Risotto

Risotto is one of those foods that I don’t eat very often. Every time I make it I think, “I should make this more often.” And then my thighs scream “No! More! Risotto!” And just like that I’ve gained  5 pounds. So instead, I only eat it on very special occasions, like my Mom’s Birthday! We made my Mom a special birthday dinner last week and I just had to include risotto in our menu. Lucky for me, calories don’t count for birthday dinners.

Every post I find myself writing, this was so good, you must try it. But really, this was so good, and you really must try it. Actually, Cliff made a comment the other day that really sums up our eating habits. He said, “I only eat foods that are 9’s and 10’s.”  So true Cliff. You can consider everything we post to be a 9 or a 10 on the “great food scale.” We do not post anything less than a 9, you have my word. And this risotto is a definite 10.

I like to use Pioneer Woman’s recipe for risotto. I think it is a pretty classic risotto.  And it is nice because you can add whatever you’d like to really make it your own. In order to please everyone in my family we made a “plain” 3-cheese risotto. Someday, I’d like to make a seafood risotto. But so far Cliff isn’t going for it.

Here’s what you’ll need

Add the butter and olive oil to the pot

Throw in the shallots and garlic

Add the rice

Coat with olive oil and butter

Start adding the chicken broth; this is where the real work starts

Keep stirring while you wait for the broth to be absorbed

Keep stirring, its worth it

Add the heavy cream

Add the cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Try not to eat the whole bowl by yourself

 

Risotto

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cup cheese (we used Romano, Asiago and Fontinella)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb arborio rice
  • 8 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Grate 2 cups of cheese. Use whatever cheese you’d like. Mince 3  cloves of garlic. Dice 1 shallot.
  • Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the garlic and shallot and sauté for a couple of minutes until the shallot is translucent.
  • Add 1 pound of Arborio rice and stir to coat the rice thoroughly. Adding 1 cup at a time, add 7-8 cups of chicken broth. Stir constantly after each addition. As soon as it appears that the rice has absorbed the chicken broth, add in the next cup. Do not stop stirring. This process will take 20-30 minutes. The rice is done when it no longer has a hard bite.
  • When the broth is absorbed pour in 1 cup of heavy cream. Add the grated cheese and stir thoroughly. Add in plenty of fresh ground pepper. Add salt to taste.
Keyword risotto