Wednesday, 9/1/10 – Level 5 Day 18 (Garde Manger)

So, it was our second-to-last day in Level 5, and it went almost as smoothly as the others in Garde Manger. I got excited at the beginning of class and declared, "Happy Last Day of Level 6!" to our kitchen mates. "…it's not our last day." Oh, gee, sorry. My bad. Friday is the last day of the current menu in the restaurant, so we were advised not to prepare too much food – only enough to get us through service on Friday evening. We were pretty conservative with our prep, and of course on a night when we made 20 tomato tarts, 25 were ordered. It's not too hard of a fix, but since I was on the dish it just added extra stress to my job. It's a fantastic dish – the word must be getting around!

I've been working pretty steadily for the past few weeks, and was extended on my current project until the end of September. That means great things for our bank account, yet bad things for my sanity and personal awareness (see Example). I had just finished a long day at work, the third in succession, and was facing a long night of school ahead. I may or may not have mentioned this before, but I'm a big reader (you can give me a wedgie later) and can almost always be found with a book in hand. I just started a new novel, got a seat on the subway and settled in for the long ride. Hmm…this book is great. Deep story lines, creative character development and intriguing plot twists…I'm greatly enjoying this. Then all of a sudden…"Next stop – 86^th Street." That's weird, since when does the downtown train go uptown to stop at 86^th Street, then back down to SoHo for school? "Please stand clear of the closing doors." Oh crap…wait a minute…CRAP! I'm on the wrong train!! Eeps! "GETTING OFF!" I grabbed my stuff and powered through the crowd, barely making it out as the closing door clipped my heels. I now had to walk through to the downtown platform, wait for the train and backtrack 30 blocks, only to find myself where I first started twenty minutes later. The sad part is that this is not the first time I've done this…I once ended up in New Jersey. That's a whole different transit line. Granted, I was a Freshman New Yorker, but for some reason I have way too much faith in my subconscious to lead me towards the right train. I was a few minutes late for school, but hey, it could have been worse…like New Jersey worse.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Steve usually cooks dinner to allow me some time to relax and update my blog. I kept having the nagging need to fill my stomach with risotto NOW, so I decided to take action and create. Enjoy!

THREE MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH CRUNCHY GARLIC SPINACH AND SEARED PORK TENDERLOIN

Serves 4

You Will Need:

½ cup White onion, diced

3 T butter, room temperature

2 cups Arborio Rice

¾ cup White wine

6 cups Chicken stock (not broth)

3 T Mascarpone cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

9 T Oil (Canola or Vegetable work well here)

5 medium-sized Cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 large Portobello mushroom, stems removed, thinly sliced and halved, if necessary

4 large Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced

4 Pork tenderloin medallions (or, accidentally, Canadian bacon in my case…hey, everything looks the same when it's unmarked and frozen)

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 large bunch Spinach, rinsed, stems removed, dried

Procedure:

Heat oven to 350˚F.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and keep it warm. Sweat the onions in a large saucepan until they are translucent and aromatic. Add the butter and the rice to the pan, and mix well until all of the rice is well-covered with fat and beginning to cook. Do not get any color on the rice! Pour in the white wine and let it reduce until the pan is almost dry. Add the chicken stock two ladles at a time – allowing the rice to soak up the liquid completely before adding more. Let it cook slowly, and remember to stir often so that the bottom doesn't brown.

The mushrooms must be cooked separately. Heat 3 T oil in a sauté pan until very hot. Add one kind of mushrooms and sauté until the edges start to crisp, moving constantly. Continue with the other types of mushrooms, setting each aside.

In an oven-safe pan, heat 2 T oil until very hot. Season both sides of the pork with a generous amount of salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Once one side develops a nice brown, flip. Place the whole pan, uncovered, in the oven and cook until the center of the pork reaches 140˚F.

Once the risotto is cooked (make sure you taste it! If crunchy…keep adding stock), stir in the mascarpone and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Risotto by itself is pretty bland, so seasoning is incredibly important. Stir in the mushrooms, as well as any juices that have dripped out of them.

Using the same pan you used for the mushrooms, heat oil and get it very hot. Throw in half the garlic and cook very briefly until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Throw in half of the spinach (don't overcrowd the pan) and cook just until half of the leaves are wilting. Place in a colander. Cook the other half of the garlic/spinach.

Serve a scoop of risotto in a bowl, covered with the spinach and pork. Yum!