Day Fifty-Nine

She Said:

Another successful entry to our own Julie/Julia Project. This is from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman.

Corn Risotto

1 cup water
Kernels from 3 ears corn
3½ cups vegetable or chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups Arborio rice
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 shallots, minced
¼ pound smoked turkey breast, diced (we went without this)
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the kernels from two ears of the corn, cover, and cook until quite tender, 2 to 3 minutes. (We went about 5 or 6 minutes.) Let cool slightly. Pour into a blender and purée.

2. Return the corn purée to the saucepan and add the chicken broth, wine, sugar, and turmeric. Heat to boiling, then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the rice, bell pepper, and shallots and sauté until the rice looks dry, 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Add 1 cup of the corn-broth mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding more of the mixture, 1 cup at a time, cooking and stirring after each addition. The liquid should be mostly absorbed before you add the next cup. (We ended up adding some more chicken broth and cooking longer to soften the rice.)

5. When all the broth has been added, remove from the heat. Stir in the turkey, the remaining corn, and the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let heat through for about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

I'm learning all about spices! I had no idea that turmeric was so much the flavor of your standard curry powder. This tasted very much like a curry dish to me and it was really good!

Tedious to make, but it was really good.

Day 59/365:Recipe 31/175

Day Eighteen

She Said:

Day Seventeen was another day of leftovers. That seems to be an issue with us. I guess we should start taking the leftovers to work the next day or something.

But anyway, we're back at it for Day Eighteen of our own Julie/Julia Project. This recipe, as usual, comes from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman and it was a hit - just delicious!

Chicken with Creamy Corn Sauce

¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, plus additional thyme leaves to garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kernels from 4 ears fresh corn
2 scallions, white and tender green parts, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons white wine
1½ cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (see Day Sixteen)

1. Combine the flour, thyme, a generous pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour, turning to coat on all sides.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Shake off any excess flour on the chicken and place the chicken in the skillet. Cook until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

3. Sauté the corn, scallions, and garlic in the skillet until the scallions are wilted, about 1 minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring well and cooking until all the wine is evaporated. Add the broth and boil until reduced by about a third. Whisk in the cream. Season with more salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the pan just long enough to heat through, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Serve the chicken and mashed potatoes on plates, spooning the corn sauce over both. Garnish with a sprinkling of thyme leaves.

I thought this dish was so tasty! And I arranged it so I had potatoes and corn left and mixed them all up together. Yum! I think we'll be making this again, especially when the corn comes into season. We did find fresh corn on the cob but I don't know where it came from. We have a fabulous farm about 1 mile from our house that sells fantastic produce during the summer but the star of their show is their corn - it's amazing! Can't wait to try that in this recipe.

Day 18/365:Recipe 13/175