Special Occasion Menu: Porchetta, Mushroom Risotto, Asparagus, and Parmesan French Bread

Some people have asked me about this dinner menu and though it is not specifically CSA-oriented, it is all from scratch so since that is legit for my blog, right? (Links to recipes in text). First up, I made the same asparagus I've always made it, since my friend showed me how, roasted with salt, pepper and olive oil and lemon and grated Parmesan at the end, pretty simple. The bread is based on this recipe for Jalapeno-Cheddar bread, but I just use Parmesan for the filling, depending on what I am serving. It's probably my favorite bread recipe in the whole world. For the risotto, I just made my standard risotto, browning the mushrooms separately and saving the liquid to use in the risotto. I also bought some chives at Tendercrop Farm that were included in the risotto, fresh herbs make such a difference. For the porchetta, I used this recipe from Bon Appetit, I had been saving it for over two years for the right moment. The only real change I made was not using fennel seed, not a huge fan of fennel here. My only regret was that I didn't make it sooner. The pork belly came from Blood Farm, which is the last small slaughter house in Massachusetts, they are so awesome that they don't even need a website. as for the porchetta, it just made the meal so special, it truly is a great recipe and I was really glad that I went out on a limb and made it instead of sticking with a rib roast or steaks.

Huge Veggie Stir Fry with Joi Choi

I'll admit that I'm still getting to know the bok choy branch of the crucifer family. Unlike cabbages and some cruciferous vegetables, all chinese cabbage varieties that I have encountered have been mild. The joi choi (tender baby bok choi leaves) used in this stir fry are no exception, they are difficult to see in this picture because they wilted quite a bit but the entire bag from this week's CSA share is in this bowl of plants slathered in oriental flavors.

In order to make this into a main dish meal for my whole family I had to use two skillets and a lot of vegetables. I don't know how many cups are here, but it filled my biggest bowl, uncooked, and then some. I made the sauce in a separate pan, because I wanted it to be thick when I mixed it with the vegetables, knowing the would continue to release water, even at the table.

Ingredients:
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 package of giant package of mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
1 package of joi choi from my CSA
1 package of sugar snap peas
1 package of bean sprouts

Basically, this was stir-fried in olive oil and sesame oil, starting with the hardest vegetables first and ending with the most tender (peas, joi choi, and bean sprouts). While I was doing all of this I made a sauce, I didn't measure so I'll give a close approximation:

Sauce Ingredients:
2 inch piece of ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 c tamari
1/4 c. honey to taste (it might have been slightly more)
4 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 c oyster sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c. water
1 bunch green onions, sliced

In a sauce pan add the first 3 ingredients, bring just to a boil, stirring to keep from burning. Add honey, oyster sauce, fish sauce and vinegar, bringing just to a boil, mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and add to pan to thicken, continue to stir. When thickened, stir in green onions and sesame seeds, add to cooked vegetables.

I like to add Sriracha at the table since the rest of my family likes their food mild.

Shrimp, Mushroom, Spinach and Tomato Risotto

Risotto is my go-to last minute, use-up-vegetables, not-pasta dinner. The best thing about it is that you don't really have to plan ahead as long as you keep your pantry stocked.

Ingredients:
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups water
1/4 cup onion, diced, or a 1/2 small onion
1 cloves garlic, sliced
6 tbsp. butter
handful of baby spinach
sliced mushrooms
12-15 shrimp
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbsp chives
6-8 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
lemon sliced in half
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper

Slice and brown mushrooms in 2 tbsp butter on medium heat, set aside. In a large skillet, cook rice until translucent with onion in 2 tbsp butter. Add 1 cup of water at a time, stirring often. Add garlic after adding water. When rice is nearly done and water is almost all absorbed, start shrimp in separate pan with 2 tbsp butter, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and lemon juice to taste, I just squeeze about 1 tbsp out of the lemon and save the rest for something else. At the same time add spinach, mushrooms, cheese, chives and cream to risotto. Cook shrimp until just pink. Season risotto with salt and a little crushed red pepper to taste. Add cooked shrimp and liquid from pan to risotto, mix and remove from heat. I like mine on the spicy side so I add a little more red pepper at the table. Sadly, this was the end of the chives from last year's CSA season that I saved in my freezer.