Sometimes you feel like standing over a hot stove slaving over a pot of risotto in the traditional way. And sometimes you don't. Tonight was one of the latter nights. So I started out by soaking an ounce of organic lobster mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes. Next I poured a package of Alessi Risotto Milanese into my trusty Cuisinart rice cooker. I added the requisite 2 and a half cups of water and tablespoon of EVOO. I drained a 14.5 can of organic, low sodium diced tomatoes and added them to the cooker. Chopped the mushrooms roughly and added them to the cooker. Meanwhile, I took some frozen peeled and deveined shrimp out of the icebox and soaked them in milk for about 15 minutes (gets rid of any off odors for some reason). When the "risotto" had about 5 minutes left to go, I added the shrimp. When the cooker dinged, I added some parmesan cheese and a dash of half-and-half. Served it up. Yum.
Despite today's sweltering heat (>100 in the shade on my porch according to my trusty weather station) and the shrimp in the dish, I wanted a red wine. Of course, as those who know me know well, I pretty much always want a red wine.
So I pulled this Zinfandel-based red out of my wine cellar (maintained at a constant 55 degrees) about half an hour before dinner. It was still cool when we ate.
Deep purple and strong legs. Good bouquet. Black pepper, dark fruits, spice. Rich and ripe, but still balanced. Yum. Grade: B+
