Parsnip Rosemary Risotto

First, yes there is knitting. I finished Sharfik #2 for my sister whose due date is today, btw. I have also knit a few inches on the Manly Sweater. Yeah for size 8 needles!

But the knitting will have to wait because today we have the parsnip rosemary risotto (recipe March issue, Bon Appetit) I made this Monday night. What you have above is 1: parsnips, onions and butter sauteeing to a lightly browned, slightly softened, buttery oniony goodness, 2: the same with the addition of arborio rice and the first dose of liquid (vegetable broth) and 3: the end result, a creamy yummy risotto, fully matured and spiced (herbed?) with fresh rosemary.

The finished product was creamy and starchy with a peppery bite from the parnsips. The sweet/peppery flavor of the parsnips melded perfectly with the rosemary and the parmesan cheese, which was mixed in immediately prior to serving. Mmmm....yummy.

I was quite pleased with the way this dish turned out. I was initially worried that the rosemary might overwhelm the dish. I made a blue cheese/butternut squash/rosemary risotto last February that languished in the fridge because the combination of the rosemary and the blue cheese (gorgonzola actually) was overwhelming and too strong for Stephen and I. Since then I've been a bit wary of both blue cheese and rosemary in recipes, leaving them out or substituting much of the time. But this recipe strikes just the right balance, and I think, is helped by the "bite" of the parsnips. The butternut squash in the previous recipe was simply mushy and tasteless under all that strong cheese and herb. But the parsnip is able to stand up to the rosemary and the cheese and not be subsumed by it.

Needless to say, I will be making this again, and we have leftovers so I will soon report on whether its better a day or two of marinating in the fridge.

Tomorrow: finished, BLOCKED, objects and some Manly Sweater. It's so...Manly.