Simple Delicious Dinner

After a wonderful, overwhelming fieldtrip to the Saturday Bellingham Farmer's Market this morning, we brought home a bevy of taste treats, all organic and fresh as the morning dew. A bunch of chioggia beets with their trademark red and white bullseye interior went into our blue Chico bag first. We promenaded up and down each of the colorful rows sampling pungent cheeses, stopping to listen to a jazz riff from one of the buskers, breathing in the flavors at the Ethiopian or Greek or Mexican food booths. Now and again we stopped to make another purchase, a cucumber, a bunch of carrots with their shiny green tops still fresh, red cabbage, broccoli, and a big bag of salad greens.

Tonight for part of our dinner plan I decided to cut the greens off the beets while they were still fresh. A bit of butter in a pan set on low heat, and the greens were braised in no time. 45 minutes before I had rubbed a little olive oil into a bone-in chicken breast, salted and peppered it and began roasting it in a 425 convection oven. The breast came out perfectly browned on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Along with the chicken and greens I decided on a creamy risotto. A cup of arborio rice tossed into a pan with hot olive oil, a few stamen of crocus and some chicken broth started things off. Keep stirring as you add a little more liquid at a time. As the mixture begins to thicken add a little more stock and continue stirring. After 10 minutes taste a grain or two of rice for doneness. Continue adding liquid each time the risotto begins to thicken. The last time you add liquid make it a 1/2 cup of dry white wine and continue stirring. Near the end stir in a cup of parmesan regianno and a small handful of fresh peas.

It doesn't much matter what you put into your risotto, mushrooms, asparagus, whatever is in season as long as the final product is rich and creamy. I plated up the beet greens on the plate, cut the chicken breast in half and placed a piece on top of the greens and spooned the risotto onto the plate.