Risotto Tips and Strategies

• Risotto is a dish that requires patience. You need to have a half hour to devote to the cooking. Tender love and care is the name of the game. You must constantly stir risotto. I prefer using a heavy duty heat resistant spatula rather than a wooden spoon. I find the spatula allows me to scrap the sides of the pot better.
• Always use stock when making risotto. Many recipes call for water. If you use water, your finished product will be bland! The qualities of store bought stocks have come a long way, but nothing compares to a good homemade stock. Store bought stocks are too high in salt and lack a depth of flavor. I strongly urge you to make your own stock. I will be posting in the future on how to make a great dark chicken stock.
• Make sure the stock is at a slow boil before adding it to the rice. You need to add hot liquid to encourage the starch to come out of the rice.
• A heavy bottom pot is key in the cooking of risotto. You don't want the rice to scorch on the bottom. A stainless steel or copper pot with an aluminum core that distributes heat evenly is preferable.
• Make sure you mince the onion and garlic if using finely and evenly. You want to sweat the onion and garlic slowly so that it is soft. If you don't sweat the onion and garlic long enough, it will be crunchy in the final product. I try to mince the onion and garlic no larger than the dry rice itself.
• Make sure you get a good toast on the rice before hitting it with the wine. This is key in starting the starch releasing process. Turn the heat down if you need to. You don't want to burn the rice! The trick is to find the right balance between heat and stirring. You want the rice to just barely catch on the bottom of the pan but not stick. I toast the rice until there is just a tiny white dot in the middle of each grain. As the rice cooks, you will notice the color change.
• After toasting the rice, I add a generous amount of dry white wine. Make sure you use a wine that you would enjoy drinking as well. Since you are essentially cooking out the alcohol and magnifying the flavor of the wine you want a wine you enjoy.
• Risotto is dish that needs to be served and eaten right away, as it cools it thickens up. One

Monday, June 15th Recipe

Now that the temperatures have reached the mid to upper 90's here in Texas, the race is on to find refreshing dining options. Nobody wants to sit down to a steaming hot bowl of soup. A chilled soup though is an invigorating alternative! Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalucía. Traditionally, gazpacho has bread as one of its ingredients. My recipe wanders off the path a little bit from the traditional recipes and omits the bread.

GAZPACHO

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

10 Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored seeded and chopped

1 English cucumber, peeled seeded and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

½ cup fresh parsley leaves, rough chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups tomato juice

½ cup water

¼ cup sherry wine vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Salt, as needed

Black pepper, as needed

Garnish

¼ cup red bell pepper, cored seeded and small diced

¼ cup yellow bell pepper, cored seeded and small diced

¼ cup red onion, small diced

¼ cup cucumber, peeled and seeded, small diced

½ cup, red and yellow tear drop tomatoes, halved

2 avocados, small diced

1 cup, fresh cilantro leaves, minced

¼ cup fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper, as needed

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the soup. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. In another bowl, combine all the ingredients for the garnish. Season to taste and cover and refrigerate until needed. Remove the bowl with the soup ingredients and place in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper and pulse until you have a good mixture, you want to leave some texture. Ladle into chilled soup bowls, and spoon a generous amount of garnish into the middle of each bowl.

For a twist, you can serve this in shot glasses as gazpacho shooters! Makes a nice hors d'oeuvre or appetizer.