Kate's in a pickle: Spring = preserved lemon & asparagus risotto

Hey there.

You may have noticed I've kept a low profile in Blogland. At first, I took a "break" when my arsenal of killer recipes and great photos ran low. Then, I thought I'd wait to post until I had something extra compelling to share, like a story that would make you weep or a recipe that calls for candied pansies or whatever latest twee foods are popular on Pinterest.

After that, I felt my writing and my food pics were inferior to everything else on the entire Internet. In other words, I fell into a vat of self-pity.

So...my oven got tired of that shit and spit fire at me.

It was a wake-up ~~call~~ fire!

I'd just turned on the broiler to brown a gratin, completely forgetting that Friday night's pizza box still sat inside. All I can say about the broiler incident is, wow. Cardboard sure is flammable. I remember thinking, as I saw the oven belch sheets of flame, "This could end badly."

As I tried to recall the types of kitchen fires and the different ways to extinguish them, from the lecture the fireman gave my third grade class at Washington Elementary, I saw a giant cup of water sitting next to the sink. Perfect. Flames be gone!

The next day, I scrubbed and scoured the oven with baking soda and vinegar, to literally smooth things over. That sparkling-clean oven made me feel like a culinary super hero, because ovens in my house are usually only clean on the day I move out. All that cleaning went to heck that same day, when a glass dish full of leftovers exploded in that same angry oven. Everything was warming up to a comfy 350 degrees until I cracked open the oven door to check. Neighbor Kristen's pie dish exploded into a cloud of airborne glass shards and burning vegetables.

I looked at the burning mess and thought, You're mad enough to spit glass? Ok. Time to blog.

So I did and here we are. There's a lot of catching up to do, but we'll start out easy.

Raymond and I bought a new sleeper couch in March. Then, a steady stream of visitors from Kansas and Ohio slept on it. We spent the whole month showing people the best of Portland, and the best of Oregon. We took my mom and sister to Kenny & Zukes Delicatessen and their pastrami fries blew our minds....

Later, our dear Kansas friends Elise and JJ spent their spring break with us in ~~sunny~~, rainy, gray beautiful Portland. After seeing all the usual sights in Portland (Powell's, Voo Doo Donuts, etc., etc.), we drove them to the coast and hula hooped at Hug Point on the beach.

Raymond and I chill with JJ, looking toward the ocean

Elise is the present-yet-unseen photographer in these gorgeous photos. Don't forget her there!

Hug Point is so named because back in ye olde Oregon Trail days, the stagecoach "highway" here actually hugged the coast closely, even at low tide. You can still see traces of the old path here, near the cave and waterfall. Can you imagine trying to drive a stagecoach here in bad weather, so close to giant waves?

Sneaking around at low tide with my hoops. Little-known fact: hula hooping by the ocean is the best thing in the world.

Here's a closer view of the waterfall, which feeds directly into the ocean, just a few feet away.

JJ hadn't been to the Pacific coast before this trip. We took her and Elise to several beaches this day, but Hug Point was everyone's favorite. How can you not fall for low-tide caves, waterfalls, and giant waves breaking right in front of you?

"Hug Point is the best!" - JJ

After all that beachy fun, we needed to eat.

Raymond and I love cooking for all our guests, as much as we love sharing our favorite Oregon restaurants with them. Basically, if you ever stay with us, plan on eating a lot.
Raymond pancake breakfasts for everybody (with bacon!) and I, in turn, cooked the risotto.

Elise loves fresh asparagus, so this risotto is full of fresh, tender asparagus tips and salty preserved lemon slices. It gets a handful of shredded Parmesan right at the end to smooth out the fresh, tart flavors. Elise and JJ loved this risotto so much, I didn't hesitate to make it for Lauren when she visited last weekend. It's basically spring, in a bowl. I hope you can make it for someone you love soon.

Oh, and it's good to be back. Missed you.

Asparagus and preserved lemon risotto
serves 8

2-3 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 bunch asparagus spears and stems, sliced
3 - 4 sliced preserved salted lemon, diced into 1/4" cubes
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

The trick for great risotto is stirring. Stir constantly. Prepare everything ahead of time and plan to spend a good 30 minutes in front of the stove, stirring. It's a recipe and a workout, and your efforts will be rewarded with a creamy deliciousness.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a 4-quart Dutch oven or large saucepan. When the oil is nice and hot, stir in the diced onion. Cook the onions for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to sweat and become translucent.

Stir in the rice, and make sure it's all evenly coated with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for several minutes, until the tips of the rice are translucent. Add wine (or an extra cup of broth) and stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed.

Reduce the heat to medium and stir in 1 cup of broth. Stir constantly, until all the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process until all the broth is incorporated into the rice. Stir in the fresh asparagus and preserved lemon. Remove the risotto from heat and stir in the Parmesan until the rice is smooth and creamy. Serve immediately as a main course with a green salad, or as a side with salmon or pan-fried chickpeas.