Rainy Day Risotto

I have been cleaning out cupboards recently, and found a box of Arborio rice I bought to make Risotto (of course!). I've never tried making it but everyone on the food network says it's easy. Alton Brown's recipe called for precooked mushrooms and asparagus. I had leftover mushrooms and chopped zucchini from our fondue night the other night (hmmm, that might be a good post too). Overall, the Risotto was a total success, even though it took much longer than the recipe said. I was in the kitchen cleaning and putting things away, so it wasn't a big deal to stir and add liquid over the hour-plus it took to come together. It was delicious and creamy--so good that I had TWO bowls for lunch. I love that it gets that texture with NO cream! I think I used a tablespoon of butter, and that's it (I made a half recipe, since it was just for myself). This recipe calls for nutmeg (I used less than it called for) and lemon zest, which I almost skipped, but then decided to add when I remembered I had some in a baggie in the freezer. (I usually take the zest from oranges and lemons and throw it in the freezer if I think about it before I use them.) There are plenty of risotto recipes around, I'm just a big fan of Alton. It was a winner for sure. Yum!

Click here for the Good Eats risotto recipe!

Go Fish!

I found this delicious recipe in the Family Circle magazine and couldn't wait to try it out. I decided that yesterday would be the day so I headed off to the store. My store didn't have flounder (which didn't surprise me) so I got some sole. I also used half and half instead of the cream since I already had some in the fridge. John thought it was so good that he had seconds. I love cooking meals that he can't stop talking about and this was one of those meals. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did!


Baked Flounder with Crabmeat Stuffing

1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 small red pepper, finely chopped
3/4 tsp low-sodium Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup light cream
8 ounces imitation crabmeat, finely chopped
3 tsp chopped parsley
4 flounder fillets (about 4 ounces each)
3/4 cup white wine or water
Cooked brown rice (optional)

1. Heat a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with nonstick cooking spray, then add onion and red pepper; cover and cook 4 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove cover and stir in 1/2 tsp of the Old Bay, 1/8 tsp of the salt and the light cream. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute or until reduced and thickened. Gently fold in crabmeat and 2 tsp of the parsley; refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place one of the flounder fillets pretty side down on work surface, then spoon 1/2 cup crab mixture onto end of fillet; roll up, creating a small bundle. Repeat using remaining fillets and crab. Transfer bundles to prepared baking dish, seam-side down, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp Old Bay, 1/8 tsp salt and 1 tsp parsley. Add wine or water to pan; transfer to oven.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish is solid white and flakes easily with a fork. Remove to plates with a large spatula and serve with rice, if desired.

PER SERVING 281 calories;
9 g fat (5 g sat.); 27 g protein;
13 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber;
803 mg sodium;
92 mg cholesterol