Risotto

I LOVE risotto! Besides it being so tasty, it’s extremely versatile. I take the basic risotto recipe from Rachael Ray‘s 30 Minute Meals 2 cookbook. Jamie Oliver also has a great risotto recipe. Here’s the basic one I use from Rachael Ray.

4 cups (plus more) chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Melt butter into olive oil. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add arborio and saute 2 minutes. Add wine and let it cook away, 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock a few ladles at a time. Let it absorb into rice before adding more stock. Sometimes I have to add more than 4 cups stock in order for rice to get soft. Usually takes me about 30-45 min. to cook rice until it’s soft. Top risotto with Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper, if desired.
*The wine makes a big difference. Sometimes you have to experiment to see which wine tastes good with this meal. Make sure you choose a dry white that is not sweet.

The good thing about risotto is that you can add so many things to it! Here are the combinations we like:

– Fresh veggies like zucchini, carrots, and red peppers. I chop them up, boil the carrots until tender, and then saute all of them together. Then I just add them to the risotto after it’s cooked.

– Salmon and fresh spinach. Cut salmon into chunks. Add fresh spinach leaves to risotto and let them cook down. Then add uncooked salmon. You can add these just before risotto is finished cooking.

– Salmon and asparagus. Again cut salmon into chunks and chop fresh asparagus. Add asparagus first and then salmon just before risotto is finished cooking.