Dixie's Pantry - Good Food Source : The online resource for food lovers.

Dixie's Pantry

Dixie, mother of Good Food Source mastermind Lenny, inspired us to create a resource for great mail order foods. Though she is the chicken fried steak maven, this busy nurse practitioner from rural Oklahoma has driven long distances to find more exotic ingredients for her culinary exploits. Now, thanks to the Internet, Dixie has discovered a world of fine food products just a few clicks away; Good Food Source finds the best sites from achiote to za'atar.

Carnaroli Rice

Make perfect, creamy risotto with this special Italian rice.

If your risotto goes from too-crunchy to a pasty mass in the blink of an eye, let us introduce you to the pleasures of Carnaroli rice. Like Arborio, Carnaroli is a high-starch Italian short grain rice; the difference between the two is that the grains of Carnaroli rice have a denser kernel, which allows the center of the rice to remain al dente while the surface starch becomes creamy as it cooks. Arborio’s kernel is not as dense—it contains a different type of starch—so it breaks down much more quickly. Carnaroli rice produces risotto with the texture Italians refer to as all’onda, or “wavy”; perfect risotto should be loose and soft enough to pour from the pot in silky waves. And what meal couldn’t be improved by a creamy, cheesy wave of risotto?

Most Carnaroli rice is grown in northern Italy, in the Piedmont, Veneto and Lombardy, where risotto is a pillar of the regional cuisine. Different flavors are added to the risotto depending on the season and the region’s typical ingredients. In Piedmont, you’ll find risotto al Barolo made with red wine, sausage and Borlotti beans. Black risotto made with cuttlefish cooked with their ink-sacs intact is a specialty of the Veneto region.

We love risotto every way, especially if it’s made with Carnaroli rice. In spring we stir in fresh garden peas, asparagus spears or fava beans and a tangy sheep’s milk cheese. In the fall we add cubes of butternut squash to cook along with the rice, and finish with fresh thyme and creamy goat cheese. Carnaroli makes spectacular rice pudding; add cream, vanilla bean and some dried cherries for a special dessert. No matter the season, you will find just the right addition for your perfect, velvety waves of riso Carnaroli.

Order Carnaroli rice from:
http://www.formaggiokitchen.com/
http://www.cybercucina.com/
http://www.gustiamo.com/
http://markethallfoods.com/

Fennel and Pea Risotto

Serves 4 to 6

In one of our favorite spring combinations, sweet peas and licorice-y fennel are perfectly balanced by a sharp, salty sheep’s milk cheese. This risotto is delicious with grilled lamb or seared scallops; add a crisp salad of bitter greens for an elegant spring dinner.

8 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch spring onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 head of fennel, cored, and diced; reserve tops
1 ½ cups Carnaroli rice
1 ¼ cups cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
1 ½ cups grated pecorino or other aged sheep’s milk cheese (5 ounces)
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
salt and pepper to taste

Remove the thin feathery leaves from the fennel stalk and chop them finely; set aside. Coarsely chop the thicker part of the fennel stalks and combine them with the stock in a large saucepan. Bring the stock to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and keep the stock hot. In a large, deep pot heat 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the onions and fennel and cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel is tender and the onions are translucent, reducing the heat if the vegetables start to brown. Add the rice and stir to coat it thoroughly with butter. Cook the rice, stirring constantly, until it is pale golden and aromatic. Add the wine and bring to a low simmer. Remove the fennel from the hot stock and discard it. When all the wine has been absorbed, add 1 cup of the hot stock and continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock, one cup at a time, stirring frequently and adjusting the heat if necessary so that the rice doesn’t stick to the pot. When you have about one cup of stock left, add the peas to the stock and cook them until they are just heated through. Add the remaining stock and peas and cook until the remaining liquid is absorbed. The rice should be very creamy but the grains should be al dente in the center. Remove the risotto from the heat and add the cheese, the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, and the chopped fennel tops, stirring until the cheese and butter are melted. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; serve immediately.

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