It’s summer, folks! While my little one is still too young to wander on her own, I am reminded of my own childhood in Alabama and New York. There, the spaces beyond backyards were for exploring, pretending, and worldbuilding. If I’m honest, this is why I love the animated series, Craig of the Creek. Today’s recipe, Williams Bros’ Risotto al Creek, combines a classic cauliflower risotto with flavors earned from the wilds of childhood.
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Dinner at the Creek
Craig of the Creek follows 10-year-old Craig Williams and his friends on their adventures at the Creek, a sprawling wilderness where tribal groups of kids stake out forts and clubhouses in stumps, trees, cliffs, runoff tunnels, junkyards, and even cities built from cardboard. Being animated, it is definitely more over-the-top than what we in pre-smartphone suburbia grew up with. But in some ways, that whimsy clearly reflects a kid’s perspective — a reality enhanced by imagination and untainted by cynicism. I remember defending my “castle” (a collection of boulders) behind West Point’s vet clinic with my warrior princess friends while our parents tailgated in the parking lot. We didn’t care if our swords were sticks and our armor was USMA cheerleading dresses. That adventure was as real as we made it.
In season 1, episode 32, Dinner at the Creek, Craig’s older brother Bernard is in charge for the evening, and pizza night is canceled. In its place, Bernard and his girlfriend combine babysitting with date night and make Risotto al Cavolfiore. Craig, as you can imagine, is less than thrilled. He insists he doesn’t need a babysitter; he can “take care of himself”. So then he sets out to also cook dinner as “Wildman Craig,” a Bear Grylls-style survivalist who lives off the Creek’s bounty. An exhausting afternoon of foraging and thieving from squirrels ensues. In the end, Craig’s“Dirty Onion Water” soup proves that he, indeed, cannot take care of himself. He arrives home in defeat to find scorched risotto and Bernard in despair.
Overhearing Bernard lamenting failure as the responsible big brother, Craig realizes dinner is not a competition, but a coming together. And while he may not be able to take care of himself, the family can take care of each other. He puts on a brave face and tastes the burnt risotto with a (forced) smile. And then he helps Bernard make the best of a bad dish with an abundance of parmesan cheese.
Two Chefs Can Make Magic
Today’s dish is probably a bit more advanced than what the Williams Brothers could actually make. However, I wanted to fuse the best of their ambitions — a refined, lofty dish and a meal earned from the wild. Bernard’s dish, Risotto al Cavolfiore, is an Italian cauliflower risotto. The recipe traditionally fries the cauliflower with pancetta, but Bernard uses prosciutto. As tasty as it is, prosciutto doesn’t render enough fat to cook vegetables with it. Instead, I oven-roasted the cauliflower to caramelize it (and make it taste less like farts). I shredded the prosciutto for garnish.
Wildman Craig’s dish was going to be a wild onion soup made with crabapples and acorns. Since the risotto requires blending the cauliflower with chicken stock, I figured Craig’s soup would be the perfect cooking liquid. You may not be able to get crabapples at the store, but quince reportedly tastes just like them. Quince paste is usually near the deli or cheese sections.
Pine nuts were the closest thing to a wild-growing tree nut that I could find at the grocery store. That said, blanched and leeched acorns do have a similar flavor profile to chestnuts. Given the rising popularity of Korean snacks, you may be able to find peeled and shelled chestnuts online for half the price of pine nuts. If so, feel free to substitute a 1/2 cup of chopped chestnuts for the pine nuts in this recipe. As for the wild onions, if you can properly identify them and have them in your backyard, have at it. Otherwise, you can use chives. OR if you are already in a Korean grocery store for the chestnuts, flowering chives have an even spicier kick.
Baby bella mushrooms, admittedly, are my own addition. I think they pair well with the spirit of the dish, better than the water from a slip n’ slide that Craig uses, anyway. Though of course, this risotto would nowhere compare to its inspiration if it were not doused in an avalanche of parmesan cheese. Don’t worry, folks, I wouldn’t hold out on you. Cheese away!
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Williams Bros' Risotto al Creek
Equipment: Oven, stovetop, large skillet, large saucepan with lid, baking sheet, foil, immersion blender, ladle, and a wooden spoon.
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/3 cup arborio rice
- 1 and 1/2 lb cauliflower florets
- 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 bunch chives, chopped
- 4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, 1/2″ sliced
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 3 Tb quince paste
- 6 Tb unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded prosciutto
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- parmesan cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 440°F. Toss the cauliflower florets in olive oil and kosher salt until coated. Then spread them on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until golden with some browning – about 30 minutes.
- Pour the stock into the saucepan, then add the quince paste, three-quarters of the chives, and two-thirds of the cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to low. Simmer for 7 minutes. Blend the contents smooth with the immersion blender and cover again to keep warm.
- Preheat the skillet on medium for 3 minutes, then add the mushrooms. Stir-cook until most of the moisture cooks off.
- Add four tablespoons of butter to the pan. Once melted, stir in the rice to coat. Pour in a half cup of water and stir with the wooden spoon until it evaporates.
- Stir in a ladleful of stock, then continue stirring. Once absorbed, repeat the process with another ladleful of stock until you run out—about 16 to 18 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and blend in the cream and remaining butter. Add kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Scoop risotto on serving plates and garnish with pine nuts, chives, prosciutto, roasted cauliflower, and parmesan cheese before serving.
