Nashville Tennessee Living

Spring Vegetable Risotto

This Spring I joined the Doe Run Farm CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. We are just now on the 4th week and I've been looking for creative ways to use my Vegetables! I whipped this Risotto up for dinner last night and served it with Chicken off the grill.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Arborio Rice

3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup white wine (may be omitted)

1/2 cup chopped onions (I used the green onions that came in my CSA)

1 cup, more or less, of any combination of fresh vegetables(I used asparagus and fresh shelled peas!)

2 T Olive Oil

2 T Cream Cheese or Mascarpone

1/4 cup + 2T grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the stock in a pot on the stove.

While the stock heats up, saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat. When the onions are translucent, but not brown, add the rice and stir constantly.

When the rice appears to have absorbed the oil, 2-3 minutes, add the wine. Continue to stir until the wine has been absorbed. Now for the next 20 + minutes continue to stir the rice as you add one ladle at a time of stock. Always wait until the liquid has been mostly absorbed before adding more.

After about 20 minutes the rice should have a thick consistency. Almost creamy. Add the fresh vegetables and continue to stir the rice and add broth until the vegetables are just cooked. Remove from the heat and stir in the Cream Cheese.

Finally stir in the 1/4 cup of parmesan and move to a serving bowl. The Final Parmesan can be added to the serving bowl or each person can add their own.

Buon Appetito!

My Favorite Summer treat - Bruschetta

Before I tell you how to make it, I want to make sure you know how to pronounce it. Most people pronounce it "Bru sheta". But since it's an Italian word you need to understand that their E's sound like our long A's. So if you break it down it sounds like: BREW  Skate Ah

Now for this glorius treat. You absolutely must use ONLY the FRESHEST ingredients or you're wasting your time.

1 medium very ripe Tomatoe, chopped

3-4 Basil leaves, cut into thin strips          

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic

Crusty Bread - this can be a baguette or country loaf but you want it to have some substance to it.

Combine, in a bowl the chopped tomatoe, basil and olive oil. Add the oil to just coat the tomatoes. Salt and pepper if desired. I like to do this up to an hour before serving so the flavors blend.

Slice the bread and toast it in a toaster or a over a hot grill.

Meanwhile, peal the garlic and slice a small amount off the rounded edge. From the other side pierce it with a fork that you will now use to scratch the garlic onto the toasted bread.

Spoon the tomatoe mixture over the toasted garlic bread and ENJOY!

WARNING! The oil will often drip through the bread so you might want a napkin in your had to catch the drippings! :)

This is very addictive and healthy.

Connie Harvey is a full time Realtor with Prudential Woodmont Realty Group. She helps Buyers find Homes in Nashville TN, Franklin TN, Brentwood TN and surrounding areas. She markets Sellers Homes and helps them with all of their Real Estate needs in Nashville TN, Brentwood TN, and Franklin TN.

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