This is, I do believe, the third risotto recipe on my site, and should not be confused with the Roasted Red Pepper version I shared with you last year. The great thing about risotto is, the basic method for preparing it is generally the same from recipe to recipe: Arborio rice is cooked slowly (up to an hour or so) while warm liquid (usually broth) is gradually stirred in. The only thing you change are extra ingredients you decide to add. Mushrooms, shrimp or scallops, different cheeses…when it comes to Risotto, there are as many variations as there are grains of sand in all the beaches in the world. And its deliciously creamy texture—oh, it’s so wonderful.
Risotto the dish is really more of a cross between rice and pasta, and equally delightful as a side dish next to chicken, beef, or fish…or as a main course, served with a big, beautiful salad.
I promise you this won’t be the last risotto recipe I share here.
And when it comes to food, I keep my promises, my darlings.
Well, unless you count the time I promised myself I wouldn’t eat the whole pint of coffee Haagen Dazs but wound up eating two. But it wasn’t my fault! I was a freshman in college at the time. I get off on a technicality.
Here’s what you need.
Begin by dicing an onion…
And mincing three cloves of garlic.
Next, grab 7 or 9 sundried tomatoes from the jar.
You can mince the tomatoes really finely…
Or you can throw them in a food processor…
And really pulverize them to smithereens.
Heat butter and olive oil in a dutch oven or pot over medium heat.
Throw in the onions and garlic…
And stir it around, cooking it for 3 to 4 minutes.
Next, measure two cups of Arborio rice.
Arborio rice used to be more difficult for me to procure, living where I do. But in the past five years or so, more supermarkets and stores are starting to carry it.
Risotto is for all mankind!
And pour it into the pot.
Stir it around for about 3 minutes, being careful not to burn the rice.
Add in the sundried tomatoes (minced, they equal about 3 or 4 tablespoons).
And stir them all around.
Now, this is the yummy part. Well…one of the several yummy parts. Pour in 1 cup of dry white wine. This will provide a foundation of flavor and loveliness that just can’t be beat.
When you first pour it in, it’ll look like a lot of liquid.
(And what a beautiful liquid it is—look at the color!)
But as you stir it around and allow it to cook, the rice will gradually absorb the liquid.
After most of the wine has been absorbed by the rice, begin pouring in the warm chicken broth one cup at a time, stirring gently after each addition until the liquid is absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes each time.
This process requires patience; you really can’t rush risotto!
Over and over and over: you pour in the liquid…
And you let it cook until the liquid’s gone. The rice will become more and more plump as the process moves along.
The risotto is done when the rice is cooked and tender, but still has a nice bite to it. No crunch…just a bite.
But just because it’s done…doesn’t mean we’re done.
Throw in 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
Stir it gently and let the risotto gobble up the cheese.
And then…forgive me?
I’m getting ready to do a very bad thing.
I want to amplify the tomato-cream component. While risotto is inherently creamy because of the starch of the Arborio rice…there’s nothing like a shot of heavy cream to send something over the edge into pure deliciousness.
Stir it together, adjust the salt and pepper…
And serve it on up, baby!
Oh my.
And don’t forget to do this.
And now, may I please take this opportunity to state that I’m ready for spring? That I’m ready to plant? To grow? To have fresh basil in my life again? I have none; my grocery store doesn’t carry it. The basil cubes I stored up in the freezer are long gone. I want fresh basil. Now. But for tonight, this will have to do.
But you know what?
It really ain’t bad!
I firmly believe in finding contentment wherever you’re plunked in life.
And whether it’s basil season or not.
Enjoy!
Here’s the handy-dandy printable recipe, followed by links to my two other risotto recipes on PW Cooks:
Basic Creamy, Cheesy Risotto (This really shows the details of the add-broth-and-cook process.)
Red Pepper Risotto with Turmeric (This recipe looks very similar to today’s, but the flavor is very different.)
