Tartufo Truffle Risotto

A few months ago I volunteered to cook a recipe and be interviewed for a Kick Back and Kook podcast. I didn’t really know what I was getting into or what I was going to be making, but figured it could only be fun. WooHoo!

So a few weeks ago I received a box of the mystery ingredients, which included Tartufo, Authentic Italian Risotto (with black truffles) from Oil & Vinegar, truffle oil, white vinegar, garlic mustard and flower sea salt along with a recipe for Truffle Risotto and a Simple Romaine Salad. The wet ingredients didn’t survive the trip through the mail, but the package of risotto and the salt were intact, so I figured I either had or could round up everything else I needed.

Sunday night I cooked the risotto and salad for my taste testers—Curtis, Mom and Dad—and found that both recipes were super easy and delicious! I knew I’d love the risotto, but was a bit skeptical about the salad since I have a love affair with spinach salad with balsamic dressing (plus fruit, cheese and walnuts) and rarely deviate. But this salad was delicious, simple and elegant. And Curtis appreciated the break from our typical spinach salad!

The Kick Back and Kook interview was yesterday and included Debbie Gokhan, COO of Oil & Vinegar (read her blog here), Krizia author of Eat Smart Age Smart and a regular ‘ol home cook (me!). It’s a pretty cool concept to have three people with vastly different cooking experience testing the same recipes. And I was a little nervous going into the interview, but it was easy and fun and honestly I didn’t say too much!

Side note: You don’t have to be special to be a “regular ol’ cook” guest on the podcast. If you’re interested go to the site and shoot Angela an e-mail. I signed up to do it again in January and am VERY EXCITED about the chef who I’ll be on with … stay tuned!

Without further ado, here are the recipes with my changes noted in parentheses.

Truffle Risotto

Ingredients:
1 package truffle risotto* (from Oil & Vinegar)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
1 cup white wine or as the direction on the risotto package put it: “a glass of white wine” (I used 1 cup extra dry vermouth)
2 cups chicken stock (I used an entire 32 oz. box of Pacific chicken broth)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for on top)

Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan. In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter and add the risotto mix. Toast over low heat, stirring constantly for a minute or two. Add the wine and stir until evaporated. Add a ladle of simmering chicken stock to the risotto and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. As the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle of chicken stock, continue the process until the chicken stock is gone – about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the white truffle olive oil and Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

*If you don’t have the Oil & Vinegar truffle risotto, you can substitute with 1 cup Arborio rice, 4 shallots finely chopped, 1 garlic clove finely chopped and 1 black or white truffle.

Simple Romaine Salad

4-6 cups of romaine lettuce
1 cup of croutons
Shaved or grated Parmesan

Dressing:
4 tablespoons of Bonsecco extra virgin olive oil (or Kirkland Signature extra virgin olive oil :o)
1 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic mustard (can be made with Dijon and 1 clove of crushed garlic)
¼ teaspoon of flavors and flowers sea salt

Put the romaine and croutons in a salad bowl. Put all dressing ingredients in a dressing shaker, shake well and pour onto salad and toss. Top the salad with grated or shaved Parmesan.