Welcome back to I Hunger! I apologize I forgot to do a blog about last week's menu, it was just more breakfast stuff anyway, not much different from the first menu. This week, however, we're finally out of doing breakfast foods and we've moved on to bigger and better things! But, before I get into that, as you can see I have finally selected a name for this blog. It was a tough choice but the winner is LAWYERHULK! So the next time you are in the store, let me know who you are and I will grant you the previously stated discount. BUT THATS NOT ALL! Because i had such a hard time deciding what to use, I am also going to grant Mr. Sellars a discout of his own for the "eggcellent" use of the word Eggcelsior! So thanks everyone for the suggestions and thank you for the interest in the blog, I hope to keep it up for as long as im in school. Alright, onto the good stuff.
This week's menu included Spinaci alla Romana and Risotto Parmigiana as the veg and starch, Minestrone Soup and Shrimp Scampi as appetizers, and for the entrees Pork Cutlet Parmesan and Chicken Ballotine de Poulet Grandmere (braised stuffed boneless chicken leg served with a bacon/pearl onion/mushroom/white wine sauce). For dessert we had this really delicious cranberry bread pudding served with three sauces (fudge, caramel, and creme anglaise) and a dallop of handmade chocolate whipped cream.
I was excited about this night more than any other because I was on the starch position which meant I got to make the risotto; I LOVE RISOTTO! I have been making risotto at least twice a week for over a year now so I felt I had begun to perfect the art, and I finally had the chance to prepare risotto for service. Well, in my excitement, I cut corners and almost botched it entirely. I ended up putting in WAY too much parsley so instead of tasting like a delicious creamy parmesan dish, it ended up tasting like grass. In the end it was a fixable mistake but I was still unhappy with it. It was a humbling experience, it made me realize that no matter the situation I have to focuse on the task at hand completely. Just because I've made risotto millions of time at home, doesn't mean that I can just breeze through it at school, especially when I'm expected to serve the public. That goes for anything really, just because you think you're good at something doesn't mean you don't have to give it your all every single time.
Other than that one little mistake, everything went well. All the food was delicious and I can't wait for next week. Until then, Eggcelsior!
Risotto Parmigiana
- 2oz     Butter, oil or a combination of both
- 1oz      Onion, chopped fine
- 1lb       Arborio rice
- 1 cup   White wine
- 1 ½ qt Chicken stock, hot
- 1oz      Butter (for finish)
- 3oz     Parmesan, grated
- 1oz      Parsley, chopped
- Heat the butter in a large straight-sided sauté pan (or large pot, preferably wide bottomed). Add the onion and sauté until soft. Do not brown.
- Add the rice and sauté until well coated with fat.
- Add wine and stir over medium heat until wine is absorbed and rice is almost dry
- Ladle in hot stock a little bit at a time and keep stirring. When liquid is absorbed, add another ladle, continue until rice is tender but still firm. It should be very moist and creamy, but not runny. The cooking should take about 30 minutes
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, parmesan, parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.
Contrary to popular belief, “risotto†is not a rice specifically, it is a method of cooking grains; it just so happens that rice is the most common grain used with this method, hence the misconception. You can make risotto with barley, couscous, quinoa, wild rice, rye, oats, any type of grain, the method is all that matters. Risotto is essentially frying the grain at first, then slowly adding stock a little at a time and stirring so the starch from the rice thickens the stock into a creamy texture.
