Day 171 - Panko-Stuffed Mushrooms and Asparagus and Lemongrass Risotto

It's always a sunny day when Celia's here. She's so game to eat my vegan creations, even when they're as poorly combined as they were in this meal. (This is not meant to be a reflection of the recipes, just a criticism of my pairing starchy with starchy.)

Panko-Stuffed Mushrooms

The concept here is very traditional - make a stuffing, then press it into mushroom caps and bake. The flavors of the stuffing are what is unique here. It's very Japanese: mirin, daikon, sesame, scallions. I'm not sure if the mirin I'm using is particularly sugary, but this stuffing leaned waaaay over to the sweet side. Not unpleasant, but strangely prominent.

We're using large mushrooms here, and I'm not sure how "done" I&T think they're going to get after 20m in a 350° oven, but I thought they were crazily underdone. I put them back in for about that long again, which seemed much more appropriate for this dish.

Overall, these were interestingly savory/sweet with not the best texture to the mushroom or the stuffing, but definitely tasty and edible.

SFO: 8

Asparagus and Lemongrass Risotto

I wasn't sure how risotto would behave in vegan land... there'd be no butter or cheese mounting at the end to ensure a deluxe result. Turns out, vegan risotto works just fine, thank you.

My disappointment with this recipe resides in the broth. The promise of this homemade lemongrass broth is big - fresh ginger, garlic and lemongrass should deliver vibrant flavors, right? Well, my broth came out dull, with an off smell. Hmph. And the lemongrass that was so fragrant on the cutting board essentially disappeared by serving time. Where did it go??

That said, this is a respectable risotto, with interesting Asian-slanted flavors. There's a notable absence of saltiness (again!). Those three tablespoons of soy sauce in the broth just don't provide much. We liked the lime-i-ness, and anything that's garnished with peanuts is a winner in my book. 

I liked this, but I don't see myself making it again.

SFO: 8