Now, if you linked here from Facbeook, you'll notice I did not include a picture of this in the link. And that's because this is not the most photogenic of dinners! Believe me, after you've been smelling this cook for hours in the slow cooker, it will look delicious when it's ready. But I am posting a photo on the page, just so you know if it turns out 'right'.
I'm hoping this post will actually offer me a little inspiration. Coming back from a busy weekend away, I'm feeling a little lethargic today (Tropical Storm Debby isn't helping with a total lack of motivation). I feel like I want to cook something...but have no idea what! Yes, even people who love to cook have these days. So I thought a blog post might give me some ideas!
This recipe is from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker cookbook, and it quickly became one of our favorites! We eat it regularly as a main dish, I made it for a little holiday gathering with some Junior League pals and it had good reviews, and I made it as a side dish with my mother-in-law and her friends who were visiting. So it's very versatile, and very easy! Because of the red wine, it can take on a little bit of a pink hue.
Slow-Cooker Red Wine and Mushroom Risotto
- 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 3 Tbs butter
- 1 to 1.5 cups Arborio rice
- 1-2 containers baby portobello mushrooms, quartered
- 1/2 cup full-bodied red wine
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (we use low-sodium organic)
- Parmesan cheese to taste
- Salt to taste
In a medium to large saute pan, melt 2 Tbs butter. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook until soft (about 2-3 minutes). Now you could get pre-sliced mushrooms, but I recommend getting the mini ones whole, and then quartering them (or halving the smaller ones) because I think it preserves more flavor that way. Once the onion, garlic, and mushrooms are soft, add the Arborio rice and stir for 1-2 minutes--just coating the grains. You may add more butter at this time to make sure all the grains are coated.
I have flexible amounts of rice and mushrooms listed because if you're making as a main dish for a few people, you'll want closer to 1.5 to 2 cups of rice, and 2 containers of mushrooms. Or if you just want leftovers. If a side dish, or just a one-time meal for two people, stick to 1 c rice and 1 container mushrooms. If making a larger batch, I'd add in some more wine--closer to 1 cup--just for good measure :-)
PAM your slow-cooker, and then scrape the mixture into it once all the grains are coated. Add in the broth and wine (and optional salt if you want it), and mix thoroughly in the slow-cooker. Then cover, and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, or until all the liquid is absorbed, but the rice is still moist. If the rice has dried out a little too much, stir in some melted butter (another Tbs or 2). Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately. It reheats really well too! And when I made for a gathering, I made it ahead of time and then kept warm by moving to my serving dish and keeping on a low temperature in my oven while guests arrived.
You could also consider topping with shaved or grated Asiago--but Bobby and I both prefer Parmesan.
I think it's entirely possible that Bobby married me for access to my mother's Caesar salad recipe. And key lime pie. But more on pie later.
This recipe is a slight derivation from her original Caesar recipe, in that I've added ingredients to make this version a 'meal salad' instead of a 'side salad'. It's basically something I made up to combine her delicious salad with one of my favorite dishes at Amerigo's (is Amerigo's still around even? We had one in Louisville for a while but it closed! That would be a shame because Amerigo's was delicious!)
And don't worry, there's no anchovies.
Chicken and Pasta Caesar Salad
- 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
- Several handfuls of romaine lettuce or enough to fill the bowl (or spinach...we use spinach for pretty much everything)
- 1 handful shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 package chicken tenders, grilled and chopped
- 1 1/2 c shell pasta, cooked
- 2-3 Tbs of jarred pesto OR another 2-3 Tbs of EVO and a few dashes of dried basil flakes
I'll start out by apologizing for the lack of exact ingredients! I think I've just made my mom's Caesear salad so often I completely eyeball everything.
In a large salad bowl, add crushed garlic to the bottom. Pour EVOO on top of the garlic--enough so that it coats most, if not all, of the bottom of your salad bowl. And a few sprinkles of salt (we use no-salt seasoning) and pepper. Let that sit while you grill the chicken tenders and boil the pasta. We use a George Forman grill for chicken tenders usually, but you could also chop and cook in a skillet with a little EVOO if you don't have a Forman grill. Or bake them if you have more time...but who has that?
When the pasta is done, drain it and let it cool in the colander for a little while. Same with the chicken--let it cool for a while before chopping.
Add lettuce or spinach to the salad bowl. Top with parmesan and croutons. Then add chopped chicken. Once the pasta has cooled a little bit, move it to a small mixing bowl and combine with jarred pesto. If you don't have pesto, you can add a few Tbs of EVOO and some dried basil flakes and it turns out great. Basically you just want to get a little something on the pasta so it isn't dried out when you add it to the salad. Add pasta to the bowl.
Place egg yolk in a small bowl and discard the shell and egg white. Add 1/4 (ish...) cup of lemon juice (I typically go with fresh squeezed if you've got some lemons around) and whisk together quickly with yolk. My mom calls this process 'coddling' I think. She has assured me through the years that combining the yolk with lemon juice somehow, sort of...cooks it. I've been eating her Caesar salad my whole life, so I'll get on board and assure you it's totally fine! And really, it's not like we don't all eat cookie dough ya know? All the same...my pregnant friends should probably not make this dish :-)
Once the egg and lemon juice are well whisked, pour on top of salad. Mix thoroughly and serve immediately. It's insanely good.
