Risotto

Risotto is often made with an Italian rice called Arborio. It can be served as a side to most any dish or by itself. Its real versatility comes from the preparation, addition of ingredients, or how daring you're willing to be with it. You can even try it as a dessert.

My risotto tends to be somewhat less creamy than those you'll find in restaurants or in other recipes. As you'll see, this is largely due to the lack of butter or heavy cream (and calories) in my recipe. The result is still delicious. I've included a few of my favorites, but feel free to experiment.

Risotto

Dice and sweat half an onion and some celery in olive oil over medium heat. When fragrant, add several cloves of chopped garlic and a cup of Arborio Rice. Stir occasionally until rice begins to brown and smells like burnt popcorn. Add enough white wine to cover and allow to evaporate.

At this point, I hope you have the rest of dinner on auto-pilot because the rice will need some attention.

When the wine has evaporated, ladle in a cup of hot chicken broth and allow to absorb/evaporate. Repeat one ladle at a time until the rice is al-dente. With some liquid remaining reduce to low heat and add a good handful of finely shredded Parmesan (the better the cheese, the better the risotto). Serve. Eat.

This is the base risotto. Good enough, but in need of some variation. When adding vegetables, consideration should be given to their cooking times. Try these:

Wild mushroom and Butternut squash risotto
Shitake mushrooms add great flavor and texture.

Asparagus and goat cheese risotto
Not a fan of goat cheese? Stick with the Parmesan and toss in some shrimp for a meal.

Applewood bacon and apple risotto
Cook the rice in the bacon drippings.

As with anything else in the kitchen, experimentation is key. Try it.