Recipe: Pan Roasted Shrimp with Wisconsin Aged Parmesan

One of the first signature dishes at Chef Michael Symon's restaurant, Lola, this meal can be enjoyed as an entrée or as a salad. Featuring buttery Wisconsin Aged Parmesan that crackles on the tongue, shrimp, white beans, and grape tomatoes, this original dish boasts rich and creamy flavors with a full-bodied taste.

NUMBER OF SERVINGS: 4-6

• 2 shallots, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon for shrimp
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup freshly cooked or canned white beans, such as cannellini
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) Wisconsin Parmesan cheese, cut in small dice
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Place shallots and garlic in mixing bowl. Add pinch of salt; mix. Add lemon juice, stir and slowly whisk in olive oil. Add tomatoes, beans, Parmesan cheese and dill. Mix well and set aside.

Pan-roast shrimp: Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in sauté pan. Add shrimp and cook, turning until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Season to taste with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.

Add warm shrimp to prepared mixture and toss. Serve immediately.

Recipe and image from the Wisconsin Cheese site -- visit the site to watch a video of Chef Symon making the salad.

Recipe: Parmesan Risotto

Risotto...I do so love creamy, dreamy, cheesy risotto. It has a reputation for being difficult to make but I found a step by step recipe that I am going to try soon. Maybe you will like it, too.





Parmesan Risotto

SERVES: 8
TIME: 50 minutes

You Will Need:

10-12 cups reduced-sodium or homemade chicken broth
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups risotto rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 tsp. freshly grated black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a medium pot. Keep at a simmer, covered, over low heat.

2. Heat the olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed 8-qt. pot. Add onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until translucent and beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add rice and saute, stirring constantly, until just the edges of the grains look translucent, about 3 minutes.

3. Add wine and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, stirring, until wine is completely absorbed by rice. Add about 1/2 cup hot broth to rice and cook, stirring constantly, until broth is completely absorbed by rice; reduce heat to medium-low if mixture starts to boil. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until each addition is absorbed before adding the next, until rice is just tender to the bite (15-30 minutes; you will have broth left over). Keep rice at a constant simmer.

4. Remove rice from heat and stir in Parmesan, pepper, parsley, remaining 1 tsp. butter, and salt to taste. For a looser risotto, stir in 1-2 cups of the remaining broth. Serve immediately, with more Parmesan on the side for sprinkling on the top.

Per 1-cup serving: 307 cal 83 cal from fat 10 g protein 9.2 g fat (3.7 g sat) 46 g carb 4.3 g fiber 1,008 mg sodium 14 mg chol


Recipe - Sunset magazine, February 2009.

Introducing...Cookie and Parmesan

Okay, I admit it...I've been holding out on you.

If you've been reading the blog since July, you might remember that I posted about the loss of our friend, our cat Pepper. Shortly thereafter we made the decision to rescue another cat from the Oregon Humane Society, and adopted a beautiful tortoiseshell, Cookie Crisp. We call her, among her other nicknames, Cookie Monster, due to her insatiable love of kitty treats!



Cookie is as different from Pepper as a cat could be. This cat does NOT like open spaces, feet or sudden movements. Her first three weeks with us were spent hiding. Between the kitchen sink and the wall. Under my desk. Behind the sofa. Lots of patience, love and crunchy treats later, she's developed her own little ways of interacting and showing us some love. Most days we can easily locate her by checking her cozy bed tucked a few inches under our bed.



In October, we paid a visit to OHS and adopted yet another friend, Parmesan. In all ways that Cookie is shy, Parms is not. Lap cat? Check. Heat butts? Check. Kitty kisses? Check. Sleep on the bed, watch TV, run around the house like a wild thing? Check, check, check.




The best part is that within three days of her arrival, Parmesan and Cookie became friends and are now almost inseparable. Parmesan has brought Cookie out of her shell and they play, chase, tag-team the laser toy, share their food, groom one another, lounge in their kitty condo and at times I've even caught them sleeping in the same bed.

It's good to have the pitter-patter of little paws in our home again.