Bibimbap

After eating my first bibimbap in Cambridge, Massachussets a few years ago,  I regretted that so much of my life had been bibimbap-less. Bibimbap is a Korean dish consisting of rice, assorted vegetables and a protein. It's typically served in a scalding hot stone bowl which cooks the bottom of the rice into golden brown crispiness. The bowl is usually topped with a raw egg that cooks when you push it against the hot stone. It's all eaten with gochujang paste or a gochujang-based sauce. Gochujang paste is a fermented Korean condiment made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt.

Risotto Leftover Patties

If you had the chance to make any of the Brooklyn Salt risotto recipes, you might have some risotto leftover, especially if you didn’t invite a group of friends to help you eat it.  No fear, Risotto Leftover Cakes are here.  This is such a simple way to repurpose your risotto into amazingly creamy pan fried patties.

Bacon Pea and Leek Risotto

Chewy bacon, delicate onion-y leeks and plump green peas make this a risotto to drool over.  It makes for really tasty Risotto Leftover Patties.

Mushroom Risotto

Some lovely friends of mine gave me a gift recently of a Back To The Roots Mushroom Kit which is a sustainable just-add-water garden-in-a-box kit which yields tons of fresh oyster mushrooms in less than two weeks!  I decided to make a mushroom risotto with a mixture of my home grown Back To The Roots Oyster Mushrooms and some local market cremini mushrooms.  It was very rewarding eating mushrooms I grew in my own kitchen!  Back To The Roots is a great company; you can find more info about them here: backtotheroots.com.

Basic Risotto

Ah, risotto...nothing like it.  Risotto is way easier than you think and there are many versions to choose from.  There are also great ways to re-purpose your leftovers (see IDEAS below), so don’t be discouraged by the serving size if you're cooking for one.  Risotto is also a great dish to make for a dinner party.  I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t like creamy rice!