Morel Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto

•  5 cups water
• 1 cup dried morel mushrooms
• 2 large handfuls of garlic chives
• 4 T butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 lb asparagus, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, simmer the morel mushrooms and garlic chives in the 5 cups of water for 10-15 minutes. Strain the mushroom broth into a bowl, and reserve the mushrooms. Chop the mushrooms, and discard the garlic chives. 

In the saucepan, brown the butter, garlic, and rice. When lightly browned, deglaze with the lemon juice and white wine, and begin adding a cup of the broth at a time. After each cup, stir and wait for the rice to absorb the liquid before adding the next cup. When about halfway through adding the liquid, add the asparagus. When the rice is fully cooked and all the broth has been added, remove from heat and fold in the cheese and morel mushrooms. Salt and pepper as desired.

Makes approximately 4 servings.

Asparagus Pizza

Pizza dough
alfredo sauce
several asparagus spears
caramelized onions
prosciutto or coppa
Romano cheese

Chop asparagus into 2-inch pieces and saute.  Cut meat into strips. Preheat oven to 450.

Shape pizza dough, spread the alfredo sauce, and arrange the asparagus, onions, and meat on top. Grate a small amount of cheese on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the meat is getting crispy and the dough is cooked.

Savory Bread Pudding 2

2 stale baguettes, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 eggs
1+ quart of milk
1 T salt
2 t ground mustard
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 t ground sage
2 t ground dried rosemary

Whisk eggs and spices together, add milk (and additional eggs if needed) to cover bread. Add bread, mix well. Let stand overnight in the fridge with something- I used a bowl filled with water- holding the bread down in the egg mixture.

1 onion
4-5 small carrots
6 cloves of garlic, minced
a big handful of fresh thyme
a large sprig of rosemary
several stalks of celery
1 bunch of asparagus
1 head of Swiss chard
2 cups of grated romano cheese

Cut the veggies into bite-size pieces, and saute, adding in the order listed. Chop the herbs very finely and saute with the veggies. When cooked, add to the bread/egg mixture, tempering to prevent scrambled eggs. Fold the cheese in, leaving some to put on top.

Spray two casserole dishes with pam, and fill just over half full with the bread and veggie mix. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for an hour, with the lids on for the first half.

Makes 16-18 servings.

Savory (not sweet) Bread Pudding

French bread
1 bunch of asparagi
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 t salt
ground pepper to taste
1 cup Gruyere cheese (very mellow cousin to Swiss, however Swiss is not a good sub, just use more mozzarella and Parm, or a different cheese you think would taste good, instead)
1/2 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 spears of green onion
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 cup chopped fresh marjoram

Grease casserole dish with butter or oil. Cube bread and place in a large bowl. If the bread is fresh toast it after cubing it. In a large liquid measuring cup beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together. Grate the cheese, and mix it in with the egg mixture. Mince the green onions and herbs, taking care to remove the marjoram stems, and any tough parsley stems. Mix these into the egg mixture. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop the asparagus up, and add it in with the bread. Pour the egg mixture into the bread mixture, mixing until all is combined. Press the bread down into the egg mixture with a spoon until it is saturated. Pour everything into the casserole dish, and bake until the top is browned and the egg is cooked, 30-40 minutes.

Steamed Vegetables

• 2-3 heads of broccoli or
• 1 head of cauliflower or
• 4 zucchinis or
• Several handfuls of fresh green beans or
• Head of spinach or
• Several squash or
• 1 stand of asparagus or
• 6 artichokes or
• Head of Swiss chard or
• Several carrots or
• Brussel sprouts or
• Cabbage or
• Corn on the Cob

Put 1/2 to 1 inch of water in a pot or saucepan- very important!! Place open steamer in the pan. Make sure that the water is not covering the veggies, or you will be boiling rather than steaming them. Be more judicious with the water if you think you might forget about it. Wash and cut the vegetables, and put in the steamer. Cover, bring to a boil, and steam for 5-10 minutes.

Notes:

• Broccoli stems are good if the skin is peeled off. Cut off bottom, then peel skin from bottom to base of florets. Then slice. Steam broccoli until bright green.

• Snap bottoms of the asparagus off rather than cutting- they break at the sweet spot.

• Trim the stems of artichokes. Steam for 40 minutes- put more than 2 inches of water in the pan so boiling water doesn’t run out. Serve with melted butter.

• Some squash is good with butter and brown sugar.

• Christy and Dave have had some success covering vegetables in water in the microwave. For artichokes, it takes considerably less time to cook. Place artichokes in casserole dish, cover completely with water, and cook until done, about 15 minutes.
  

• Trim stems on brussel sprouts, cook until tender.