Edamame Risotto

This time of year, as asparagus comes into season I love to make asparagus risotto.  But I'd already made it twice in the past month, so I was looking for something else to put in my risotto.  Then the light bulb went off, I had some edamame in the freezer!  It was actually the first time I had bought edamame frozen but decided to give it a go. 

The edamame I bought was still in the pod, but you can buy it already out of the pod too.  I cooked the edamame according to the package instructions which is pretty much standard for most frozen veg. 

Once it's cooked, let cool for a few minutes until you can handle it and then pop those beans right out of the pods.  I thought this was going to be a long and tedious process but it was very quick.  They slip out pretty easily.

They look like lima beans don't they?  Well as a bona fide lima bean hater, I can tell you they do not taste like them!  Once they're all shucked, set aside and start making the risotto.

I have a pretty standard recipe that I use for all my risotto's, and this time was no different.  Start by heating up five cups of chicken broth in a pan.  Don't boil it, just heat it.  And in another pot, put in three tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter.  To that added 2 chopped shallots (or you can use a medium onion or a leek, whichever you like and have on hand) and a little salt and pepper. 

Once the shallots are soft and translucent, add one and one half cups of Arborio rice.  Stir to coat the rice and cook for about a minute or so.  Add half a cup of white wine and stir until the wine has been absorbed. 

Now it's time to get down to business.  Add stock to the rice a ladlefull at a time.  Stirring until all the stock is absorbed.  Use your judgment on adding more salt as you go.  It really depends on whether you're using bought stock or homemade.

After about half the stock has been absorbed, add the edamame to the pot and continue with the stir stir stir of it all.

I know all the stirring and stirring is kind of a pain in the ass.  But it's so worth it.  I've tried the Ina Garten baked risotto, which is much less hands on, but honestly, I didn't really like it as much as I like it the traditional way.  But that's just me.  I always say I prefer to do things the hard way.  And trust me, if you will be rewarded!

Once all the stock has been absorbed and your risotto is looking yummalicious, stir in half a cup of Parmesan cheese.  Right before your eyes the risotto becomes even more creamy and delicious looking.  All that's left is to enjoy!

Buon Cibo mia Amici

I Finally Made It!

Back in 2006, my family went on a vacation to Charleston, SC. You may remember a little discussion about this trip when I blogged peach pie (mmm peach pie). During that trip, we went to a restaurant. I can't remember the name but it was near Fort Sumpter. Anyway, at this restaurant I had a Grilled Romaine salad. It was so good, and I said back then that I would make this when I got home. Well I never did but it was always in the back of my mind.

No longer! I saw Romaine hearts in the store for a good price and snapped up with this salad in mind. Romaine hearts have all the outer leaves removed and what you get is all the tender inner leaves, so one whole heart serves one person. Clean the Romaine hearts and split in half but do not remove the core. The core will keep the heart intact on the grill.


Drizzle the halves with olive oil and place on a hot grill.


Don't walk away because this does not take long. After a few minutes turn the hearts and grill the other side.


You want them to be just starting to wilt down and have a some nice char marks. But if you go too far, the leaves will get brittle.

Once it's done, chop up the lettuce and put it in a big bowl. Add your fave salad fixings! I added grape tomatoes and fresh edamame and dressed lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I think a nice lemon vinaigrette would be good with this too. This salad is a really delicious change of pace from the norm.