Rice Dishes

RISOTTO

  • 1 medium Onions
  • 1/2 stick Butter
  • 5 cup Chicken broth
  • 2 cups Arborio rice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup Parmesan, fresh, grated

    • Peel and finely chop the onion. Melt the butter in a 4-5 quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring regularly. Add onion and cook, continuing to stir, until it turns soft and translucent. Turn the heat down if the onion starts to brown. Meanwhile, pour the chicken broth into a separate saucepan, set over medium heat, and bring to a gentle simmer. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain this simmer the whole time you are preparing the ristotto. Once the onion is soft, add the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary--if the rice is cooked at too high a heat, it will turn brown and take on an undesirable flavor.

    Using a ladle, scoop up about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of broth. Pour it in the pan with the rice, stirring constantly with a spoon. After the first addition of broth, the rice mixture will look a bit soupy. As the rice begins to cook, stir it constantly, making sure that you scrape along the bottom of the pan so that it does not stick. You should see little bubbles popping up on the liquid from time to time. If it bubbles more vigorously that this, turn the heat down to medium low. When most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice and the rice begins to look a bit dry, add another ladle of broth to the pan and stir contantly, as before.

    Continue to add the broth and stir the rice until you have used most of it. This will probably take about 20 minutes. It is now time to test the risotto. Spoon up a grain of rice and bite into it. It should be tender without being too mushy. If it is still crunchy and tastes a bit starchy, you will need to continue adding liquid and cooking further. If you run out of chicken broth, you may substitute hot water.

    When the rice is tender and the risotto has a creamy consistency, almost like thick oatmeal, it is done.

    Add salt and papper to taste and stir. Add the grated parmesan cheese and stir well. Serve the risotto immediately in warm bowls with extra parmesan chees.

    This recipe courtesy of the From My Kitchen Cookbook. 

    Contributed by Linda Veator of Wilmington, MA. 

    Visit http://www.frommykitchen.net and get your copy of From My Kitchen: Internet-ready recipe software.  Your kitchen will never be the same!