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Celiac.com 01/27/2023 - If you're looking for a culinary way into the heart of your Valentine, this baked mushroom risotto is sure to do the trick. This delicious risotto starts and ends like any other risotto. However, to simplify the process, this recipe skips the middle steps that involve stirring and slowly adding ingredients, and stirring. Instead just going to pop it in the oven. This makes the process much easier, and delivers a risotto that is as flavorful and delicious as the traditional method. Your valentine will never know your secret. And you'll have extra time to celebrate. Fool-Proof Baked Valentine Mushroom Risotto Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter 3 cups diced mushrooms salt to taste ½ yellow onion, diced ground black pepper to taste 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1 cup Carnaroli rice (or arborio rice) 2 cups chicken broth, divided ½ cup heavy whipping cream ½ cup chicken broth 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Melt butter in large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; season with salt, and cook and stir mushrooms until brown. They will begin browning after the moisture evaporates. Reduce heat to medium and stir in onion. Sprinkle with black pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until onions are translucent and soft. Pour rice into skillet and stir until each rice grain is coated with butter. Season with salt. Pour 1 cup chicken broth into the rice mixture. Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring rice until liquid is completely absorbed by the rice. Pour another cup chicken stock into the rice and stir until mixture comes to a simmer. Bake in heated oven until grains are almost tender, but still slightly firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer skillet to stovetop. Season with more salt, if necessary. Combine the remaining ½ cup chicken broth and cream; pour into the skillet. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until rice is tender, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Drizzle 2 tablespoons cream over rice. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and chives; stir. Serve immediately. Note: Carnaroli rice is a type of short-grain Italian rice sometimes used in risotto dishes. While arborio rice is the best known type of rice used in risotto, especially in the U.S., many cooks prefer carnaroli rice, which, like arborio, has more starch than other types of rice. Carnaroli is prized for its extra creamy finish.

Celiac.com 04/27/2021 - If you're looking for a perfect way to harvest the fresh in-season flavors of spring and still enjoy the hearty comfort food demanded by the still chilly nights, then this mushroom and leek risotto is the way to go. Ingredients: 4 cups chicken broth, divided 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided ¾ pound Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced ¾ pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 leek white and light green parts only (washed well and sliced thinly) 1 cup Arborio rice ⅓ cup dry white wine 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives 4 tablespoons butter ⅓ cup freshly grated Romano cheese sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Pinch chili flakes Directions: In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms with their liquid, and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, and stir well to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice becomes pale and gold in color, add wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add ½ cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth ½ cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Celiac.com 12/12/2020 - Italia—the land of superb food. When you think of Italian food, chances are that the first thing that comes to mind is pasta. Do you know that rice and corn pasta can be every bit as luscious as wheat pasta when cooked properly? (The secret is not to overcook it.) So indulge in the scents and tastes of Italy’s best known delicacy. Rice is a popular ingredient in Italy, especially risotto. Risotto is made with medium-grain Arborio, Vialone or Carnaroli rice. Cooked, the rounded grains are firm and creamy due to their high starch content. To make risotto, cook the rice briefly in butter or olive oil until evenly coated and the rice starts to turn translucent, then add broth, one ladle at a time. One popular dish is Risotto a la Milanese, made with chicken or beef stock and saffron; it is traditionally served with osso buco (a stew made from veal bones). Cannelloni beans (white kidney beans), or fagiole, taste a lot like Great Northern beans and are the pride of the Tuscany region. The beans are boiled, then sautéed in olive oil with sage and tomatoes. Italian cooking is impossible without herbs, preferably fresh herbs. Basil is a staple and is used in salads, on meats, and definitely in tomato sauce. The best way to prolong the life of fresh herbs is to wash them, wrap them in a paper towel to soak up excess moisture, then store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Other “musts” for Italian foods are fresh parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme...and then there is glorious garlic! The purple carciofi (artichoke), has little resemblance to the artichokes we find in the produce sections of American grocery stores. In Italy, artichokes are cooked in every conceivable way, including braising, stuffing, stewing, frying, broiling and grilling. If you have never cleaned an artichoke, the first time may be a bit daunting. First, fill a large bowl ¾ full with water and add the juice of one fresh lemon. With a sharp knife, trim off all but one inch of the stem. Break off and discard the older, tough, outside leaves. Cut off the top 1/3 of the artichoke and discard. The easiest way to remove the choke is to cut the artichoke in half and scrape out the fuzzy center and prickly leaves, rinse, then place in lemon water until ready to use. Roast these delicacies in tomato sauce, or prepare au gratin, or pan-fry—but do make them and enjoy their succulent taste. Filling or stuffing vegetables is an accomplished art for Italians. Some fillings are as simple as removing the center of a vegetable, chopping the centers and mixing them with herbs and spices and some cheese, placing the filling back in the shells then baking. But more frequently the vegetable is stuffed with a meat, pasta or rice filling. Add a side salad and a slice of gluten-free bread and you have a complete meal. Stuffed peppers are a regular stand-by, as are stuffed onions, eggplant, and zucchini. The large yellow zucchini flowers are often stuffed with ricotta or shredded potatoes that have been sautéed in a spicy tomato sauce. Italy invented the antipasti (or ‘antipasto’ as we call it). The purpose of this array of sampler foods is to stimulate your senses before your meal, wake up your appetite. A typical antipasti platter in Italy includes an endless choice of vegetables (roasted, grilled, marinated and fried), cold meats (usually prosciutto and salami), olives and wedges of aged Parmesan, mozzarella or goat cheese, along with platters of seafood salad, and perhaps steamed muscles and clams. Italy also lays claim to fame for cornmeal polenta. Polenta can be creamy, served soft with a scoop of sauce, or firm and served as a side dish to grilled or roasted meats, or stirred into soups and stews to thicken and add flavor. Whatever way you choose to eat polenta, the basic principles of preparation remain the same: Bring 4 ½ cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon salt and reduce the heat to medium low. As soon as the water begins to simmer, start pouring in 1 cup cornmeal in a thin stream, very slowly while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps. Once all the cornmeal has been added, keep the water at a simmer and stir frequently. It should take about 20 minutes to fully cook the polenta. When fully cooked, the polenta should pull away from the sides of the pot easily. Once your polenta is cooked, you can serve it soft or firm, baked, fried or grilled. You can top it with butter or marinara sauce, or add cheese, browned crumbled sausage or shredded veggies to the cornmeal mixture. But what is Italian food without pasta? The gluten-free pastas need a bit more watching while the pot is boiling to prevent them from falling apart, but with the right sauce... magnifiquo! While marinara sauce may be the first sauce to come to mind, aglio olio (garlic oil sauce) is also an Italian favorite. All kinds of things are folded into the pasta or spooned on top: pesto sauce, sausage and peppers, shrimp and tomatoes, ham and beans, or sun dried tomatoes and olives. Using a spoon as a loading zone for the pasta strands is and American, not Italian, tradition. In Italy, they just swirl the strands onto their forks which often results in a larger yield than the mouth can accommodate. So what is the perfect method for gathering the pasta in a dish? Gather only three or four strands on your fork before twirling. Formal entertaining in Italy is done by serving multiple courses of small amounts of food. Prior to the first course being served, the antipasti (appetizer) platter is presented for consumption. This is followed by a first course of either soup or pasta. The second course is an entrée of either meat or fish with a side of vegetables. The final course at an Italian table is the salad, which seems both to refresh the diner after a heavy meal as well as cleanse the palate before the dessert course. The dessert course is usually served in two stages. Stage number one consists of ice cold fresh fruit often served with nuts. Then comes the final offering of something sweet like tiramisu, biscotti or an ice. Espresso coffee is served throughout the meal and dessert. Nutty Biscotti by Connie Sarros This recipe is from the new book I co-authored with Danna Korn: “Gluten-free Cooking for Dummies” (a sequel to Danna’s “Living Gluten-free for Dummies” book). Biscotti are perfect to keep on hand. They will hold several days in a plastic self-seal bag or in a covered plastic container. After the second baking, these ‘sticks’ will harden a bit, so be sure not to over bake them. If you want to live life on the wild side, soak some dried cranberries in Kaluha, and then fold them into the batter. *My flour mixture already contains xanthan gum. If you are using a different flour mixture, add 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum to the dry ingredients. Ingredients: ¾ cup blanched slivered almonds 3 tablespoons butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour mixture* 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon gluten-free instant coffee granules 1/8 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup gluten-free miniature semisweet chocolate chips 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 1 teaspoon corn oil Directions: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a small skillet, sauté almonds in 1 tablespoon butter until golden, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. Line a baking sheet with wax paper (or parchment paper). Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whip together 2 tablespoons butter, sugar, and eggs on high speed until mixture is thick and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add vanilla and almond flavorings. In a small bowl, whisk together flour mixture, baking powder, baking soda, coffee granules, salt, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, beating just until thoroughly combined. Fold in chocolate chips and almonds. Transfer dough to wax paper (or parchment) lined baking pan. With damp hands, form dough into a log about 14 inches long and 2 inches high (Dough will be somewhat sticky to work with but don’t add more flour or your biscotti will turn out dry). Bake for 25 minutes or until just beginning to brown on the outside and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Gently slice log into ½-inch slices. Stand slices upright on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until firm (but NOT rock hard) and golden. Remove from oven and cool. Cut semisweet chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium skillet with the oil. Heat very slowly, stirring often, until chocolate has melted. (If heat is too high, chocolate will burn.) Remove pan from heat and dip bottoms of biscotti in chocolate to coat. Set each piece on its side on a piece of wax paper to dry. Yield: 18 slices.

Celiac.com 12/14/2016 - If you're looking for a delicious way to serve butternut squash this season, look no further. This recipe combines butternut squash with rich, creamy risotto to deliver a dish that might just become a holiday favorite. Ingredients: 5 cups hot chicken stock, plus more as needed 2½ cups cubed butternut squash 1 cup Arborio rice 3 tablespoons butter ½ medium onion, minced ½ cup dry white wine ⅓ cup grated Romano cheese salt and ground black pepper to taste Directions: Place squash cubes into a steamer basket in a saucepan. Steam squash 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. When done, drain squash, and mash in a bowl with a fork. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then stir in the rice. Keep cooking and stirring about 5 minutes more, until the rice turns glossy from the butter, and the onion starts to brown on the edges. Pour in the white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until the wine evaporates. Stir in the mashed squash and about one-third of the hot chicken stock; lower the heat to medium. Cook and stir about 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken stock has been absorbed by the rice. Add half of the remaining chicken stock, and keep stirring until stock is absorbed. Add the remaining stock, and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy. Lastly, stir in the Romano cheese, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.