mascarpone Archives - Alida's Kitchen

Burgundy Porcini Risotto

March 20, 2014 ·

Burgundy Porcini Risotto is a rich, cheesy risotto made with porcini mushrooms and red wine. While risotto may seem intimidating, it truly is very easy to make and definitely something worth trying.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Gallo Family Vineyards Hearty Burgundy via the Mom It Forward Blogger Network. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

One of the key components of risotto is wine. People always say the wine you use to cook should be a wine you enjoy to drink. I typically make risotto with white wine, but generally prefer to drink red wine over white. So I decided to experiment and take one of our favorite risotto recipes and use one of my favorite red wines – Gallo Family Vineyards Hearty Burgundy. The Hearty Burgundy is a bold, flavorful wine that goes beautifully with the Parmesan cheese, mascarpone cheese, and porcini mushrooms in this dish. I decided to leave out the spinach from the original recipe, because I really wanted the red wine to shine through. The result was an amazing, cheesy, earthy risotto with the rich flavors from the Hearty Burgundy harmonizing with each bite….

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, sides, vegetarian Tagged With: #HBturns50, easy, mascarpone, mushrooms, parmesan, risotto, wine

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

September 20, 2012 ·

Every time I make Baked Tortellini with Spinach, I am left with 6 ounces of fontina cheese. While I would happily make it 3 more times, I have also had this Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta dish on my list of things to make for some time now. The first time I made this dish without mushrooms, and it was good, but I felt it needed something more. It needed mushrooms. Mushrooms are not typically my go-to for anything, but it really cried out for something earthy and meaty. Sauteed in a little garlic, the mushrooms were the perfect addition to this dish. I used some Parmesan cheese for some of the fontina in the original recipe to give the recipe a little more bite. Topped with buttery, garlic breadcrumbs, Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta is a delicious and sophisticated twist on macaroni and cheese ~ perfect for company or Sunday dinner comfort food.

Looking to use up the leftover mascarpone cheese? Try Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 pound medium pasta shells, uncooked (penne or other similar shaped pasta works too)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups skim milk
1¾ cups (6 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
¼ cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese
Salt and black pepper, to taste
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I use baby bellas)
1 clove garlic, minced
Cooking spray
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter (I use light butter)
1 small garlic clove, minced
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour and milk in a large sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, and cook for about 10 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken.
Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute mushrooms, with a pinch of salt, until softened (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add 1 clove of minced garlic in the last minute, if desired.
Remove milk mixture from heat and add cheeses, whisking until mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Add cooked pasta and mushrooms, stirring to coat and combine.
Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and pour pasta mixture into pan.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Remove from heat and add breadcrumbs, stirring to coat. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over pasta mixture.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Adapted from Cooking Light, November, 2006

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baked, cheese, dinner, fontina, mascarpone, mushrooms, parmesan, pasta, shells

Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone

October 7, 2011 ·

Years ago, I aspired to make risotto for the first time. But I hesitated, because it was a little intimidating and seemed quite difficult. Coincidentially, around the same time, I happened to catch a cooking show about risotto. The chef explained step-by-step how to make it and alleviated any uncertainty I had. Armed with a recipe from Cooking Light, I was bound and determined to perfect the art of making risotto!

Fortunately, risotto was just as easy to make as the professionals on television led me to believe. Years later, we are still enjoying that same recipe, however since then I have incorporated a few changes to the original recipe. I swapped oregano for thyme, added lots of fresh spinach and used vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian dish.

While we enjoy this risotto as a vegetarian entree, it of course makes for a wonderful side dish. Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone is a household favorite, suitable for company, and a definite crowd pleaser.

Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone

Ingredients

1½ cups boiling water
½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
14 ounces vegetable broth
Cooking spray
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (or other short-grain rice)
¾ cup chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup white wine
¼ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¼ cup (1 ounce) mascarpone cheese
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Combine boiling water and mushrooms; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain through colander over a bowl. Reserve 1¼ cups soaking liquid, and chop mushrooms.
In a small sauce pan, bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer (do not boil), keeping mixture warm over low heat.
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add rice, shallots and garlic; saute 5 minutes, or until the rice gets browned and toasted.
Add wine and cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).
Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed (about 5 minutes); stirring frequently.
Add remaining broth mixture ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently, until each portion of the broth mixture is nearly absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).
Remove pan from heat. Add mushrooms, cheeses, oregano, spinach, salt and pepper, stirring gently until combined and cheese melts. Serve warm.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4 servings

Adapted from Cooking Light