Sally Cooks, Gumbo Timbale, Mushroom Farro Risotto, Educated Golden Beets

Sally Cooks!!

Once a year, Sally cooks, and I enjoy the fruit of her labor!  Usually she cooks our British Christmas dinner, but last week she also cooked this beautiful Balsamic Glazed Salmon dinner with purple potatoes and roasted vegetables! Very tasty and colorful as well!

For the salmon, she used the leftover Balsamic Reduction that I made for the Strawberry-Farro Salad I made a week or so back.  Vegetables and potatoes came from our SW Florida Produce Co-Op box.

Gumbo Timbale (a.k.a. Inside Out Gumbo)
We needed a dish to take to the Americana Community Music Association Christmas party and Open Mic last Saturday.  This timbale is not only great tasting, but the presentation is great as well.  There was only one small slice left, so folks seemed to like it.

Basically this is the same recipe I wrote about here:
https://foodingaround-kiltedcook.blogspot.com/search?q=Rice+Timbale

The difference between that recipe and this one is the filling. 

I got a bag of Gumbo vegetable blend from the frozen food section of the megamart, then added a diced red bell pepper, a couple sticks of celery diced, and half each of a red onion and white onion also diced.  I simmered that together with some Cajun seasoning (I like Tony Cachere's tm) until cooked through, and I tightened the concoction at the end with a sprinkle of Wondratm.

For the crust, you basically cook up 3 cups of short-grain "sticky" rice and let it cool.  Then beat 4 eggs together with about a teaspoon of Turmeric for color.    Mix the rice and eggs together very well.  Using a paddle or spatula and your wet hands, pack the rice around the bottom and side of a greased 8" springform pan, in a layer 1/2" thick (measure it, don't go by eye like I did the first time).  Use about 2/3 of the batch of rice).

Fill the rice shell with the gumbo mixture,

then top the whole thing with the remaining rice.  Bake at 450F for 45 minutes.

Let the timbale cool at least 15 minutes before removing the pan side, and carefully transfer to a platter for slicing and serving.  A serrated breadknife is a good choice for slicing.

Farrotto -- Mushroom Farro Risotto
I told you last week I was going to try this.  Sally's Mum came to lunch on Sunday and I prepared this alongside some really nice sausages.

1 cup dried pearled Farro
1 lb Mixed Mushrooms, chopped
1 Shallot, diced;  Green Onions would also work
4 Tbsp Butter, divided
2 Tbsp EVOO
3-4 cups Broth, kept warm
1 cup White Wine
Parmesan cheese and/or Parsley for garnish

In a large pan or skillet on medium heat (I used 350F to start then half way through reduced to 300F), cook the mushrooms and shallot in half the butter until they are softened.  Add the Farro and cook a bit while you measure out the wine.  Add the wine to the pan and cooking until it is almost all absorbed.

Add a ladle of broth at a time, cooking until each is absorbed.  I made broth from 4 cups of water and a half teaspoon each of these powdered mushrooms. 

You'll want to stir fairly frequently to prevent sticking.

Keep adding broth and cooking until the Farro is tender, but still retains some chewiness.  Taste, and season with salt & pepper as you go along. You don't want a lot of liquid in the final product, it's not a soup after all, so go slower at the end.  Total time maybe 30 minutes.

Stir in the other two Tbsp of butter and serve, topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese and/or minced parsley if you want.  As you can see, I served the risotto as a side to some nice sausages and steamed green beans.

This one is a real winner, folks!!  Will be making variations on this Farrotto many more times in the coming months.

I see no reason why you couldn't make this by adding all the liquid after the shallots and mushrooms are cooked.  You'd want to keep the temperature medium, and the cooking pan covered, so that the grain has a chance to absorb the liquid, rather than having the liquid evaporate.


Educated (Harvard) Golden Beets

College educated!  Why "Harvard"?  No one knows for sure. Could have been named by Yale students because of the Harvard red color and the 'thick' sauce of the dish.  Or it may be a mis-pronunciation of a tavern name.  Or a chef named Harvey(ed).

As a kid growing up, this was my favorite way to eat beets.  Usually the dish uses regular red beets, but I decided to make it with these beautiful Golden Beets we've been getting from the Co-op.
\

Harvard Sauce
1/3 cup Sugar
1-1/2 tsp Corn Starch
1/2 cup Sherry Vinegar (Apple Cider vinegar also works well.)
1/4 cup Water

Whisk all together.  Bring to a low boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour over the cooked beets.  Toss to coat, and serve.