Rissotto

This post comes to us via Jennette, I'm just transcribing here:

This basic recipe is very forgiving and adaptable.

olive oil

1/4 c finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c uncooked Arborio rice (but I've often used Cal-rose or other short grain rice and it's still fine)

1/2 c white wine (optional)

4-6 cups chicken or veggie broth

2 Tbs butter

1/4 c Parmesean cheese

fresh basil (dried can work if you have to)

salt and pepper to taste

Start warming the broth in a large stock pot  Heat olive oil in saute pan/ skillet/dutch oven. Cook onions and garlic until opaque and turning slightly brown.  Add the rice and stir until it's coated, and let it cook 1-2 mins.  Stir and add the wine, if using.  Or, add the first ladle-full of broth to the saute pan.  Stir and cook until the liquid is nearly absorbed.  Continue cooking (and stirring nearly constantly) adding the broth ladle-full at a time, adding more as each is absorbed in the pan. When finished the rice will look tender and creamy and will be soft to eat, but not too mushy.  You may not use all the broth.  If adding veggies, add them as you near the end of the broth, judging your time by how tender-crisp you want them to taste.  Add salt and pepper near the end, judging by how salty your broth may or may not taste.  just before serving, add the butter and parm. cheese and basil.  You can also grate more parm cheese over the plates after serving.

If adding vegetables, I use asparagus, or zucchini, or snow peas, and mushrooms (or any combination).  I'll cut these up in bite sized pieces and give them a quick stir fry in a separate skillet before adding them to the risotto to finish "cooking".  Except the mushrooms, which I'll add about halfway through the rice so that they absorb all of the flavors and shrink down in the pan.  You can add strips of chicken that are also somewhat stir-fried ahead of time and finish cooking out the pink in the pan with the rice.

(Good broth is key)