Black Truffle and Mushroom Risotto

For some reason risotto has a bad rap.  It's often branded as 'too difficult" to make, or 'too fattening' to eat.  Case in point: earlier this week my girlfriend, Jenn, was over at my house while I was cooking & photographing the risotto for this blog post.  I asked her if she ever made risotto at home, and her answer was, "No way. It takes too long to cook, and is too fattening with all that cheese and cream".  Chicas, I'm here to tell you that a).  there is absolutely no cream, and very little cheese in my recipe {the natural starches that are released by slowly cooking the arborio rice result in the creamy consistency of risotto, cream isn't needed} and b). it is WAY easier than you think to cook risotto at home.  

This recipe is my own, and has developed into a go-to recipe in my kitchen simply because the key players needed to throw together a basic risotto are staple ingredients that I always have in my pantry.  If I'm ever questioning what I'll cook for dinner, risotto usually takes the win in that it is so, so satisfying, and never fails to impress.  The addition of soft, earthy mushrooms and a small amount of black truffle oil elevates this basic risotto recipe into a rich & decadent dish that can be enjoyed year round.

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

32 oz low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. shallot, minced
1 c. arborio rice
1/4 c. white wine {I used Pinot Grigio because who actually cooks with wine and doesn't drink it too?}
1/2 c. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed & thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp. truffle oil** {I used black truffle oil}
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Truffle salt** {optional}

** I purchase my black truffle oil from Whole Foods but you can always find truffle oil in specialty grocery stores, or at places like Williams-Sonoma.  The truffle salt I use in this recipe is optional, but adds great flavor.  I purchase it from Williams-Sonoma.**



Directions

Heat the chicken broth in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Once heated, reduce heat to the lowest setting {you want the broth to remain heated, but not to the point of simmering}.

In a large saute pan, heat butter & olive oil over medium heat.  Add shallot, and saute until slightly translucent & aromatic, around 2-3 minutes.

Add in dry rice, and stir constantly, ensuring that each grain is coated in the butter/olive oil.  The rice will begin to "toast" up, and once you begin to smell the rice after a couple of minutes, it's time to move onto the next step.

Next, pour in the wine and allow it to simmer & burn off the alcohol.  When the pan is nearly dry, add in a half cup of the warmed chicken broth, stirring constantly until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.  When the pan starts looking & feeling dry, add in another 1/2 cup of broth.  Repeat this process for around 13 minutes.

Add in the sliced mushrooms, and continue the stirring/adding broth process until you have transferred all of the broth to the rice pan, and the rice is "al dente", around 30 minutes total cooking.

Stir in the truffle oil.  Distribute evenly between bowls, and top with desired amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese, parsley, and truffle salt.  Serve immediately.

Thanks so much for reading! 

Small Kitchen Luxuries

Welcome back from the weekend!  We were up in NY for a wedding and had such a great time!  NY is one of those places that I still get SO excited to travel to, and no matter how many days we spend in the city, it never truly seems like enough time to do everything that I want.  I guess that's part of the allure of the Big Apple :)

As most of you are aware, we will be moving out of our condo and into our new house shortly.  We're just waiting on our kitchen renovations to be complete before making the big move.  I am dying to get in that new kitchen and start creating new recipes!  Below are a few luxurious kitchen accessories that have caught my eye, and need to take up permanent residence in my new space!

Shop these items:

Marble & wood serving board {available here} //  Copper measuring cups {found here} //  Hand blown Turkish glass carafe w/ wooden stop {here} //  Solid brass & marble paper towel holder {available here}

Have a great week, babes! xx

Vegetarian Eggplant Shakshuka

Hola babes!  I've been computerless this whole week, hence the silence over here.  My Macbook just got back from the repair shop, and hooray!  She works, and my pictures from this recipe I'm about to share were salvaged!

So by now you're probably wondering what the heck is shakshuka?!?  It kind of sounds like something you say after someone sneezes, right?  Before moving to Miami, I had never heard of shakshuka {pronounced shock-shoe-kah} either.  There is a pretty large Israeli community in my area, and my husband & I frequent a number of Israeli restaurants around here.  Essentially, shakshuka is a healthy Israeli dish comprised of stewed tomatoes, onions, peppers & middle eastern spices served with over easy style eggs & bread.  In Israel it's typically eaten at breakfast, but is perfectly acceptable to eat all throughout the day.

I CRAVE shakshuka.  When we traveled to Israel earlier this year, I was eating it daily.  It's healthy, hearty, and the flavors of this dish work so perfectly together.  If you've never tried shakshuka before, I am absolutely thrilled to introduce you one of my all time favorite dishes!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion cut into 1"strips
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 2" strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small eggplant (or about 2 1/2 cups), cut into 2 inch strips
1 small jalapeno, diced
1 32oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
salt & fresh ground black pepper
3-4 eggs
Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish (about 2 tbsp) 
Crusty bread or pita if desired


Directions

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion & garlic and saute until it begins to soften & becomes fragrant.  Next, add in eggplant, bell pepper & jalapeno and saute until soft (about 7-10 minutes).

Carefully {nothing splatters worse than canned tomatoes} add the canned tomatoes, and the tomato paste to the pan.  Stir to combine, gently breaking open the tomatoes with the back of your spoon.

Stir in paprika, cumin, salt & pepper {to taste} and allow the mixture to simmer down and thicken, about 20 minutes.

Once the sauce has thickened, reduce heat to medium low & crack the eggs one at a time directly over your tomato mixture.  Make sure to space your eggs out evenly in the pan.  Cover with a lid, and allow your eggs to cook "over easy" style in the sauce.  Since I like my eggs cooked a little more "over medium", I allow my eggs to cook for around 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, garnish with parsley, and serve with a side of bread or pita.