. A dilemma it may be, but Chef Florence made it look quite easy. We had some friends over for dinner...yes, you got that right - our vegetarian friends! I got to experiment, once again, with vegetarian cuisine...and this one was a great meal! Artichoke Fritters, Summer Squash Risotto with Crispy Fried Sage and Parmesan, and for dessert, Beet Cakes with Sweet Greek Yogurt.I started with dessert because I could make the batter, prep it for baking, and throw it in the oven when we sat down to our meal. While the recipe called for diced, red beets, I wasn't quite sure whether I was meant to use cooked, or raw. I bought both, and after some thought, I opted for the already cooked variety, because the 25 minutes that the cake was meant to bake was not time enough to cook raw beets. I'm glad I made that choice! The batter also included flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, allspice, cinnamon, nutmet, pomegranate molasses (I finally found it at the store!), eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and some dark brown sugar. I also mixed up the Greek Yogurt topping, that just included plain, unsweetened yogurt, honey and some vanilla extract. I put the yogurt in the fridge, and while we enjoyed our dinner, the beet cakes rose to the occasion! I really loved this cake! For the small amount of sugar involved in this recipe, the cake was so sweet, and very moist. I loved the small pieces of beet that I got in each bite too. This was a really interesting way to end a meal...and start a post! :)
Once dessert was prepped, I moved on to the main course. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, in order to cook a baking sheet full of zucchini and summer squash, as well as some sliced onion. The list of ingredients also calls for pattypan squash, my favorite kind of squash, but there weren't any at the store this evening. It's not yet the season for pattypans, but don't worry, I'll be using them quite a bit once they show up in stores! I sprinkled thyme leaves over the squash and onions, drizzled all of it with olive oil, and seasoned everything with salt and pepper. Into the oven for 20 minutes they go!
Meanwhile, I fried some sage leaves in a dutch oven with some olive oil until they were cracklin'! While they drained on a paper towel, I added a diced onion to the sage-scented olive oil, and allowed it to cook to translucency. I added the Arborio rice, and allowed it to fry for 2-3 minutes before adding half a bottle of wine. Once the wine had been absorbed, I added vegetable broth, a little at a time, until the rice was cooked through. We've done this before, we know how to cook risotto! :) I finished the risotto off with some butter and parmesan, and then seasoned it to taste with salt and pepper.
While the risotto cooked, I cleaned some artichokes down to the heart, and sliced them. I made a fritter batter, similar to a tempura, with soda water, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, egg yolks, and salt. I dipped each slice of artichoke heart in the batter, and then added it to a pot of hot oil, allowing them to fry until crispy. Now, these were delicious! Next time around, I think I'll leave them in the oil a little longer, allowing them to brown more. The recipe calls for serving them with some malt vinegar, and some Meyer Lemon salt. I did neither of these things because I served them as a side to the risotto, rather than an appetizer course. But, they were delicious. My friend asked me a valid question: can you buy fresh artichoke hearts? I did feel like I was wasting something as I peeled the meaty outer leaves away and put them in the garbage...but, what else could I have done? Does anyone know if there's a place to buy fresh artichoke hearts?
The risotto was extremely flavorful with the use of the vegetable broth. It even lended a richer color to the meal, and I found that the vegetable broth was thicker and richer in texture than other stocks. It was a really hearty meal, and the beet cakes were a wonderful addition to the meal. Another successful vegetarian meal!
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