Risotto

Risotto is one of my favorite foods. It is generally made with a medium grain rice and it is stirred constantly while cooking to coax out the starch to give it a nice and creamy texture. Risotto is pretty versatile in that you can add pretty much any flavours that you want. It can be anything from a side dish to a light meal or even a full meal. I have made risotto many times and enjoyed it each time. This time I made a pretty basic risotto to be a side dish or a bed for the chicken cacciatore. Making it with the chicken cacciatore worked out well as I could pay attention to the risotto while the chicken was braising. One of the keys to a nice risotto is to use a good quality stock and I like to use home made chicken stock when making a basic risotto. This risotto turned out really well! It was one of the creamiest risottos that I have made. It was nice and cheesy and full of flavour and went really well with the chicken cacciatore.



Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion (chopped)

1 clove garlic (chopped)

1 cup arborio rice (or other medium or short grained rice)

1/2 cup wine

2 cups chicken stock (warm or vegetable broth)

1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)

1 tablespoon butter

salt & pepper to taste



Directions:

1. Heat butter in large sauce pan.

2. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter.

5. Add the wine, deglaze the pan and stir while simmering until it is gone.

6. Add 1/2 cup of the stock at a time and stir while simmering until it is gone. Continue until the rice is al dente.

7. Add the parmigiano reggiano and butter and stir to combine.



Other Risotto Recipes:

Baby Artichoke Heart Quinoa Risotto with Shrimp and Meyer Lemon Pesto

Turkey and Squash "Thanksgiving" Risotto

Pumpkin Risotto with Sage

Pear and Gorgonzola Risotto

Pea Barley Risotto

Mushroom Risotto