Well, Oscar and I have had a bit of a rough month. On 1 July, I noticed Oscar was limping a bit. I figured he must've whacked his foot against the steps coming back inside, but when he woke me up at 5:30 the next morning, I knew something serious was going on. Oscar could not use either of his hind legs. After a very quick visit with the vet, we were sent to a veterinary hospital for emergency spine surgery. Oscar had ruptured a disc in his back, which was cutting off all nerve functions to his lower half.
Any plans I had for the annual Fourth of July barbecue went out the window and I was left with a refrigerator full of yummy ingredients screaming to be used and my sweet doxie in intensive care. I was a wreck. For obvious reasons, I had no appetite for most of the week and just wanted by little wiener dude to come home. After surgery and a week in the hospital recuperating, he came home.
While things are not back to normal just yet, I am trying to get us back into a routine. After an exhausting month and a lack of inspiration to create any new dishes, it's high time I get back in the saddle. I went to the farmers' market on Saturday and am so glad I did! The market was packed! Finally all the farms are in attendance and the selection of summer's treats where in abundance. Did I mention that my town's farmers' market has been nominated for the country's best farmers' market? Yup...that's right. While I waited in line to pay for my grape tomatoes and fresh onions, I remembered why I'm doing this experiment.
So here we are, with a post-op dog recuperating from spinal surgery and walking like he's had a few too many drinks. It's time to get cooking again.
Last week, I stumbled onto a new website: www.theydrawandcook.com. All the recipes are illustrated! How fun and creative is that? The team that runs the site is from North Adams, MA and you know how I like to support the locals! This was one of my favorites and I couldn't pass up an opportunity to improve on one of my favorite meals.
summer squash and zucchini risotto - "Basic Risotto" recipe from Everyday Italian and inspired by the drawing above
Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, grated (about 8 oz)1 medium crook-neck squash, grated (about 8 oz)
kernels from two ears of corn (about 8 oz)
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
3 tbs butter
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
10 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
Preparation:
Before we get started, just a bit of a cook's tip: when using a box grater for the squash and zucchini, place a couple paper towels under there. After grating said veggie, wrap the flesh up in the paper towels and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. There's a lot in there! Also, once you've quickly sauteed them, there will be more liquid. Drain off that extra liquid as well. This is also a good rule of thumb when making zucchini bread or anything else where the excess liquid may change the consistency of the finished product. Okay, now on to the recipe.
In a saute pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini, squash and corn to pan. Lightly saute for about 2 minutes until just barely cooked. Remove veggies from pan and allow to cool.
In a medium sauce pan, bring broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.
In a sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and let cook for about one minute. Add the rice and stir to coat with butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine is almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes.
Add the sauteed vegetables and stir until well combined. Remove from heat and add remaining tablespoon of butter, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle basil over top as garnish and serve immediately...or stand in the kitchen with your bowl of risotto and savor every last bite. I did and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
This recipe serves 6 as a side dish or 4 as an entree. Talk about a delicious way to get veggies into your loved ones...and a great way to use up some of that viral zucchini in your garden. This week, we will be getting lettuce, more zukes, more squash, cucumbers, sweet corn, peaches, radishes, carrots, tomatoes, melons, cabbage and BLUEBERRIES! I think it might be time to start road testing some of those canning recipes I've been collecting.
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