Podcast! Risotto 'Organico'

Will it ever get warm outside? There’s just a little chill in the air every day, it seems, and a nice way to chase away the rain or the cold is with a hearty bowl of Risotto. This dinner takes about 30 minutes to make and is full of wonderful flavors!



You'll find the ingredients on sale on the Picky Produce Page

RISOTTO ORGANICO – serves 2-3

Olive Oil
1 Shallot or ½ sweet Yellow Onion + 1 medium clove Garlic
½ C Arborio Rice (regular rice won’t do)
1 C White Wine (not sweet – optional)
4 C Broth
1 Tb Butter
¾ C grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Broccoli Crown cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Red Pepper cut into bite-sized pieces

4 pieces of boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs (1/2 of a package from TCF)
1 Egg
Salt, Pepper
Flour to dredge

Heat 2 Tb olive oil in a large, shallow pan. Saute the shallot or onion + garlic until fragrant (do not brown). Add the rice to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat until the rice begins to smell nutty. Pour in the wine, turn the heat to high and stir constantly as the wine absorbs and evaporates. When the wine is well absorbed, begin adding the broth about 1 Cup at a time and stir constantly so the rice doesn’t stick. For this part, adjust the heat so that the rice is between a rapid boil and a good simmer.

Heat another sauté pan and add 2 Tb. olive oil over medium high heat. Add the broccoli and red pepper. Cook until al dente, then remove to a bowl.

Pound out the thighs a little bit. Salt and pepper them, put them into a bowl with the beaten egg, then dredge in flour and cook in a little olive oil over medium high heat.

Test the rice. It should be soft and flavorful. When it is, remove the pan from the heat, add 1 Tb butter and stir it in to melt. Sprinkle in the Parmesan and allow that to melt into the rice, stirring well.

To serve, spoon Risotto into a bowl. Garnish with veggies and chicken. MMMMMMmmmm!

A Note about Chicken Quantities: The 4 pieces of chicken thigh that I used in this recipe represent 1/2 a package bought from TCF. You won't get exactly 8 thigh pieces in a package, but you'll the the approximate equivalent in volume.

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Risotto

I know it’s almost officially summer, but you’d never know it here! The nights have been in the mid-40s and the days are barely hitting 80. This past week, it never went over 75, and some days were downright chilly – just right for a last hurrah of Risotto.

This version is done “restaurant style” so everything stays pretty and the flavors retain their distinctness. You will need Arborio Rice or, my favorite: Carnaroli Rice. The former is now available in most grocery stores, the latter in Italian Specialty or Grocery Stores. This rice releases a lot of starch while cooking – almost making a soup – and that’s what makes Risotto what it is.

For 2-4 people you’ll need:

1 Broccoli Crown cut in tiny florettes
1 small Onion, chopped small

1 medium Carrot, diced
1 C frozen Peas, thawed
4-6 cloves Garlic, chopped rough
1 C Arborio or Carnaroli Rice
5-6 C Chicken Broth
3 Tb. Butter
Zest of one Lemon, chopped
¼ C Parmesano Reggiano

10-12 medium or
8-10 jumbo Shrimp

Olive Oil

(Options: use Veg. Broth or water, and leave out the shrimp for a Vegetarian-Style version, or substitute Chicken for the shrimp.)

Clean an devein the shrimp, then cut them in half lengthwise and again crosswise. Start a pan for sauté and a saucepan for the rice. Saute the shrimp and half of the garlic in a little olive oil. Strive to slightly undercook, rather than overcook it. In the saucepan, heat some olive oil and add the veggies (but not the peas). Stir constantly over high heat so that they caramelize just a bit, and cook through – but just barely. Remove the shrimp to a plate, and the veggies to a bowl.

Heat a little more olive oil in the same saucepan you cooked the veggies in. Add the rice and cook until the grains begin to shine a bright white. Add a cup or two of chicken broth, and boil stirring constantly. The rice will begin to absorb the broth, so add some more. Keep adding and stirring until the rice won’t absorb anymore and the remainder of the liquid has cooked away save for a nice, hot starchy bath around the rice kernels. Taste a few grains to make sure they’re cooked.

Now, take the pan off the heat and add the butter. Stir well. Add the Parmesan and stir again. Pour in the veggies (this time the peas, too) and stir once. Now ladle the risotto into a serving bowl. Sprinkle the lemon zest on top, and maybe another grating of Parmesan. Then sprinkle some garlic shrimp on top of that. Ahhhh! It’s Italian comfort food!