Art and Soul of Gluten Free Cooking: Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Marscapone with Sauteed Brussel Sprouts and Red Cabbage

So tonight I made dinner for the family and on the menu was a recipe I found off of the Cooking Light magazine. Althought this recipe isn't entirely "light" or "low-calorie" it is a far cry from the traditional risotto recipes and packs a mean flavor profile to boot :P. To complement the risotto I made sauteed brussel sprouts but decided I didn't have enough of them so added some red cabbage (what we had laying around) to the mix. The colors are beautiful and vibrant. The recipes are delicious. Give them a try sometime!!!

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Marscapone

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2c boiling water
1 box beef stock (32 oz.), less sodium
1c dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 oz.)
Cooking Spray
1c uncooked Arborio rice
3/4c chopped shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2c (or more) dry white wine
1/4c Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
1T fresh thyme, chopped
1/2t salt
1/2t black pepper
1/4c marscapone cheese (or 1 oz.)

Directions:

1. Begin by chopping and prepping all ingredients except do not chop the mushrooms until they are soft (see next step) and do not chop the thyme yet (it'll turn dark). Your prep should look like this:

2. Combine 2 cups of boiling water and mushrooms; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain mushrooms through a fine mesh sieve, reserving all the mushroom broth liquid. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
3. Bring mushroom broth liquid and all of the beef broth to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil or you'll cook down too much of the liquid). Keep the broth warm by keeping the heat on low.

4. Heat large saucepan over medium-high head. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add rice, shallots, and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add wine (you can add more than 1/2c to your liking...I used a whole mini bottle 187ml) and cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).

5. Ladle 1 cup of the broth mixture to the rice mixture and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until the liquied is nearly absorbed, stirring often.

(here's a picture right after you add the broth and stir)

(here's how to tell when you need to start adding more broth...when you run the back of a spoon down the middle of the pan and the broth/rice mixture doesn't automatically run back together...then it's time to add your next batch of liquid).

6. Keep adding the remaining broth mixture about 1 cup at a time until each portion of the broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (see picture above)...it'll take about 25-30 minutes. When all your broth is added and your rice is soft add in the chopped porcini mushrooms, grated cheese, marscapone cheese chopped thyme, salt and pepper and gently stir until cheese melts. Top each serving with chopped thyme and then serve immediately.

(Note: test the texture by taking a clean spoon and eating some of the rice. If you find your rice still isn't done add more warm stock or water, depending on what you have on hand until it's cooked all the way through)

Nutritional Info per serving:

369 calories

15g fat

7.9g saturated fat

4.1g monounsaturated fat

0.6g polyunsaturated fat

11.5g protein

48g carbohydrates

4.2g fiber

39mg cholesterol

2.1mg iron

570mg sodium

115mg calcium

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts & Red Cabbage

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

3T butter, salted

2c brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved

1/4 small head red cabbage, shredded into strips

1-2T water

1/4t salt

1/8t black pepper

Directions:

1. Trim the bottoms off of brussel sprouts and them sliced lengthwise (through the top of each sprout). Cut cabbage into 1/2 inch long strips.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute brussel sprouts anc cabbage for about 3 minutes...just enough to get a little bit of color carmelized on them.

(note: If the pan gets too hot immediately take it off the heat and turn the heat down.)

3, Add water and cover with lid to steam for about 5 minutes (or until soft, check to make sure your veggies aren't burning every now and then). Season with salt and pepper and serve.