Ward Street Bistro

Mushroom and Tomato Risotto

I am very pleased to be doing a second guest post over at one of my favorite cooking sites, startcooking.com. This time I'm featuring a quick & easy risotto - no stirring required - that makes a great weeknight dinner. The key is cooking a flavorful plain risotto on its own and  mixing it into a skillet that contains a desired combination of vegetables, herbs, seafood, sausage...whatever strikes your fancy. I'm demonstrating the recipe with one of my favorite combinations - tomatoes and mushrooms - both of which have had their flavors concentrated before being mixed into the rice.  I hope you'll stop by startcooking.com to check my latest post and of course the wealth of other recipes and information Kathy Maister provides.

P.S. If you're curious on how Kathy does her amazing how-to videos, there is a complete explanation here.

Rhubarb fool

In honor of April Fool's Day (and with rhubarb season around the corner) I'm offering up this rhubarb fool. The recipe, adapted from Cook's Illustrated, could hardly be simpler, yet served in some pretty glassware it makes an elegant finale to a meal. 

You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make it step-by-step...

Dive into... red pepper-hazelnut dip

This red pepper-hazelnut dip meets all my requirements for the perfect appetizer: quick, easy, delicious. And, by the way, it pairs very nicely with the artichoke and mushroom lasagna. The dip requires only a few simple ingredients and a food processor.

I'll take you through making this recipe, step-by-step...