Shrimp and Goat Cheese Risotto

I love risotto. Risotto can be made from a variety of different rice grains, but arborio is the most common one. You can usually find arborio rice in most grocery stores; it is usually near the other grains of rice (long grain, brown, etc.) and the couscous. Typically, the rice grains are heated in oil or butter until browned, and then stock is added, bit by bit, until the rice has soaked up all the liquid. What you end up with is a delicious, creamy rice. I just wish it wouldn't take so long to cook. For those who are patient enough, the end result is always worth the wait.

This is a great recipe for the goat cheese lovers out there. The basil complements the goat cheese well, and I think you could easily substitute chicken for the shrimp if you are not a seafood lover. Or, omit the shrimp altogether and use vegetable broth for a nice vegetarian side dish.

I have only made risotto a handful of times, and I know how nervous I was making it the first time. So I have a few tips for those who are making risotto for the first time. As you are boiling off the liquid, make sure your heat is set to low-medium. The heat should be high enough that your liquid is at a very low boil, but not so high that it is at a rolling boil. If your heat is too low, and there is no gentle boil, your rice will not cook. You will taste test it and see that it is not done, continue to add liquid to it, and the rice will continue to soak up liquid without cooking, leaving you with a soupy mess of uncooked rice (I know this from experience - ha!).

Make sure you do not add your cheese until the very end, just before serving. If you add it too early, your risotto will become grainy and oily because the heat acting on the proteins of the cheese will cause release of the oils contained in the cheese. Again, leaving you with some not so great tasting risotto.

To determine when your risotto is done, move it all to one side of your saucepan and give the saucepan a shake. The risotto is ready when it relaxes and settles some after shaking. If a lot of liquid runs away from the rice, it needs to cook a bit longer. You'll also need to do a taste test, similar to checking pasta to see if it is al dente. The rice should be soft but not mushy, and there should be very little crunch left to it. If it is hard at all, continue to cook it a little more.

Shrimp and Goat Cheese Risotto
from Food & Wine


1 quart chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
3/4 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice (8 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup soft fresh goat cheese (1 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Add the shrimp, cover and simmer over moderate heat until just cooked, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate to cool. Cover the stock and keep it at barely a simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until it is coated with oil, about 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1 scant cup of the simmering stock and cook, stirring constantly, until it is absorbed. Continue to add the stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until it is absorbed. The risotto is done when the rice is tender but still slightly firm and creamy, about 25 minutes total. Stir in the shrimp. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the basil, goat cheese, Parmesan, ginger and lemon zest. Season the risotto with salt and pepper and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

This was another quick and easy weeknight meal. I'm sure this would be even better if you make your own homemade pizza dough and homemade red sauce, but if you're looking for something you can throw together after a long day at work, this is so easy and convenient.

Yellow onions actually have more sugar in them than "sweet onions," making them ideal for this recipe. When you caramelize onions, you are actually converting the sugars within the onion into caramel. As the oil heats up, the water from the onions evaporates, allowing the temperature of the sugars in the onions to rise. Once the sugars reach a temperature of 310°F, they begin to caramelize, and the onions change from light tan to golden, and then eventually deep brown.

The onions do get a little burnt around the edges while the pizza cooks in the oven, so next time I may wait until the last 3-5 minutes of cooking to add them to the pizza.


The combination of caramelized onions, goat cheese, and sun dried tomatoes is excellent. I imagine it would have been even better if I had some basil on hand. I love sun dried tomatoes, so I doubled them in this recipe. Even if you don't love them as much as I do, I'd still recommend adding a little more than what is indicated in the recipe, maybe 1/3 cup instead of 1/4 cup.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza
from Cooking Light


2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion, separated into rings (about 1 onion)
1 (1-pound) Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1/2 cup bottled pizza sauce (such as Contadina) (I used Prego roasted garlic and herb)
1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves (I used 1/2 cup)
2/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I omitted this - didn't have any on hand)
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for 11 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. (After I uncovered the skillet, I turned the heat down to low-medium to avoid burning the onions.)

Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet. Combine the sauce and tomatoes. Spread sauce mixture over pizza crust. Top with onion and cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with basil. Cut into 6 wedges.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Pancakes

Ever since I discovered my love for goat cheese, I have been looking for different ways to use it in my cooking. I have a huge log of it in my refrigerator now, so I need find ways to use it up! As a side note - it was three times more expensive at my local grocery store (Albertsons) than it was at Sam's Club. Granted, it was 1 lb vs. 5 ounces so part of that was due to the bulk discount... but I would much rather pay $5.50 for 1 lb and not use it all than $5 for 5 ounces.

When I want to find a goat cheese recipe, I visit's Elly's blog :) I don't know anyone else who loves goat cheese more than Elly! That's where I found this recipe for goat cheese stuffed zucchini pancakes. I have to admit that we were in such a rush to eat, that I forgot to top these with the tomato sauce, so you won't see any photographs of these with the sauce...

Even without the tomato sauce, I thought this recipe was wonderful. We have a hard time incorporating vegetables into our diet so the use of zucchini in this dish was a welcome change... at least for me :) My husband who does not like goat cheese did not care for these very much. I thought that since he liked the chicken stuffed with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes, that he might reconsider his dislike for goat cheese but alas, he did not. So now I'm on a mission to find other recipes with goat cheese (besides the stuffed chicken recipe) that he might like as well, because I don't want goat cheese to be one of those things that I can only eat when he is out of town!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Pancakes with Tomato Sauce

from Emeril on FoodNetwork.com


1 pound small zucchini, grated and squeezed dry in a towel
1/4 cup grated yellow onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup olive oil
1 (5-ounce) log goat cheese, very thinly sliced (the goat cheese we have is soft, so I just added a dollop of goat cheese to each pancake)
Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, onions, basil, zest, garlic, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add the eggs and flour mixture to the vegetables and stir just until combined.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. When hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the batter by tablespoons into the skillet (making sure to spoon both batter and vegetables), leaving 1-inch between the cakes. Immediately drop a round of cheese into the center of each pancake. Top with another tablespoon of batter to enclose the cheese. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip with a spatula and cook on the 2nd side until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven while preparing the remaining pancakes.

Arrange the pancakes on a platter, drizzle with the tomato sauce, and serve immediately.

Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped carrots
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup chicken stock

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onions, carrots, salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, and cayenne, and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and puree in a food processor or blender. Serve immediately over the Stuffed Zucchini Pancakes, or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Try some goat cheese!

I had never had goat cheese until about a month ago. In general, I do not like the more pungent cheeses like gorgonzola and bleu cheese... so I am very reluctant to try new and different cheeses. However, after hearing so many cooks on the What's Cooking? Board rave about how wonderful goat cheese is, I finally decided to try it. I love it, and wish I had tried it sooner :) It is a very creamy cheese, and is slightly tart. Since trying it, I have been looking for various ways to cook with it.

I love anything with sun dried tomatoes, so when I saw this recipe for Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes on MyRecipes.com, I knew I would like it. The balsamic glaze is a great compliment to the dish too.

This was my first time making a stuffed chicken dish, and to my surprise, it was very simple. After I cut the 'pockets' into my chicken breasts, however, I realized that I was doing it wrong. I started out thinking it was supposed to be like a chicken breast cut almost completely in half but left with a sort of 'hinge' that would sandwich the filling.... and then realized it's just supposed to be a small hole on one end of the breast. Oops! At least it didn't change the taste... next time I'll make it look prettier :)

I served this chicken with orzo and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits. When I saw these biscuits featured on Oprah, I knew I had to try them. They were good, but I have to admit that the Cheesy Garlic Biscuits I made recently are easier and taste better :) Still, they were a great compliment to the stuffed chicken.

I should add that shortly after I discovered my love for goat cheese, my husband told me that he does not like it! Determined to show him how good it is, I did not tell him that there was goat cheese in this dish until he had finished his plate ;) Needless to say, we'll be adding this dish to our rotation and I will be looking for other ways to use goat cheese in our meals now :)

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
from CookingLight


1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots, divided (I didn't have any on hand, so these were omitted)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I didn't have any fresh basil on hand, so I used 2 tsp dried)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and finely chop. (I had the kind that are packed in oil so I simply drained the oil and omitted the boiling step.)

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup shallots, sugar, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Spoon into a bowl; stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar.

Combine chopped tomatoes, shallot mixture, cheese, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm. Add broth, remaining shallots, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and thyme; bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over chicken. (Approximately 2 tbsp per chicken breast.)

Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits
from Art Smith


2 cups self-rising flour (if you do not have any, use 2 cups all purpose flour + 3 tsp baking powder + 1 tsp salt)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. (2 ounces) cold butter
4 Tbsp. (2 ounces) goat cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
Extra butter to grease pan and top biscuits
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat your oven to 425°. Place one 10-inch cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating. (I do not have a cast iron pan/skillet but found that my All-Clad pans are oven safe up to 500°.) Place flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until the mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into the pan, (use a muffin scoop to drop the batter if you have one). Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake from 14–16 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Enjoy warm!