Monday, September 24, 2012

Risotto Primavera

I finally made risotto by myself!!! It's one of my auntie's specialties and I've seen her make several varieties many times, but I've always been intimidated of making the dish on my own. It was about time that ended. While browsing my food blogs, I stumbled across this recipe from Ree at the Pioneer Woman. With a veggie drawer full of goodies, I decided to try it. For the most part, it was a roaring success and my husband and I both had several portions. It took exactly 5 cups of broth, although I will reduce the wine in the future as the flavor was too strong. (Ree's recipe calls for 1.5 cups of wine; I reduced that to 3/4 cup but that was still too much.) Also, I used all Parmesan cheese instead of half goat cheese.

Here's the recipe as I plan to make it next time. Yes, there will be a next time.

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Ingredients
5 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 whole Large Yellow Onion Finely Diced
3 whole Carrots, Peeled And Finely Diced
1 Zucchini or Yellow Squash, Finely Diced
1 cup Mushrooms, Finely Diced
1-1/2 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
Butter, Olive Oil, Kosher salt
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Optional Vegetables To Substitute For Any Of The Above: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Red Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Asparagus Pieces

Directions
Pour chicken broth into a small saucepan. Heat to a simmer.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Add diced onions and diced carrots. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Add rest of veggies in order of decreasing tenderness. Sprinkle in salt and stir. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the same pan. Heat over medium-low heat. Add rice and stir, cooking for 1 minute. Add half the wine and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Stir and cook until liquid is absorbed. Over the next 30 to 45 minutes, add 1 cup of simmering broth at a time, stirring and cooking until each addition of broth has absorbed. Add other half of wine and cook until absorbed.

Taste to make sure rice is the right texture. It should not be mushy. Add another helping of broth if rice has too much bite to it. Check seasoning.

Once rice is cooked, remove from heat. Stir in cheese and vegetables until all cheese is combined.

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Serves 4-6

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