Camilla Isley

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Butter
1 Shallot
12 oz Arborio Rice
4 cup Vegetable Broth
1 cup Dry White Wine
2 oz Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese
2 oz Cream Cheese
2 oz Jack Cheese
2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano
A Pinch Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Prepare all your ingredients and warm up or make the broth.
Warm the butter in a frying pan, thinly slice the shallot and toss it in. Let it cook for five min. (It shouldn’t become brown.) Toss in the rice and stir constantly, it has to absorb the butter and become almost transparent. Add the wine and stir until the alcohol is completely evaporated.
Add the warm broth (I keep it boiling in a separate pot) one ladle at the time. When one ladle is completely absorbed, not before, add another one. Do this for about 20 min, check the rice cooking time. Whenever during the cooking process sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Use one ladle of broth to melt the cream cheese and jack cheese to create a creamy, even blend (use a hand blender for better results). Just before the rice is cooked add the creamy mixture and let it dry a little.
Lower the fire to a minimum and add the remaining cheeses. Stir until you have an even texture.
Serve warm. Plate the risotto and sprinkle it with some additional Parmigiano and a pinch of black pepper.

Four Cheese Risotto by Camilla Isley Oct-19-2015

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 hours 50 min
Total time: 3 hours
Yield: 6/8 servings

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Ground Pork
3.5 oz Shallots
3.5 oz Celery
3.5 oz Carrots
10 oz Tomato Puree
1/2 Bottle Red Wine
1 Spoon Olive Oil
Salt

This is one of the most famous Italian Sauces. It takes a while to make because it has to cook slowly, but homemade Ragù is simply delicious. I usually make a lot of it and freeze the rest in many one-serving portions.

Instructions

Prepare all your ingredients, then start by mincing all the vegetables. I use the food processor.
Brown the vegetables in a frying pan adding the olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Add all the meat and salt it. Break the meat down with a wooden spoon until it is well mixed with the vegetables (third picture). Cook on a slow fire until the meat no longer appears pink.
When the meat is cooked and it has absorbed most of its fat, sprinkle it with the red wine. Let it cook until most of the liquids are absorbed.
Add the tomato puree, mix it in well, and let the sauce cook for at least another half a hour.
Your homemade Ragù is ready. The traditional pasta pairing is with tagliatelle or fettuccine. Another popular one is spaghetti of course.
You can also use Ragù to make a crostini or bruschetta appetizer. Toast or grill the bread on both sides, add the Ragù on top and serve immediately.
I also love to serve Ragù on top of Italian Polenta, finer corn grits, trust me it is exquisite. (Final picture.)