Ina's Spring Green Risotto and CEiMB (finally!)

This photo proves you can almost completely disregard the ingredients for a recipe and end up with something that is delicious and easy.

I planned to make last week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe with only two changes: No fennel (hate it) or wine (no alcohol here). But after my memory failed me at the grocery store, I had to leave out the peas and chives. And then my pantry failed me: the arborio rice I knew was in there had mysteriously disappeared. But I had white rice and Ina's chicken stock in the freezer, so I made a go of it.

I sauteed the leeks for a few minutes and then tossed in several minced cloves of garlic, then the rice and 3/4 cup of hot chicken broth. I treated the rice a lot like arborio, and I cooked the asparagus with the rice to save work.

The end result was not a typical risotto, but it was still delicious. Rich and filling, it was a welcome lunch on a busy day.

We were hosted this week by Kimberly of Indulge and Enjoy. Risotto is one of Kimberly's favorite foods and like us, she really enjoyed it. You can find the original recipe here, or here is my streamlined take on it:

Printable recipe

Spring Green Risotto - liberally adapted from Ina Garten

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, well cleaned, white and light green parts chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
6-7 cups of chicken broth, hot
1 3/4 cups white rice
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut in 1" pieces
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Combine the butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat. When melted, add the leeks and garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and mix to get the grains coated with the butter and oil. Add 3/4 cup of chicken broth, stir, and allow the rice to absorb the broth, stirring occasionally.

When the broth is almost absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of broth, let the rice absorb it, then another 1/2 cup, and then enough broth to cover the rice. Cover the pot, lower the heat to medium-low and cook the rice until the broth is almost absorbed. Test the rice; if it's still crunchy add another cup of broth. Once the broth is absorbed and the rice is almost cooked, add the raw asparagus and another 1/2 cup of broth and cook it until the asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove from the heat and add the mascarpone and parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning and add salt and peeper if desired. Serve hot. Serves 6.

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Craving Ellie in My Belly - Chocolate Egg Cream

I have been absent from Craving Ellie in My Belly for months. If you had asked me which recipe would get me back into the rotation, I would have never thought it would be this one. See, I always thought egg creams had eggs, cream and seltzer water, and fizzy, watery eggs don't sound appealing to me.

Chaya at Chaya's Comfy Cook chose this one for us. I don't visit Chaya as often as I'd like because she has music on one of her blogs (and I can never remember which one), which on more than one occasion has blared out of my speakers at work and made everyone realize I was goofing off.

Once I saw there were no eggs in this one, I was relieved. Once I saw how easy it was, I was overjoyed. So I gave it a try.

After mixing sugar, cocoa and boiling water, you add the mixture to milk and seltzer water, then stir. Mine isn't as two-toned as it's supposed to be, but it was chocolaty. It wasn't something that I will crave, but I'm glad Chaya picked it for us so now I can say I've tried it.

If you'd like to try it, you'll find the recipe here. And I'm going to try to keep up with the CEiMB weekly picks.