Why organization doesn't pay

I am what you would call a haphazard cook. My kitchen is usually in chaos while I run around grabbing ingredients as I need them; spilling stuff on the floor; knocking stuff off the stove. I have always cooked like this and regularly run into that little problem of being 3/4 of the way through a recipe and realizing, no, I don't have the one or two ingredients that make this a truly amazing dish.

Now, you think this post will be about what I was missing while cooking. Nope. Although I will share with you my secret weapon...website...for when this happens. The Cook's Thesaurus will make substituting a snap for you!

This post will be about how organized I was while making dinner Friday night. I had all the ingredients lined up on the counter before I started and was rather proud of myself. Then S came into the kitchen and stared at the counter........stared long and hard.

Then he slowly walked over to me trying to see the recipe which I was blocking from his view (not on purpose....really). What's for dinner Cathy??

Risotto. Simple enough right? The skeptical look I received made me wonder if this was a little too eccentric for him. I've talked before about my love of risotto and how I like ones that are a little different than what you normally see. I recently came across this recipe at Shoestring Magazine for Pumpkin and Crab Risotto and something about it made me giddy with excitement.

I love pumpkin. I love seafood. And I definitely love risotto. Yes there is maple syrup in this dish. And lots of mascarpone cheese. But how bad could it be?


The verdict? Not bad at all...in fact, pretty amazing! S tentatively took his first bite. Then another. Then finally about halfway through his plate - "Damn this is good".

There is a barely there sweetness from the maple syrup that pulls together the richness of the mascarpone and crab. And really, who doesn't love orange hued food?? I would make this again in a heartbeat!

PUMPKIN & CRAB RISOTTO

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups Italian arborio rice

6 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese

1 8 ounce package crab meat

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

In a dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high, until butter foams. Add minced garlic and stir for a few minutes, until slightly tan and fragrant. In the microwave, warm broth for two-to-three minutes. Add rice to the pot and stir for two minutes. Pour one cup of broth over the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed and the rice begins to thicken with creaminess.

For 25-30 minutes, continue attentive stirring of the rice, adding a cup of broth every few minutes once the previous broth addition is absorbed, until all of the liquid is soaked up and the rice is tender and plump. Lower the heat to medium-low.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pumpkin, crab meat, mascarpone cheese,maple syrup and sweet paprika.

Serve immediately with a sprinkle of chives.