Asparagus Risotto

1 small bunch of asparagus
1 quart homemade vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
½ stalk of celery, minced
1 shallot, minced, or equivalent amount of red onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup of Arborio or canaroli rice
¼ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
Zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped

Trim the woody ends from the asparagus and reserve. Slice the rest of the asparagus on the bias into pieces about an inch long. Blanch the asparagus in the broth until just barely cooked through (time will vary with the thickness of the asparagus). Remove it to an ice bath with a slotted spoon, drain when cooking has stopped and allow to come to room temperature in a colander.

Put the woody stem ends and the bay leaf in the broth and simmer. (Recipe can be prepared ahead to this point.)

Cook the shallot, celery and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the butter until soft, about four to five minutes. Add the rice and cook stirring constantly until the rice is well coated and starting to become translucent – two to three minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is all incorporated. Stir in the stock in ladlefuls until the rice is cooked al dente, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the lemon zest, parsley, cream, and reserved asparagus, and cook until just heated through. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese.

Home Made Ricotta

Today's Seattle Times magazine has a wonderful article on making ricotta at home. It includes a recipe. This is one I will definitely try.

The Splendid Table also has a recipe for ricotta.

Bittman's Zuppa Arcidossana

In today's Minimalist column, Mark Bittman has a terrific sounding recipe for Zuppa Arcidossana.

I see a couple of ways to make this into a vegetarian recipe. You could replace the four ounces of sausage with vegetarian sausage. Or you could just omit sausage altogether and season the soup with sausage seasoning -- fennel seed, marjoram, thyme, nutmeg, red pepper flakes. You could substitute four ounces of garbanzo or white beans for the sausage and also add sausage seasoning. Or, as Bittman suggests in the video, you could simply leave out the sausage.

Pasta with Garlic, Parsley, Pepper, Lemon, and Pine Nuts

This is a recipe I developed when I found myself longing for the light, simple, flavorful pastas we've had in Italy. The ingredients below are for two servings, adjust accordingly for more, but this is a dish that must go from skillet to table quickly. I wouldn't make more than four servings. It's just too unwieldy in larger quantities to get it to the table while it's still hot.

Do not substitute curly parsley for the Italian. You can use arugula or spinach in place of the parsley (or use a combination) for a different but still interesting dish. If you don't have pine nuts on hand, walnuts (also toasted in the oven) will work.

2 large cloves of garlic, or more to taste, chopped fine

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 small bunch of Italian flatleaf parlsey, stems removed, leaves chopped

Red pepper flakes to taste

Zest of one or two lemons

1/4 cup of pine nuts, roasted in the oven until light golden

Pasta such as linguine, spaghetti or fettucine

Parmesan cheese, grated

Put the oil and garlic in a large nonstick skillet. Turn on the heat to medium and saute until the garlic is just beginning to brown. Turn off the heat and add two thirds of parsley to the pan and toss until it is wilted. (This also stops the garlic cooking.) Add the red pepper flakes. Combine the remaining parsley, lemon zest and pine nuts.

Cook the pasta in boiling water until it is al dente. Drain well and put into the skillet with the parsley, garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute briefly over high heat until all the ingredients are very hot. If the pasta seems a bit dry, add more oil, or butter, or a combination.

Divide the pasta between two plates, top with grated cheese, then with the parlsey, lemon, pine nut mixture. Serve with additional grated Parmesan. Despite all the garlic, this dish is better with white, rather than red, wine.