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
Ingredients
2 cups cheese (we used Romano, Asiago and Fontinella)
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 pound of arborio rice
8 cups of chicken broth (low sodium)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
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.
Source: Adapted from Pioneer Woman
