Catching up on something that I made for “red week” in my Cook/bake-a-long this week: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Bisque. It’s really hearty but tart and “spring like”. As usual with creamed soups, it’s really hard to photograph, so I tossed in a few garlicky croutons. This recipe makes a whole bunch so it will feed a crowd and/or freezes well.
This is a particularly yellow dish. On purpose. I’m doing a little Cook/Bake-a-Long over on the CSPS FB page and this week is “Yellow Week”. Arroz Amarillo is of course, yellow by nature, but you could also use red or green bell peppers, zucchini instead of summer squash, and if you wanted to go vegetarian, skip the sausage and it will still be delicious.
Chicken stews for me are often an autumn or winter meal; nice and hearty to take off the chill. While sometime you need that in the spring too, this one is filled with fresh seasonal green veggies: leeks, peas and pea pods and asparagus, in addition to the chicken and mushroom. Definitely filling and this recipe will feed an army worth of people, so make sure you use a nice big pot!
What do you call risotto that uses no rice? Orzotto, of course! I didn’t have an aborio rice in the pantry and wanted to make a risotto, so instead, I went with orzo. Basically, the same process as risotto, shallot and pasta in the pan with butter, slowly add the liquid and flavorings, in this case vibrant pureed peas. Orzotto does take as long as traditional risotto though; only about 20 minutes. Scallops were on sale so I didn’t have to take out a loan to afford them. Ha ha ha.