I am not going to talk about the weather, but lets just say there is mold growing under my fingernails!
People who say it does not rain much in Seattle are lying.
I just heard the forecast for today: "A chance of rain, turning to showers, with the possibility for sunbreaks later in the day."
Where else do they differentiate between rain and showers? And, by the way, sunbreaks are not breaks you take from the sun, they are the few seconds that the sun actually peaks through the thick cloud layer that hangs over the Pacific Northwest.
But I ask, do you see any sunbreaks in this weather today?
I remember a couple of years ago, we were flying somewhere about this time of the year, and we had been under an incredible soupy thick layer of gray clouds for weeks. After taking off from SeaTac we broke through the cloud layer and I was in awe of the sun - so close, yet so far away! It was liking eating the crust of a pie!
Okay, I said I was not going to talk about the weather and there you have it. So lets just say we are still eating winter comfort food and dreaming of a vacation in Mexico.
Last night it was creamy risotto with a lemon and shallot sauce.
If you are gluten free and you have not tried risotto, you should try it this weekend.
It is not challenging at all to make, can be spiced up in a variety of ways, is reasonably affordable and a great naturally gluten free staple.
Risotto with Shallots and Lemon
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (read below for a casein free substitution)
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter (or Earth Balance for casein free)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots - thinly chopped
2 sticks celery - thinly chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
6 cups chicken broth (make sure it is GF)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, cream, and parmesan. Set aside. For a casein free substitute, I mixed a couple tablespoons of lemon juice with 1/3 cup mayonnaise.
Warm the chicken stock in a medium sauce pan on low heat.
Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed skillet, heat butter and olive oil, and sauté the shallots and celery on medium heat until softened - about 8 minutes.
Add the rice and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes.
Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. (optional - don't worry if you don't have any)
Add ½ cup of chicken stock to the rice and 1 t salt and ½ t pepper.
Stir and simmer until the stock is absorbed.
Continue to add the chicken stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring every few minutes. When the stock is just about evaporated, add more.
Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente. Start checking it after 20 minutes but it usually takes around 30 minutes total.
Remove from the heat, and stir in the reserved bowl of cream and lemon juice, and the rosemary.
Add more salt as desired.
Have you tried risotto? How have you spiced it up?
In the meantime, tonight is leftover night for us (my favorite night of the week) so I will be sitting in front of my sunlight, and waiting on those "sunbreaks."
