Roasted Broccoli Risotto with Sundried Tomatoes and Olives

Ah. Risotto.
Seduce me with your creaminess. Woo me with your toothy charm.
Nourish me with strong-flavored winter veg... OK, maybe I'm getting a little bit carried away. But, when a girl is as seriously TIRED of broccoli as I am, it's pretty exciting when she finds a broccoli dish that really bowls her over.

This dish was inspired by a pasta recipe I ran across years ago that became a regular occurrance in our winter repertoire. It was a baked penne with broccoli, oil-cured olives, and feta cheese. I liked the recipe because it came together quickly on weeknights. It was also an exceedingly brilliant composition -- all those strong/savory/salty/briny flavors complementing one another all in one bowl.

It hadn't occurred to me to combine the same flavors in a risotto. Until just the other night. When the idea hit me -- like a flash of light -- I was pretty stoked. I decided that roasted broccoli would be a decidedly fine addition to such a risotto, so I hauled out my roasting pan. While the broccoli was crisping up, I hauled out my risotto pan and sauteed some onions with a bit of dried thyme and garlic. I also heated up a bit of stock in a separate saucepan. This would be an excellent vegetarian dish if I had used vegetable stock, but I happened to have chicken stock on hand, so I used that.

I also pitted and chopped a handful of oil-cured black olives, as well as about a half cup of oil-packed sundried tomatoes (which I decided would add some welcome color and a great *pop* of sweet flavor to the dish). And I crumbled a handful of Greek feta.

And so the risotto process began. I added the rice to the pot. And then a bit of semi-dry white wine (actually a nice Chenin Blanc/Vignier).

Then came the stirring. The adding of stock. And more stirring. The kitchen started to smell wonderful. My tummy started rumbling. And I'd slipped into that zen sortofa place that you go when you're making risotto. Then the oven beeped. After jumping about half-way through the ceiling, I regained my composure and opened the oven door to find the broccoli all nice and roasty-toasty. Perfect.

I kept stirring and adding stock. When the rice was nearly al dente, I added the roasted broccoli, tomatoes, and olives -- giving them just long enough to cook together with the rice and allow the flavors to meld.

Then, we scooped that lovely risotto into bowls and sprinkled everything with a bit of crumbled feta. And the dish was complete. And completely glorious. *sigh*And so we dined. Each forkful evoked all sorts of crucifer-meets-umame-wonderful. And our Winter Bellies were satisfied. Which is a Very Good thing.
Roasted Broccoli Risotto with Sundried Tomatoes and Olives


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Weekend Bits: Cornmeal Waffles with Fried Chicken & Mushroom Milk Gravy

While the rest of you were enjoying your leisurely weekend activities, we were busy throwing our New Year's resolutions to the wayside, our caution to the wind, and our healthy eating habits to the dogs. And it was SO much fun.

First, Peef wandered over to Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market to pick up a bit of their double-smoked slab bacon. What he DID expect was the usual Saturday morning crowd. What he didn't expect was for the butcher to hand him a package of bacon that was... unexpectedly fresh. Oh, yeah baby. This smoked piggy had just made its way to the butcher case from the smoker -- and it was still warm. He was seriously giddy when he brought the bacon home and pushed it into my hands. As the smoky bits warmed my palms and permeated my nostrils, I decided that this was going to be a Very Good Day indeed. And it turns out I was right.

I cooked up a batch of good old fashioned southern greens with that bacon. And my, oh my, were they good. Also made some delicious smashed potatoes with garlic and smoked gouda.

And then... the crowning moment... we fried up some chicken. What you should know about us is that we fry chicken... oh, maybe once every couple of years. So, this was a very special day. And you can imagine that hopes were particularly high.
Fortunately for us, all possibility of myocardial infarctions aside, this fried chicken was Seriously Good. And we enjoyed our southern dinner with particular gusto.

But, the best was yet to come. Now there was LEFTOVER fried chicken. We were almost too giddy for words. We popped straight out of bed the next morning in anticipation of what came next -- waffles with fried chicken and gravy.
This was a special occasion, so we didn't make just any old waffles. Nope. We hauled out the big guns and manufactured some of the best cornmeal waffles that you've ever laid eyes upon. They were light. And crisp. And flavorful. And the cornmeal gave them just the right amount of "oomph" to push them right past "good" and so far into "fabulous" that we have to just take a moment, right now, to reflect.
And yeah -- I'm going to give you a little bit more time with this photograph. Cuz it was seriously That Good.
If you've got somewhere to be, then I'll let you go. But, please -- take a couple of recipes along. After all, you might be frying up some chicken real soon.

Milk gravy with mushrooms

Cornmeal waffles with buttermilk



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