Receta Sausage, Mushroom and Red Wine Risotto; Broken cook top again! Weekly Menu
My cook top is not working.... Again.
This is the third time in less than one year of use that a burner has ceased to function as the French so nicely say.
It's the same one that 'ceased to function' last summer.
I am not happy.
Je ne suis pas content.
The problem I have is twofold:
First, my command of the language is not sufficient to vent my anger.
Second, even if it was I couldn't.
That's not how it's done here. One does not get angry and stomp one's feet and shake one's fist and swear loudly.
One is not happy.
In order to express my unhappiness as clearly as possible, I wrote a letter.
My thinking was that the person at the service desk, that I expressed my profound unhappiness to, would not be the person who could make me happy. He would have to go to a higher authority.
I am asking to have it replaced. I believe it's defective. It shouldn't have broken three times in 10 months.
I wrote the letter, then had the ladies in my conversation class correct it, then asked a friend who is both fluent in French and knowledgeable in business correct it.
To give you an example of how very polite a letter of complaint is, this is the closing, rather than the common American phrase of Regards or Sincerely:
En attente d’une réponse favorable et rapide de votre part, nous vous adressons nos salutations.
Basically it says we respectfully await your pleasure and a favorable decision.
It's not exactly the sentiment that I wanted to express - but, when in France.....
I was trying to get a decision before I took the cook top in so I wouldn't be without if for a month again... I thought it was a reasonable request - order a new one, when it arrives I'll bring the broken one in, the tech can verify it's broken and I leave with the new one.
Simple and logical.
I failed.
It would appear that the French don't work that way.
It's going in on Monday. The saga continues.....
Anyone with 'oven only' recipes please send my way - remember, oven only....
That means no browning of anything!
That means no risotto for the foreseeable future!
I like red wine. I also like white and rosado but that's another post.
Nowhere is it written that risotto must be made with white wine and chicken broth.
This has a heartier flavor than typical risotto, made with red wine and
beef stock. It works well with the sausages and mushrooms.
- Sausage, Mushroom and Red Wine Risotto
- 2/3 cup Arborio rice (or other rice specifically for risotto - Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 125gr) red wine
- 2 cups (16oz, 450gr) beef broth
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese - freshly grated (about 2oz, 60gr)
Condimenti
Heat beef broth and keep hot over low heat.
Finely chop onion. In medium saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until transparent. Add rice and sauté stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes until rice has white center. Add red wine and stir.
Start condimenti.
When wine is almost absorbed add a 1/3 cup of broth, stir. When broth is almost absorbed add another 1/3 cup and continue adding 1/3 cup at a time and stirring. Before the last 1/3 cup taste a few kernels of rice. They should be just 'al dente' - slightly resistant to the tooth but fully cooked. If more broth is needed add it 1/6 cup at a time and waiting until almost completely absorbed.
At this point risotto will be thick but not stiff - there will still be visible liquid and it will not hold its shape on a plate.
Stir in the Parmesan and condimenti, pour into a bowl or risotto platter and serve immediately. It will continue to absorb liquid and the leftovers (if any) will be very stiff.
Note: I normally use all or almost all of the broth.
Condimenti
6oz (175gr) sausages, any flavor
4oz (125gr) mushrooms
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 medium carrot
2 tsp oregano
Cut the sausages into 1" (3cm) pieces. Chop the onion. Trim and thickly slice mushrooms. Roughly chop the carrot. Mince garlic.
Sauté sausages in nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Remove. Add onion, carrot and sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are nicely browned. Turn heat to low, return sausages to skillet, stir in oregano, cover and keep warm until needed.
In
addition
to this, for the weekly menu for January 22 we have Warm Leek and Avocado Salad, Pan-Seared Tuna with Capers, Veal Marengo, Chicken with Tomato Yogurt Sauce, Flageolet and Celery Salad....
and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction,
and shopping list each Thursday. First two weeks FREE. (Reverse
seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).
For more recipes visit my internet cook book: Easy Gourmet Dinners.