Birthday Weekend Feast I

Yesterday was my birthday, and this past weekend I cooked up a couple good scoffs. Sunday I went with traditional, comforting meat and potatoes, but on Saturday I attempted two new dishes. The first was a cheddar cheese risotto, inspired by Nigela Lawson and the second was a Brussels sprout side dish I came up with. The veg and starch were paired with some panko crusted and roasted cod fillets.

Here is how it looked and how I put it all together.

Cheddar Cheese Risotto

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 fat green onions, finely sliced (white parts only)
1/2 a medium white onion, diced fine
1/2 a stalk of celery, sliced fine
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
½ cup white wine
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 cups hot chicken stock
1 cup chopped cheddar cheese (I used a combination of extra sharp and garlic and herb cheddar by Cabot of Vermont)
2-3 tablespoons minced chives

Directions:
Melt the butter and oil in a deep skillet and cook the onion, green onion and celery over medium heat until soft...about 5-6 minutes. In the meantime pour the stock in a sauce pan and bring it up to temperature.

Add the rice and stir/cook with the vegetables for a couple of minutes so each grain is kissed with the oil, then crank up the heat and add the wine and mustard, stirring until the wine is absorbed and the alcohol evaporates. Reduce the heat.

Begin ladling in the hot stock, letting all the liquid become absorbed as you stir before adding the next one. Keep the rice at a gentle simmer.

Stir and ladle until the rice is al dente (has a little bite), about 20 minutes, then add the cheese, stirring it into the rice until it melts. Taste for seasoning.

Remove the pan from the heat, still stirring as you do, and then serve onto warmed plates, and garnish with the chopped chives.

next time....Brussels Sprouts with Calabrase, and pan roasted cod