Recipe/ Vegetarian

Roasted Cauliflower & Fresh Corn Risotto

So, as luck would have it, I’m a total Apple Cliché.
 
Roasted-Cauliflower-Risotto
I didn’t plan to turn out this way. It was never my intention. In fact, I resisted it for a very long time.
 
I thought Apple was so over-rated. And all those people sitting in coffee shops on their laptops? Yeah. Right. Because they’re just soooooooo cool.
 
In their converse sneakers and messy, un-washed hair. Consuming seven dollar coffees. Rotating between multiple screens on their Macs and yapping away about how “the design” is or is not working on their iPhones. I say again: Yeah. Right.
 
Too cool for school.
 
Well, that’s what I used to think anyway. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure they were all lovely people with exciting stories and important lives but I kind of chalked them up to an indie-over-rated-90’s stereotype. 
 
Vegetarian-Risotto-Recipe
And then I became self employed.
 
And I discovered that if I didn’t get out to work around people, I started to go a little bat-shit-crazy by about day 4 of no human interaction. In fact, I’m sitting in a coffee shop right now. As I type this. Surrounded by other Apple users.
 
My name is Kristy. I own a MacBook Pro. And this is my “coffice“.
 
I’m all those stereo-types: Converse sneakers. Messy, unwashed hair. Four dollar green teas that I sip for hours out of giant mugs. Rotating between multiple screens on my Mac and yapping on my iPhone about how the design is or isn’t working. Yup. That’s me.
 
Oh, and did I mention I also have black rimmed glasses, Rosebud Salve, jeans that I bought with holes already in them, nose piercings and tattoos?
 
…As it turns out… I’m not only an Apple cliché, but evidently, a hipster too.
 
What went so wrong? And when?
 
Something that hasn’t gone wrong? My roasted cauliflower and farmer fresh corn risotto. (don’t you just love my segues?)… 
 
Seriously. This shit tastes good, it’s loaded with vegetables and it’s cheesy, oozy rice. You could make worse dinners than this.

Roasted Cauliflower & Fresh Corn Risotto

Cook

Total

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Small Ears of Fresh, Organic Corn, shucked.
  • 1 Medium Sized Cauliflower, leaves peeled away, cored and broken into 1" pieces.
  • 1 C Arborio Rice.
  • 1 C Parmesan Cheese, grated.
  • 2 Shallots, thinly sliced.
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced.
  • 3 Tbsp Butter, unsalted.
  • 3/4 C Dry White Wine.
  • 5-6 C Chicken or Veggie Stock, well heated.
  • Fresh Parsley, roughly chopped.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
  • Coarse Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Toss the cauliflower in a couple glugs of olive oil and a good dash of salt and pepper. Make sure everything is well coated. Arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking pan (or 2) with the flat sides down. Place in hot oven and roast for 15 - 20 minutes or until fork tender and golden on the bottom. Remove from oven and set aside.
  3. As the cauliflower cooks, place the corn in a large pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and when the corn is just cool enough to touch, slice the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife from top to bottom. Compost the cobs and set the corn with the cooked cauliflower - aside.
  4. On a medium-low heat, melt 2 Tbsp of butter in large pan and add shallots and garlic, season lightly with salt. Saute 5 minutes, stirring often.
  5. Add rice, stirring until grains become slightly clear and golden on the outside, approximately 2 min.
  6. Gently pour in the wine, stir well, and allow for absorption by the rice and evaporation of the alcohol.
  7. Next ladle in enough stock to just cover the rice mixture and allow for a low simmer, stirring fairly regularly to avoid burning and encourage creaminess. Continue adding further ladles of broth as it gets absorbed, again only as much as is needed to cover the rice.
  8. This will continue for roughly 30 mins, or until rice mixture is creamy and has reached the desired texture. You want it to be soft and oozy but still hold it's texture and not be mushy.
  9. When you figure you've got about 5 minutes (one more covering of stock) left, stir in the cooked cauliflower and corn.
  10. Once it has reached the desired texture dump in the Parmesan cheese, parsley and about a Tbsp of butter and a good helping of fresh cracked pepper. Stir well.
  11. If you want to add perfectly seared scallops or juicy cooked chicken to meat it up, go for it!
  12. Eat.

 

 
 
 
Have you turned out the way you expected you would? Or do you continually surprise yourself? Are you any kind of cliché?

 

  • thecookssister
    August 5, 2013 at 4:59 PM

    I love risotto. It’s such an easy way to make a meal appear very fancy. Looks great, you must have devoured this dish in no time flat.

  • Subha Subramanian
    August 6, 2013 at 12:52 PM

    Delicious!!!! Like the combo too……..

    http://indianveggiesbhojan.blogspot.in/

  • Holli
    August 7, 2013 at 3:17 AM

    YUM!

    Welcome to the Apple club:) For the record I usually ordered drip coffee in my coffee shop days…

    In Seattle we have co-working spaces for rent per day or month to help give you an official space without the high rent of an office-maybe you have one around there? Or a small biz meet up group could help too. In the creative world, I have had a hard time finding a regular group. Went from 5 for the first meetng down to 2 of us:)

    • Kristy Gardner
      August 7, 2013 at 12:35 PM

      I do too, actually…. I splurged the day I wrote this 😉

      We definitely have spaces like that here too but they’re very expensive. The one I’ve seen was something like 5 hours for over a hundred bucks. Ouch.

      Apple clubbers unite.

  • France@beyondthepeel
    August 7, 2013 at 3:49 PM

    I love risotto and all the additional veggies makes this a real winner in my book. As our you darling! My hair isn’t so clean either but the good news is, my mac doesn’t seem to notice. It’s a true love (between my mac and me) when we can still have a good relationship if I let myself go.

    • Kristy Gardner
      August 11, 2013 at 4:49 PM

      Absolutely agreed, France 😉

  • Sam Title
    August 9, 2013 at 10:27 PM

    Kristy:

    I know for a fact you’re no cliche. We may have Converse shoes in common, but you beat my bodmods by your second piercing and first tat.

    And most of my jeans get holes in ’em after I buy ’em…so there’s that.

    We don’t all love risotto! I do…but that’s me…and I’m no cliche – most days.

    (Thanks for the shout-out link back to thecoffice.biz)

    Welcome to The Coffice!

    Sam Title
    @TheCoffice

    • Kristy Gardner
      August 11, 2013 at 4:50 PM

      Anytime Sam!! 🙂 You guys are awesome!

  • Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
    August 12, 2013 at 11:13 PM

    I still want this in my mouth.
    Let’s pray the CSA gods are good to me this week and bring me cauliflower and corn. If they do, then it’s meant to be.

    You are just now realizing you’re a hipster. They say you’re always the last to know, right?!

    • Kristy Gardner
      August 16, 2013 at 8:23 PM

      HAHA – i love that you knew that fact better than i did. crap.