Herb Risotto With Bitter Greens And Sea Bass Recipes

HERB RISOTTO WITH BITTER GREENS AND SEA BASS

Steps:

• Place 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small bowl and stir in the parsley and basil until smooth. Refrigerate. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the rice and stir well, coating the grains with the butter. Stir in the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Meanwhile, place the vegetable broth in a medium saucepan and keep hot over medium heat. Ladle in about 1/3 cup of the broth and stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth and stirring until each addition is absorbed, until the rice is cooked al dente, about 55 minutes.
• Stir in half of the herb butter; the rice should be quite liquid. Dice the remaining butter and fold it in with the Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the arugula and watercress. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Keep warm.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bass fillets and sear until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Reheat the asparagus tips. Divide the risotto among 4 plates. Top each with a bass fillet and sprinkle with asparagus tips. Serve immediately.

CALIFORNIA SEA BASS WITH SHELL BEAN RISOTTO AND GREMOLATA BUTTER

Steps:

• Season the fish with the thyme, half the lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
• To make the gremolata butter, mince the remaining lemon zest and combine with the minced garlic and remaining 6 tablespoons chopped parsley on a cutting board. Chop the mixture together until very fine. Scrape the gremolata into a small bowl and mash together with 6 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Season with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook the fish in batches.) Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Swirl in the olive oil and wait 1 minute. Carefully lay the fish in the pan, skin side down, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the skin is crisp. Turn the fish over, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook a few more minutes, until it's almost cooked through. When it's done, the fish will begin to flake and separate a little and the center will still be slightly translucent. Remember, the fish will continue to cook a little more once you take it out of the pan.
• Spoon the hot risotto onto a large platter. Arrange the fish on top, and smear each fillet with some of the gremolata butter. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and risotto, and scatter the whole parsley leaves on top.
• Bring the chicken stock and 3 1/2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Then turn off the heat.
• Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 3 tablespoons butter, and when it foams, add the onion, thyme, chile, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Sauté about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the rice, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the rice just begins to toast and the grains of rice have a white dot at their center.
• Pour in the white wine, and once it has evaporated, quickly add 1 cup of the hot stock, stirring continuously. When the stock is completely absorbed, begin adding the liquid in 1-cup batches, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon in a rhythmic back-and-forth motion. Wait for each batch of liquid to be absorbed before adding the next. The rice should be bubbling and quickly absorbing the stock. After about 15 minutes, taste the rice for doneness. It should be slightly but not too al dente. The risotto may need more liquid and more time, so keep cooking until it's done. It should be neither soupy nor dry; each grain of rice should be coated in a flavorful, starchy "sauce."
• When the rice is almost done, turn off the heat and stir in the shell beans. Let the risotto "rest" for a minute or two and then quickly stir in the remaining tablespoon butter, the spinach, parsley, and basil. Taste for seasoning. The rice will keep absorbing liquid so add a little more stock if it seems dry.
• Season the fish with the lemon zest and herbs in the morning. You can cook the shell beans ahead of time, but the risotto must be cooked "to order." To time this well, start cooking the fish when the risotto is just about done. (The risotto can "rest" for a moment while you pull everything together.)

FRESH HERB RISOTTO

Steps:

• Put your stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer on the stove, with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that it is well seasoned. Combine the herbs and one of the minced garlic cloves in a bowl, and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or saucepan. Add the onion or leek and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, about three minutes. Do not brown.
• Stir in the rice and the remaining three cloves of garlic, and stir just until the grains of rice become separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed.
• Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy, usually in 20 to 25 minutes, it is done. Taste now and correct seasoning.
• Add another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the herbs, pepper, lemon zest and juice, and Parmesan, and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy. If you put some on a plate and tilt the plate the mound of rice should flatten out. Serve right away.