Thursday, June 25th - Mushroom and Garlic Scape Risotto

(CATCHING UP!) We bought garlic scapes last weekend at the UBC farm. It's a fairly small farmer's market out on the UBC campus behind the botanical garden. It's actually not really easy to find. Watch for the small obscure signs. It's also not that large a market. It sells the provisions grown on the UBC farm. So all the veg are quite fresh and grown organically. We bought a zuccini the size of my thigh. Seriously, it took forever to get through it. I was putting it randomly into dishes... well except for the risotto tonight. D wouldn't let me. Instead I managed to get him to add two of the garlic scapes we bought. We had them on Sunday in omlettes. The scapes are the flower stem that grows from the garlic bulb as it develops. More often than not, it is cut off early and composted to make the bulbs stronger. They start out curling like a Q but eventually straighten out into a flower. They have a texture, once cooked of an asparagus spear with a mild garlic taste. It's fantastic! It was the first time I'd ever had it. We bought a pound.

Mixed Mushroom Risotto w Edamame Beans and Garlic Scapes

1 c risotto rice (2 people with a lunch portion)
2 portobello mushrooms, stem removed and gills cleaned out, sliced
4 oyster mushrooms, fresh brushed and sliced
2/3 c shelled edamame beans thawed
butter (we're using the left over herb butter from yesterday)
olive oil
1 shallot
thyme, fresh a few sprigs
rosemary, 1 sprig
1 c dry white wine
1 1/2 l of veggie stock or chicken broth
Salt and Pepper

In a small sauce pan, pour all the broth and bring to a boil then turn down to a bare simmer (what does that mean? small ginger ale sized bubbles that gather on the bottom of the pan and occasionally break to the surface)

In butter and olive oil in a large pan, fry all the mushrooms until browned and considerably shrunk. Set aside. We normally set aside on one of the dinner plates, normally mine because I like to retain all the flavoury goodness :-) Sautee the garlic scapes until softened and set aside. You can add more but D didn't want to add them at all so I threw two in for me :-P

Add olive oil to the same pan (don't clean) and on medium-low heat, fry the minced shallot until softened but not browned. Add the rice. Add more olive oil if needed. You need all the rice coated with oil so that it glistens. Cook until slightly nutty... or 5 minutes, stirring. Season with salt and pepper, perhaps a 1 t each to begin with. Add the wine by pouring in circles over the pan. Some people who don't like to measure will say that a coup is a steady stream twice around the pan. Stir.Always stir. With a wide wooden spoon. Risotto is all about stirring. Being involved with your food. Stirring will encourage the starches on the arborio rice to come off and make that creaminess known in risotto. Heat should be medium low (1-10, about a 5 or 6)When most of the liquid is absorbed so that when you stroke the middle of the pan with a wooden spoon, it doesn't immediately gather back up, add a ladel of broth (about 1/2 cup). Stir and repeat. The whole process should take about 35-40 minutes.

When you get close to the time mark, taste the risotto to test the texture. I like it softer than D. D likes it a bit 'crunchy'. If you don't think you have enough liquid left, just add more water to the pot or dissolve another veggie stock cube or add a dash of wine. No panic. Season as needed. At about 20 minutes add the veg, in this case, mushrooms back.When you are 1 ladel away, turn the heat off, add the last ladel and some dobs of butter over the surface and cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Uncover and freshly grate 1/2 c -3/4 c parmesan and stirl. Serve with a pat of herb butter and more freshly grated parmesan on the plate as well.

Caliterra Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Reserva