Fresh Corn Risotto

   The latest issue of Midwest Living (July/August 2011) arrived at the end of last week and Barry earmarked the Fresh Corn Risotto page. Last night he prepared his version of the recipe to accompany the Shrimp Scampi he prepared for dinner. A great way to use fresh corn.

    Here's a link to the original recipe . . .Fresh Corn Risotto with Wild Rice and Pancetta -- "Summer's Gold" is the name of the article that features this recipe and lots of other out-of-the-ordinary uses for corn.

And, here's Barry's version of Fresh Corn Risotto

Makes 6 main-dish or 12 side-dish servings

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 3 pieces of bacon, chopped

1 large  onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

1¼ cups uncooked arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine 

¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth

1½ cups fresh corn kernels or frozen whole kernel corn, thawed, or canned corn, drained

1 cup  cooked wild rice*

½ cup (2 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

About 3 tablespoons of roasted red peppers, chopped (this was Barry’s extra addition)

Grated Parmesan cheese

Snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

1. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons butter and the oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook and stir until nicely browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to reserved drippings; cook and stir until onion is tender.
2. Add Arborio rice to onion mixture in saucepan; cook and stir over medium heat about 3 minutes or until rice begins to brown. Stir in half of the cooked pancetta. Carefully add wine and crushed red pepper.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring broth to boiling; reduce heat and simmer. Slowly add 1 cup of the broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until liquid is absorbed. Add another ½ cup of the broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Add remaining broth mixture, ½ cup at a time, cooking and stirring constantly just until rice is tender and the broth has been absorbed. (This should take about 20 minutes total.)
4. Stir in corn, cooked wild rice, the ½ cup cheese, the 2 tablespoons butter pieces, black pepper and roasted red pepper. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Divide risotto among six shallow pasta dishes or bowls. Sprinkle risotto with the remaining cooked bacon, grated cheese and parsley. 
To cook wild rice for this recipe — rinse ½ cup wild rice, lifting the rice with your fingers to clean thoroughly; drain. In a small saucepan, combine wild rice and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 40 minutes, without stirring, or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. If needed, drain. Makes about 1¼ cups. Click on Wild Rice for more info on wild rice.

More Mixes . . . Long Grain Wild Rice Mix

Long Grain Wild Rice Mix     Yield: About 4 cups

3 1/4 cups uncooked long-grain rice

3/4 cup wild rice

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) instant chicken, beef or vegetable bouillon

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1.     Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir until evenly distributed. 

2.     Store in an air-tight jar, plastic container or bag. Label container(s) with contents and date. 

3.     Store in a cool, dry place.  Use within 6 to 8 months. 

Ready–to-Serve .. .Long Grain Wild Rice      Yield: 4 to 6 servings

2 2/3 cups water (or use stock instead for added flavor)

1 1/3 cups Long-Grain Rice Mix

1 tablespoon butter

1.     Bring water (liquid) to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. 

2.     Stir in the rice.  Cover, reduce, heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes (without stirring) or until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. 

3.     Remove from heat and let steam with the lid on for about 2 minutes longer.

Wild Rice in not officially classified as rice, but is in fact a type of grass that grows on long stalks and thrives in deep water. Much of the wild rice from Minnesota is still harvested and parched with methods similar to those used in the past. All wild rice is sold with the bran on the kernel and this gives it a black appearance.

Rice (long-grain) to Liquid Proportion: Long-grain rice to liquid proportion is generally 2 to 1.

Wild Rice Bread

     Attention bread bakers — this is our new favorite bread! I found the recipe on the allrecipes.com app; then made just a few minor adjustments. The original recipe says this makes five loaves, however I divide it into fourths and it makes tall loaves. Wild rice and molasses gives this tender, moist bread a nutty flavor. Warm it and serve with soups, salads, or main dishes, toast it for breakfast, or use it for the very best grilled cheese sandwich! This recipe can also easily be cut in half.

 

Wild Rice Bread

2 (1/4 oz.) pkg. active dry yeast (or about 2 tablespoons bulk yeast)

4 1/2 cups warm water (110 - 115°), divided use

1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup molasses

2 tablespoons salt

1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice*

About 14 cups all-purpose flour (or use part bread flour &/or white whole wheat flour)

1.   In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar; let stand for 5 minutes.

2.   To the yeast mixture, add the oil, molasses, salt and remaining 3 1/2 cups water and remaining sugar; mix well. Add wild rice.

3.   Stir in about 10 to 12 cups  of flour to form a soft dough. (Add more flour as as you knead to keep dough from being sticky . . . but AVOID adding too much— the dough should remain soft and very pliable.) Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes (kneading can also be done in a standard-size Kitchen-Aid type mixer, however plan to spend a little time cleaning it afterwards – dough tends to work itself up onto the head of the mixer).

4.   Place in a large greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

This is what the dough looked like after the first rise.

5.   When double is doubled in bulk, punch it down. Re-cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down again. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into four portions. Shape each into a loaf. Place in four greased or sprayed 9x 5x 3” loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Loaves have gone through a second rise and are ready to go into a preheated oven.

6.   Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 20 to 30 minutes or golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. If desired, brush loaves with just a little butter as they cool – it will make the tops shine.

Out of the oven and ready to eat!

*I found a 4 oz. pkg. of Wild Rice locally; cooked according to package directions, it yielded 2 1/2 cups prepared rice. I bagged, labeled and froze the remaining rice for another batch of bread. I suppose you could reduce the rice in the recipe to 1 1/4 cups and then you’d have an equal amount for the next batch of bread. Wild Rice is also available in bulk at some specialty stores.

Baking Tips:

·     If you measure the oil first and then the molasses, as listed in the recipe above, the molasses will fall right out of the measuring cup without scraping.

·     To shorten the proofing time ( in steps #4 & 5 above), use the “Bread Proof” setting of an oven. In my oven the rising time is cut by about half.  No “Bread Proof” setting – a similar environment can be created placing the bread (covered with a towel) in a gas oven warmed by a pilot light or in an electric oven that has been turned on at 200° for one minute, then turned off.  To create a moist “proof box,” set a pan of hot water on the bottom rack and place the rolls on a rack above the water.

·     Testing for “double in size”: Press the tips of two fingers lightly and quickly 1/2”  into the dough.  If the dent stays, it is double. 

·     To shape yeast bread loaves: With a rolling pin, roll dough into a sheet about a 9 x 12” rectangle (roll gently but firmly to get rid of gas bubbles in the dough as well as to shape). Using your hands, roll up dough like a jelly roll, starting at long side.  Pinch edges to seal, and then fold sealed ends under. Place, seam-side down, in greased pans.      

·    To check for doneness: When the baking time is up, remove one loaf and tap the bottom or sides. It should be done if it sounds hollow. For even more accuracy, use an instant read thermometer inserted in center of bread. Soft rolls should register @ 190° F and Breads should have an internal temp of 210° F.