I apologize if you had trouble with my blog earlier this week. I tried to upgrade my WordPress account and the theme completely crashed – ugh. Luckily, my better half is a computer whiz and very supportive of my blogging. He stayed up until 5am – yes, 5am – to fix it (I know, I know, I’m a lucky girl!)! The whole experience left a sour taste in my mouth though and I’m leaning towards changing themes. Perhaps it’s a sign that a blog makeover is in order! Anyway, I really wanted to prepare one of Apolinaras’ favorite dishes this week since he was such a good sport about being my tech support.
I finally settled on this risotto, since he always drools over it (he affectionately calls it his crack risotto), but decided to mix things up a bit by adding gruyere cheese, mushrooms, and asparagus. It turned out perfectly and Apolinaras definitely appreciated my efforts!
Gruyere Risotto with Asparagus and Mushrooms
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from half a lemon)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pan and sauté asparagus and mushrooms until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, melt butter over medium high heat in a large stockpot. Sauté the onion for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the rice and stir until well-coated and translucent. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 1 cup of chicken stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed; add another cup and continue in this way until all the chicken stock has been absorbed, for about 30 minutes. Stir in gruyere cheese, lemon juice, and salt and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Stir in asparagus and mushrooms. Scoop into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition: 404 calories, 19.6g fat, 1.5g fiber, 14.4g protein per serving
Cost: $2.58 per serving