Cynthia Graubart is one of my favorite cookbook authors.
This James Beard Award winning author has recently penned another book that I know I will be using often - Sunday Suppers: Simple, Delicious Menus for Family Gatherings.
I asked Cynthia why she decided to write this book about Sunday meals.
“Sunday Suppers are what the whole week is about. We want to start our week off right so gathering together around the table with our family and friends having a wonderful meal – it concludes a fabulous weekend and it sets a great tone for the week ahead. I just love them. It’s really my favorite night of the week.”
Knowing that Sundays are more relaxed and allow for more time to prepare, she has compiled a collection of menus and recipes to help her readers easily put dinner on the table.
“I know that many families find it challenging to make it to the family table every night of the week or even any night of the week. So I thought, let’s highlight Sunday Suppers because that’s a great way to begin to get into the habit of gathering around the family table.”
The recipes are ones that your whole family will love.
“One of my favorite Sunday Suppers menus from the book is the one with the Spring Chicken Risotto. And we are just about to dawn on Spring and I think it is perfect for right now.”
To make prep for this recipe stress-free, Cynthia suggests cooking the chicken, asparagus, and zucchini ahead of time and then having the remainder the ingredients prepped and ready to go for when you make risotto.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
For more information about this book and Cynthia Graubart, visit www.cynthiagraubart.com.
Spring Chicken Risotto
Risotto is a creamy rice dish made with Arborio rice, an Italian short-grain rice containing a higher starch content than long-grain rice. This starch helps to yield the signature creamy texture of risotto. The chicken and vegetables are cooked separately from the rice so as not to interfere with the absorption of the broth by the rice. The risotto is a hands-on dish, so pour a glass of wine and enjoy the rhythm of the stirring and adding of the broth. The chicken and vegetables are cooked before the risotto so nothing disturbs the process.
Serves 6 to 8
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1?2 pound fresh asparagus spears
- 3?4 pound skinned and boned chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
- 1?2 teaspoon herbes de Provence, fennel seeds, rosemary, or thyme
- 1?1?4 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2?1?2 cups uncooked Arborio rice (short-grain)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1?2 cup freshly grated fontina cheese
- 1?4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1?2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring chicken broth and 4 cups water to a simmer in a large saucepan over low heat. Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Sprinkle chicken with herbes de Provence and 3?4 teaspoon salt.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add chicken, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Remove chicken; cover and keep warm.
3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven; add zucchini, onion, and asparagus, and sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Remove vegetables; cover and keep warm.
4. Sauté rice in remaining 1 tablespoon hot oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Add wine and remaining 1?2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often, until liquid is absorbed. Add 1 cup hot broth mixture; cook, stirring often, until liquid is absorbed. Repeat procedure with remaining broth mixture, 1 cup at a time. (Total cooking time is about 30 minutes.) Stir in grated cheeses, chicken, and vegetables until creamy. Stir in parsley and pepper. Serve immediately.
Excerpted from Sunday Suppers by Cynthia Graubart. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Meredith Corporation. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
