hot. Make a basic risotto (having stock on-hand helps — this was a very rich duck stock with salt and pepper added at the end). But both vegetables on the grill: this was the ramps are mostly cooked the the asparagus very lightly. Chop them up upon retrieval from the grill and serve on risotto.