Curried Pumpkin Hummus

I love a good hummus. And this is a really really good hummus. I kept seeing pumpkin hummus on blogs (mind you this was back in the fall) so one day when I had an open can of pumpkin, I knew what I had to do with the leftovers.

I didn't taste the pumpkin, but I loved how creamy the hummus was and it had a really great flavour from the curry powder, cumin, garlic, almonds and tahini. The original recipe doesn't have any oil, and I tried to make it that way but it just wasn't coming together in the nice smooth way that I like. So I added a tablespoon of oil and it was perfect.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Roasted Red Pepper & Almond Hummus
Spinach Artichoke Heart Dip
Hummus
Sweet Potato Black Bean Salsa

Curried Pumpkin Hummus
Adapted from Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Makes about 3 cups

Scant 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked 8 hours, cooked and drained (or 2 1/2 cups cooked, rinsed and drained)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/4 cup raw almonds
3 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

In a food processor, add all the ingredients. Process until smooth.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

This dip is just completely phenomenal, and the best cheese dip I've ever had. It's amazing when it's hot out of the oven, and maybe even better when it's cooled down to room temperature. It tastes just like a jalapeño popper - though I like this dip better. And while it does have a distinct jalapeño flavour, it's not too spicy. My favourite things to dip were celery sticks and pita chips!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Roasted Red Pepper & Almond Hummus
Cheddar Ale Dip
Pan-Fried Onion Dip
Grape Tomato Salsa

Jalapeño Popper Dip
Adapted from My Baking Addiction

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
4 ounces canned diced jalapeño peppers, drained
1 cup grated jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in green chilies, jalapeño peppers, and Monterey Jack cheese. Spoon this mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Mix together the Panko and Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it over the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is lightly browned.

Mango Salsa

My attempt at making the plate look nice! Look how the salsa is draped over the dry burger. ;)

I've tried out a few vegetarian burger recipes, but never seem to have much luck, except for these mushroom pecan burgers which are so flavourful, moist and tasty. My burgers always seem to be too dry or too crumbly or not flavourful enough. I guess the other problem is that I either bake them (which dries them out too much it seems) or pan fry them with a minimal amount of oil (which is never enough oil to do a good job). So it could very well be me that is the problem and not the recipes! I've saved tons of burger recipes but only rarely feel inspired to try them.

Anyway, so I tried out the Anaheim black bean burgers from the Rebar cookbook, with high hopes as Rebar is one of my absolute favourite cookbooks. The burgers didn't turn out so well, but the mango salsa that they suggested pairing it with was amazing. And that most delicious mango salsa is what I'm sharing with you today. Fresh salsa is one of my very favourite things to eat (so it's actually surprising that I never make it - I guess I'm scared of messing it up even though I know it's so simple).

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Hummus
Beet Raita
Olive Tapenade
Grape Tomato Salsa

Mango Salsa
Adapted from Rebar

2 mangoes, finely diced
1/4 red pepper, finely diced
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, mix together and season with salt. Serve immediately or refrigerate to serve later.

Roasted Red Pepper & Almond Hummus

I love sharing the food that I make on this website but as I've mentioned before, sometimes (okay more than sometimes), I get sick of taking photos of the food. Like when I made this hummus. I couldn't be bothered to put it in a separate container to showcase it better, and hey maybe it will be interesting for someone to see what my food processor looks like! By the way, I really don't like this food processor. It doesn't shred/grate very well (or I don't know what I'm doing - possible) and it has this place in the lid where food can shoot out of it (if that makes sense) and it always leaks out whatever I'm making.

Anyway! On to the hummus. Supremely delicious. I love the addition of roasted red peppers and almonds. I think this hummus takes the place of my old favourite hummus. It's really flavourful and tastes & feels really creamy. I've also tried the olive & sun dried tomato hummus from the same cookbook (Eat, Drink & Be Vegan) but wasn't a fan of that one.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Olive Tapenade
Cheddar Ale Dip
Grape Tomato Salsa
Pan-Fried Onion Dip

Roasted Red Pepper & Almond Hummus
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1/2 cup raw almonds (with skins on)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (about a 19oz can)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers (from jar), excess liquid drained or patted off
2 medium garlic cloves, sliced (less if you're not a super garlic person)
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-4 tsp water (to thin dip as desired)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

In a food processor, add 1/2 cup almonds and pulse until very fine. Add vinegar, oil, chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth, gradually adding water as desired to thin dip and scraping down sides of bowl several times. Once smooth, add parsley and puree briefly to lightly incorporated ingredients.

Beet Raita

I always love eating raita when I go out for Indian food, and am scared of making it at home because I so badly want it to taste good so I don't want to screw up. But then I came across this beet raita and thought it sounded interesting and different, plus I love beets. (Beets are actually one of my favourite foods. I don't post about them often because I love eating them just roasted and plain.) Thus my first adventure with raita began! It's interesting because it's so full of chunky stuff - beets, potatoes and green onions. I'm used to raita being more like a dip/sauce and quite smooth. Anyway it was yummy and I'd make it again to eat with Indian food - it's always nice to have something cooling. If you have a good plain raita recipe, I'd love for you to share it with me!

My fiancé couldn't find Abby one morning, then finally found her hiding on his dresser behind clothes. So cute!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sesame Beets
Beet, Barley and Black Bean Soup
Indian Stir Fried Cabbage
Pink Beans with a Cardamom-Yogurt Sauce

Beet Raita
Adapted from The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook

Makes about 3 cups

2 medium beets
1 medium waxy potato, peeled, such as Yukon Gold (I would omit this next time)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (I used 2%)
2 green onions, minced
1/2 clove garlic, grated
2 tsp dried dill
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 425F.

Wrap the unpeeled beets in foil. Bake the beets until tender, about 50 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap and slip off the peel.

Meanwhile, fill a medium saucepan with enough water to cover the potato. Bring to a boil over high heat, add the potato, cover, and lower the heat to medium. Boil the potato until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

In a mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, green onions, garlic, dill, cilantro, lemon juice, beets and potato. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled through, about 1 hour. Serve cold.

Olive Tapenade

I made this olive tapenade for my mom's birthday dinner because she's a big olive lover. Everyone always passes their olives over to her - well except me now, I've grown to like them. But I didn't think I, or anyone other than my mom or sister in law, would like this tapenade. But people did! It's so incredibly easy to make, versatile and full of flavour. I think it would be an excellent addition to an otherwise blah sandwich, or maybe it could be mixed into a pasta dish, and of course it can be eaten on bread as we did. When I cook, I'm scared of changing too much especially if it's an unfamiliar dish. But for some reason with this one, I felt confident it would turn out however I modified it and it did. So feel free to add or take out whatever you like.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Onion Chutney
Spinach Artichoke Heart Dip
Cheddar Ale Dip
Pan Fried Onion Dip

Olive Tapenade
Adapted from Lisa's Kitchen

I don't remember what kind of olives I used, and while it might be best to use Kalamata olives, I think any black olive would be okay. But I'm not a frequent olive eater so I might not know what I'm talking about. =)

1 generous cup of Kalamata olives, pitted
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary
freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you have a thick paste. Adjust seasonings accordingly.

Spinach Artichoke Heart Dip

Have I mentioned that I really don't like beans? And have I mentioned that I try to eat them a couple of times a week? This is partly due to the fact that they're a good protein source and also because they're good for you. I actually like beans in a few different recipes like hummus and refried beans. They're also okay if they're mixed in small amounts with other delicious things like tomatoes, corn and avocado. Or smothered in cheese! Though of course that's kind of defeating the purpose of eating them. Anyway - can anyone help me here? Got a good (and relatively healthy) bean recipe? I'm the least creative cook and am dying to find some ways I can actually enjoy eating beans.

This dip is actually a pretty good way to eat beans though. And it's even better when you crumble some feta on top and bake it. ;) I bet it would also make a good sandwich or wrap spread, and now I'm regretting not trying it. The garlic is quite strong if you eat the dip raw, so if you don't love garlic you might want to cut back on it a bit.

Edit: For some reason I forgot that there are some bean/legume recipes I really like - Indian dishes! Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen kindly provided me with a list of some of her favourite Indian dishes that I want to work my way through. So far I've tried her chana masala which was super tasty (and will be blogged about soon).

Some of you asked what kind of cracker I had the dip on. They're Mary's Gone Crackers (in Canada I think they're just called Mary's Crackers, box looks the same though).

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Artichoke Rotini Pasta
Hummus
Pan Fried Onion Dip
Cheddar Ale Dip

Spinach Artichoke Heart Dip
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

I used 1 tbsp dried basil instead of 2 tbsp fresh.

Makes 3 cups

5 oz fresh spinach, rinsed and stemmed (Ashley note: I used 1/2 a package of frozen spinach.)
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (15 oz can, drained and rinsed)
1 cup chopped green onions
1 tbsp dried basil
2 to 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
5 to 6 artichoke hearts or bottoms, minced (15 oz can)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

If using fresh spinach: Using just the water clinging to the leaves after rinsing, steam the spinach until just wilted, 2 or 3 minutes. If using frozen spinach: Thaw and squeeze out the water.

In a food processor, puree the spinach, garlic, beans, scallions, basil and 3 tbsp of the lemon juice until very smooth. Fold in the minced artichoke heats and add more lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Cheddar Ale Dip

I know this isn't the best photo but it was night time and can you really expect me to resist this dip until the next day when there's natural light?? I didn't think so. And yea you can see how far behind I am on posting about things I've made (from the Halloween bowl). ;)

One of my favourite things to eat is dip. I really love dipping. I try not to eat dip too often if it's the kind that's made with lots of cream or cheese though of course those are my favourites (except tzatziki and hummus - healthy and yummy!) This is one of those delicious not healthy dips. The original recipe has you eat it cold, but my boyfriend suggested heating it up and it was much better that way (though it's good cold too). The next day he added some leftover sauteed onions and broccoli to it. That was also delicious. Overall this dip was just delicious (which I'm sure you're getting by now). I loved the combination of cheddar cheese, cream cheese, Dijon and ale. I wasn't sure how much the ale flavour would come through but I was able to taste it. Maybe I'll add a bit more next time.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pan Fried Onion Dip
Hummus
Grape Tomato Salsa

Cheddar Ale Dip
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker's adaptation from from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

8 oz cream cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup beer (pretty much anything but a light beer)
2 teaspoons dried parsley

Combine the cream cheese, mustard, cheddar cheese, cream, and salt in a food processor. Process for 30 seconds, add the beer, and continue processing until very smooth. Pulse in the parsley until just dispersed.

This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You will want to take it out an hour before serving if you do refrigerate.

Pan-Fried Onion Dip

Alright so I know the photo is not that great and the dip may not look that awesome but believe me when I tell you your life is not complete without it! Especially if you let the onions caramelize longer than the recipe suggests. It's extremely addictively good. While I was making this, I had deja vu. So I went to one of the Best of Bridge cookbooks and looked up the recipe for "Caramelized Onion Dip". That's odd - it's exactly the same, except the Barefoot Contessa recipe uses 2 onions (which admittedly does make it better). But I was just really surprised to see that it's literally the same, including cooking method and times.

Anyway, delicious. Make it! We ate it with baby carrots, celery, and toasted whole wheat pita cut up into little triangles. It's a heavy dip (with the mayo, cream cheese and sour cream) so I think vegetables are the perfect thing to eat it with.

Pan-Fried Onion Dip
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Yield: 2 cups

2 large yellow onions (about 3 cups)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Put the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Serve at room temperature.

Hummus

I want to like hummus because it's a really healthy dip and I know I need to eat more beans. I've never really liked it though. I was flipping through How It All Vegan for bean recipes and saw that they had Holy Moly Hummus. This series of vegan cookbooks has never let me down and I'm always pleasantly surprised with how things turn out so I figured I had to try it.

It turned out really well and will now be my go to hummus recipe. I'd like to try adding roasted garlic next time. This post is pretty unexciting but trust me, the delicious hummus recipe makes up for it! You must try it, whether you are a hummus lover or disliker (as I was).

Holy Moly Hummus
adapted from How It All Vegan

Makes approximately 2 cups.

1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
splash of olive oil
2 1/2 cups cooked OR canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
3/4 cup tahini (about 200 grams)
1 1/2 tbsp Braggs OR soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice OR 1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt

In a small saucepan, saute onions and garlic in a splash of oil on medium heat until onions are translucent. In a blender or food processor, blend the sauteed onions, chickpeas, tahini, Braggs/soy sauce, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne and salt until you reach desired consistency.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salsa

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I really needed to make the effort to incorporate beans into my diet. Not only are they good for you but as a vegetarian, I think they should be included in at least a meal or two every week. Unfortunately up until this point, I have been a very bad bean fearing vegetarian. Because you see, I don't really love beans. The first bean dish that I liked was seven layer dip, but then the beans are covered by other delicious things like guacamole, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes and green onions. Then I discovered that I liked refried beans. But I haven't really explored the world of beans too much aside from that.

I've made a few dishes with chickpeas, though I don't really like chickpeas (aside from in hummus, delicious! - I still remember the time when I was on an airplane and my vegetarian meal was a bun with a few chickpeas in it...) I thought that if I made the beans from scratch (buy dried beans instead of canned), that might make the whole thing more exciting for me so I'd be looking forward to eating beans. I haven't done that yet, but I am becoming more accepting of beans. I think I need to find one or two kinds that I like and then find dishes that use them.

My issue with beans reminds me of Jeffrey Steingarten's book The Man Who Ate Everything. Great book by the way, highly recommend it. Anyway, he talks about how there were foods that he didn't like (I can't remember them now but I think one of them was Greek salad and possibly organ meats?). So what he did was he decided to expose himself to those foods enough, which resulted in him shedding his picky eater ways. Now in my head when I think of something I don't like but I know I should eat (ie. beans), I think of him and it makes it easier to know that one day I will like something I previously didn't.

Once I decided I needed to eat more beans, I started looking through my cookbooks' indexes to find something tasty. One of the first things I saw caught my eye: sweet potato and black bean salsa. Sweet potatoes are one of my favourite veggies (or technically tubers?) and one of my favourite things in general to eat, so how could I go wrong? And then I read the description above the recipe, which said "great for Halloween!" (since black beans = black, sweet potato = orange) and I was totally sold. (Halloween and the month leading up to it, the time of year, all the decorations, the spooky stories, and all of that wonderful stuff are all my favourite things.)

I had read through the entire recipe before going out to buy ingredients, but when I started making it, I completely forgot that I was going to half it (since it makes I think it was 7 cups of salsa!) That is an absolute ton of salsa for one person to eat. Luckily other people liked it so I constantly told them to eat it. I'm actually amazed that we got through the whole thing. Mostly I used the salsa to make quesadillas (just with the salsa and some cheese). So delicious. Other people wished it was spicier, and I would've been okay with that but I didn't have a problem with it the way it was. I was scared that the sweet potato would be too mushy once it was cooked and chopped but it held up just fine. The addition of pumpkin seeds was also festive, and nutritious! I've only made salsa a couple of times before and I haven't yet made a more traditional salsa. I think I'm scared of messing it up since I love salsa so much. I would definitely make this salsa again though, and surprisingly I wished that there were more beans in the salsa!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salsa
(adapted from Entertaining for A Veggie Planet)

Makes 7 cups

2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2), peeled & quartered
2 1/4 cups finely chopped tomatoes
1 13-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup fresh lime juice*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

1. Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until just tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool.

2. While waiting for the sweet potatoes to cool, put together the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Once the sweet potatoes are cool, finely chop them and add them to everything else. Mix well.

*For some reason the recipe says this is 6 limes but for me it was 2.

Most Delicious Salsa

I've eyed the recipe in the Rebar cookbook for Parmesan corn risotto cakes many times. Of course this was always at times of the year when there was no fresh corn to be had. Finally it happened where I looked at the recipe and I knew I could get fresh corn. I set out to make these one day for lunch for a friend and myself, but without a lot of foresight. The risotto needs time to completely cool before it can be made into cakes. I spread it out on a cookie sheet and put it in the fridge (then was scared that that was the reason our fridge broke but no it wasn't) hoping it would cool down fast enough but it just didn't really work. It was really difficult to shape the corn risotto into balls (oh and did I mention that I completely forgot to add the Parmesan, it still tasted good though!) The next day when I had leftovers, I just took them to work instead of trying to make them into cakes again.

You can really see here how the risotto didn't shape very well into patties.

The risotto is made with corn stock (made using fresh ears of corn that have had the kernels sliced off), shaped into balls, covered in cornmeal, then pan fried. And of course you add the freshly cut corn kernels to the risotto. I had no idea how delicious fresh raw corn is when cut off the cob (and hopefully this is something that's okay to eat and not going to screw up my digestive system or something). The taste of the risotto was good, and the crispy cornmeal bits on the outside were good too. I have definitely discovered that I do not enjoy shaping things into patties and pan frying them though - unless the things I'm pan frying are really going to stick together. One time I tried to make potato patties but I must have let the potatoes boil too long because the patties were too moist - or maybe I should've just added some flour or bread crumbs to them. I really love the idea of risotto balls or risotto cakes (one time I saw Emeril using leftover risotto to make risotto balls that he stuck a piece of cheese in the middle of, then deep fried), so I'd like to say that I'd try it again. But if nothing else, the corn risotto was good on its own (with or without the Parmesan!)

Anyway, it was the grape tomato basil salsa that really stole the show here. I've seen the recipe before and thought I'd like to try it, but salsa was one of the many things I feared making (along with pie crusts savoury and sweet), and it requires fresh basil so I'd prefer to make it in the summer when basil is cheap. (Though now that I know how delicious it is, I'd like to make it all year round.) It was very strange that I had all the ingredients in the house to make this salsa (which was the salsa suggested to go with the Parmesan corn risotto cakes), because I don't usually have grape tomatoes or basil in the house. I'm extremely happy that I did though because this salsa is amazing. Truly truly amazing and so delicious. I will be making it again and again. (Which reminds me that I should make a list somewhere of all my favourite food so I have this wonderful master list to refer to.) There's balsamic vinegar in the salsa which seemed different because I've never had vinegar in a salsa (to my knowledge), but it was oh so good.

I served the cakes and salsa with sauteed zucchini on the side - local yellow zucchini at that. I was very excited about this yellow zucchini, but for some reason it ended up tasting very odd to me, like seafood or something. Now I want to stay away from yellow zucchini, though I really should give it another chance.

I wasn't going to post the recipe for the Parmesan corn risotto cakes but then after I wrote all about it, I'm sure someone might be interested in it so I'll just post both recipes. Though if you're only going to make one of them, make the salsa! Make it soon while things are still in season. If you're looking for other risotto recipes, you can check out the baked sweet potato and beet risotto with peas I made.

Grape Tomato Salsa
(adapted from Rebar)

1 pint grape tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
3 scallions, greens only, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and cracked pepper to taste

Slice grape tomatoes into quarters. Toss with remaining ingredients, season to taste.

Parmesan Corn Risotto Cakes
(from Rebar)

Fresh corn stock
4 ears fresh corn, kernels removed and reserved
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
few springs fresh oregano, parsley or thyme
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp coarse salt
8 cups cold water

Risotto cakes
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups fresh corn
1 cup white wine
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup fine cornmeal

Note: Make the risotto the day before you want to make the cakes so the risotto has lots of time to cool completely. If you just want to eat the risotto and not make cakes, then obviously this doesn't apply.

1. Place stock into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Strain to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Strain and keep warm (you will need 4-5 cups in total).

2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy saucepan and saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add the rice and cook, stirring until the rice is well coated. Add the corn, season with salt and saute for several minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer until asborbed. Now start adding warm corn stock, one cup at a time. Keep stirring and add the next cup of stock only when most of the liquid is absorbed. Now start adding warm corn stock, one cup at a time. Keep stirring and add the next cup of stock only when most of the liquid is basorbed and the rice still looks creamy. When the rice is tender but the grains still slightly firm to the bite, remove risotto from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. (Stop here if you are just making the risotto and not the cakes.) Season to taste and spraed the risotto into a baking pan to speed cooling. Cover and refrigerate.

3. To saute cakes, form the risotto into 2 1/2" round cakes and dredge in cornmeal. Fry in hot olive oil unitl golden and crispy on both sides.