It’s always fun to connect with great people. Russ and I were lucky to spend some time with Linda and Ed Davey at their home to enjoy an amazing meal together.
We first started out with some homemade garlicky bean dip served with Linda’s homemade sourdough bread. Okay, how lucky are we?
Then Linda was off and ready making our risotto dinner. The ingredients were top notch: Ed’s homemade feta cheese {yes, they make homemade bread and cheese…how good is that?} and Swiss chard from Tangerini’s CSA {local, sustainable farming=nice}, tomatoes, capers, olive oil, onion, garlic and vegetable broth, and of course, a splash of wine.
Risotto is made with arborio rice which looks like this:
Linda browns up the arborio rice with some oil and butter.
And adds in some Swiss chard and alternates with broth.
Linda finishes the risotto with feta cheese. And of course, what doesn’t taste better with feta cheese? Especially Ed’s homemade feta!
Pre-meal happy faces!
Gorgeous risotto meal ready for my stomach.
Glass of white wine, good food, and nice conversation. It’s all good.
And get’s better…because Linda treats us to a very decadent butterscotch pudding!
Linda’s recipes below. Delicious!
Butterscotch Pudding
4-6 servings
Adapted from Ripe For Dessert (HarperCollins)
4 tablespoons (60g) butter, salted or unsalted
1 cup (180g) packed dark brown or cassonade sugar (I use ½ cup light brown sugar and ½ cup Dark Muscovado brown sugar)
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2½ (625ml) cups whole milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons whiskey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the dark brown sugar and salt, and then stir until the sugar is well-moistened. Remove from heat.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with about 1/4 cup (60ml) of the milk until smooth (there should be no visible pills of cornstarch), then whisk in the eggs.
3. Gradually pour the remaining milk into the melted brown sugar, whisking constantly, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture as well.
4. Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it begins to bubble, reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue to cook for one minute, whisking non-stop, until the pudding thickens to the consistency of hot fudge sauce.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the whiskey and vanilla. If slightly-curdled looking, blend as indicated above.
6. Pour into 4-6 serving glasses or custard cups and chill thoroughly, at least four hours, before serving.
Linda’s Risotto
Wash & cut veggies of choice – I used chard, plum tomatoes, assorted cherry tomatoes, onion & garlic
Prepare 3-4 cups broth (I use ½ low sodium vegetable bouillon and ½ regular bouillon-prepared as directed)
Add 2T olive oil & 2T butter to large sauté pan.
Add Onion 1/4 cup, Garlic 1-2 cloves, minced & 1C Arborio rice, sauté over medium heat until rice starts to brown.
Add ½ Cup white wine and cook until absorbed (optional – can also use broth)
Add broth to cover and simmer until absorbed, stirring occasionally
Add veggies alternating with broth, continue until veggies are cooked, rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Add 1-2 tsp. capers
Remove from heat
To finish:
Add 2 T butter and stir until melted, or add 3 T heavy cream or ½ & ½ and ¼ cup parmesan cheese
(I also added a little of Ed’s Feta Cheese before serving)
Enjoy!!
Thanks Linda and Ed for a great night!
And a word about Swiss chard…for a mere 35 calories per cup this veggie is a nutrition superstar! Loaded with potassium, Vitamin C, fiber, and Vitamin A, chard is SO good for you. I think the taste is milder than spinach, it cooks up quickly and can be added easily to soups, meatloaf, risotto, lasagna, and more. Give Swiss chard a try! Available now at many local farms.