Crofut Risotto

Three years ago, my neighbor Joe introduced me to the most addictive thing in the world. Not cigarettes, not drugs, not gambling but duck hunting! I never thought I would look forward to waking up at 5am on a cool and sometimes downright cold, autumn Saturday morning to sit in water wearing rubber boots waiting for my favorite fall entrée to fly above me. Being careful to not wake my wife and children, I sneak down stairs, put on my camouflaged rubber outfit. Wake up my “not so smart” dog and head to the lake. I sit and wait for the first light of the morning to start blasting at every wing I see fly above me. For every 50 shots I fire I somehow miss 55 ducks, yet I promise myself that I will keep going back until I get one. I’m Elmer Fudd with an apron. Bottom line, I’m better cooking than I am at hunting! Yet, I still go out each weekend to try my luck. Some say it is a passion, though I say it has become an addiction.

\m/ Richard

Simple Jerk Seasoned Duck w/ Mushroom “Crofut” Risotto
Serves 4

Duck
2 Duck breasts
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Place the duck aside. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Toss the Duck in the bowl and let marinate for one to two hours. Grill the duck for roughly three to four minutes on each side until medium rare. Remember though it is a bird, it is not a chicken. It tastes great at medium rare/medium…

Crofut Risotto
8 to 9 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound fresh Portobello, Oyster & Shittake Mushroom, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine (River Valley White)
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, stirring while cooking until translucent. Toss in the fresh mushrooms, all the herbs & butter. Sauté until lightly browned then season with a little salt & pepper. Take off the heat and set aside.

In a medium saucepan add 2 Tablespoons oil. Sauté the rest of the garlic and onion. Add Arborio and stir quickly until it is well-coated for one minute. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Add 1 cup of the warm broth with a ladle while stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Keep adding broth 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, cook and stir, cook and stir giving the rice time to absorb all the broth before adding the other cup. Does this take time? Yes, but it is well worth the wait. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy.. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture then stir in the cheese, cook until cheese is melted into the risotto. Garnish with the sliced grilled duck breast and a little parsley. At this point you can feel like a celebrity chef and yell BAM!