Risotto: Your New Staff of Life

That there's what's called a risotto cake. Heaven's little starch patty. OK, let's back this risotto cake up to where it first started...

People ask quite often if I can eat rice now that I'm Gluten Free. This may seem like an odd question to an old, seasoned GF pro, but the term "rice gluten" is thrown around quite a bit these days, so the confusion is understandable. Turns out, rice has its own gluten that has has nothing to do with the gluten found in wheat, barley, spelt, or rye, so feel free to over-indulge in homemade rice dishes, my little chickadees.

Here's a fantastic link that explains more about rice than I care to explain:

Is Rice Really Gluten Free?

Risotto has become a staple in our house. This is dish is so easy to make, yields several servings, and is adapatable to whatever is in season. If you order it in a restaurant, please clear it with your server that they're not thickening it with any flour. They shouldn't be, as a true risotto gets its creamy starchiness from the short grain Italian Arborio rice...but better safe than sorry, hokay?

I'm gonna lay down a very basic risotto recipe for you beginning risotto makers out there. Then when you get your sea legs, you can start experimenting with different add ons--seasonal veggies, herbs from the garden, mushrooms, even chicken, scallops, shrimp, or whatever protein strikes your fancy.

And then when you have leftovers, you can make risotto cakes! Make a patty out of leftover risotto, dip into your GF flour, and fry it up in the pan.

Basic Risotto

1.5 cups of Arborio rice (get it from Trader Joe's if possible--it's least expensive there)
1 box of chicken stock (or 4-6 cups of your own homemade chicken stock)
1 onion, finely chopped (I use brown, yellow, or vidalia)
1/2 cup white wine or juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup of a veggie, either frozen peas, roasted asparagus, or spinach
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (optional)

Put your chicken stock in a sauce pan on a back burner on medium heat to get the stock warmed up and ready to use in making of the risotto.

Using a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil on medium high heat until shimmering. Saute the chopped onion until very soft and almost translucent, being careful not to burn the onion, about 8 minutes. If the onions are a little dry, add in 1 pat of butter or a little more olive oil.

Pour the Arborio rice into your pan and coat with the oil/onion mixture. Let the rice heat up until the outside edges of the rice grain become translucent, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.

Pour the wine into the pan. It will sizzle, and this noise is fun. Let the wine cook into the rice, and let the alcohol burn off, stirring constantly so the rice does not stick to the pan, about 5 minutes.

Ladle one scoop of chicken stock from your heated saucepan into to the rice, stirring constantly until the chicken stock is absorbed. Repeat this two-step process of slowly ladling and stirring for about 20-25 minutes, until the rice is tender. Constant stirring is essential. Do not leave unattended, or you will have burned rice.

Stir in any veggies you'd like to add. If they're frozen, stir them in for a few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan and the mascarpone cheese until well blended and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I will give y'all some more specific recipes for risotto, but for now, have at it!

Potato Sage Casserole

When in doubt, make potatoes. In fact, if you master a few potato recipes, you'll never go starchless again.

This potato dish combines sweet potatoes and yukon gold white potatoes. Both potatoes, side-by-side in a color-blind world. Add to it butter, sage, and GF bread crumbs, and you've got a hit. Make the bread crumbs with any leftover GF bread you have laying around.

If you have a potato ricer, you will make a smooth casserole--almost souffle like in texture. But if you don't, your casserole will be lumpily delicious. Either way, you win.

Adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe and made Gluten Free by me.

Potato Sage Casserole

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 stick butter, plus 2 tablespoons, melted
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed (you can use half and half if you like)
Salt and pepper
1 cup GF breadcrumbs

1. Place all potato chunks in a large saucepan; cover with water, and season with salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 9 minutes. Drain; pass through potato ricer into a bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 1 stick butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons chopped sage to butter for 10 seconds while the sage fries up in the butter. Remove from heat. Stir butter mixture and milk into potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish.
3. Combine GF breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons melted butter and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sage. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Top potato mixture with breadcrumbs.
4. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling around edges and breadcrumbs are golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. (If browning too quickly, top with foil.) Let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Gluten Free Lasagna: The Evidence

This lasagna is love on a plate.

Not only did Regina Taufen make a lasagna so none of us would starve over New Year's, but she made it Gluten Free when she didn't have to so that I could eat it. She's one of those gals who knows how to get it done.

My first lasagna in over 8 years...yes, both helpings on that plate were MINE, suckers.

I'm inspired to make my own lasagna and will post the results soon. The one above uses Tinkyada noodles from Whole Foods. I feel a Superbowl meal a-brewin.

Pinkberry Catches On to Gluten Free Love

Via Julie Wolfson...I'm on the "Use Shame to Lose 10 Pounds" post-holiday diet, but I'm looking forward to blowing it at Pinkberry very soon.