Risotto

I love lots of kinds of food (mainly, rice). Anyone who knows me is well aware of my love of Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Malyasian, and other Asian cuisines. However, my love of rice does not stop there. I am in love with rice all around the world - from the delicious Spanish paella to the wild rice of the American South, all the way to the Chipotle lime-cilantro rice. And I'm not even going into what a stuffed tomato, bell pepper, or apple does for my saffron rice addiction!

But what is the big rice that vegans miss out on? Risotto! I don't know what started this craze where people add Parmesan cheese or cream to risotto, but it's driving me nuts! Risotto is naturally creamy and doesn't need all this other nonsense!

Arborio rice (also known as risotto rice) is very weird to me, at least as far as rice goes. It acts more like a dessicant, absorbing moisture, until it oozes apart while still maintaining it's crazy rice-ness. It's like a rice that comes with it's own gravy, and it's not some tasteless knock-off gravy either. This is how risotto should be.

Anyway, here's my Risotto recipe:
NOTE: I make a TON of risotto with this. Seriously. Good for potlucks or tons of lunches. It freezes well, and it seems to get better with time (and a little giardiniera doesn't hurt). 


How many lunches and dinners can I make at one time?!

Arborio Rice (I use the whole box, which is 1 lb)
Garlic cloves 4-6, minced
Vegetable stock 1 qt.
Diced Sage (dried) about 1 tspn
Diced Basil (dried) about 2 tspns
1 can of diced tomatoes
a handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
Oil for saute
3.2 Qt / 3 L saucepan

Veggies to stir in while things cook and you stir:
One zucchini or two little ones
4-6 oz mushrooms diced/sliced (if you like them as much as I do)
A couple handfuls of diced green beans
Spinach, a couple handfuls or to taste
Diced onion, celery, or a mix of the two about two cups
Whatever else you want. Risotto is pretty forgiving as far as ingredients go.

Saute the garlic gloves and dried herbs, with a little stock to give it a nice color. Then... ADD ALL THE RICE!! And stir it around sauteing for a while until it gets coated in oil and a little see-through. It's a lot of rice, and it looks super funny, but this is the key to keeping it rice-like and not porridge-like.

The next step is the most important: Slowly add the broth, one half cup at a time, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Once it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, add another half cup, and keep on stirring with your big wooden spoon. Keep going until all the stock has been used up or the risotto is done. The rice is really absorbing the flavor of the stock, so try not to use plain water unless you run out of stock and the rice isn't done yet.

Whenever you want to add your tomatoes and other veggies, go for it. Save the fresh basil until the risotto has absorbed all the liquid and is fluffy. Turn off the heat, gently fold the basil in, and then you have a masterpiece!


And maybe I forgot the fresh basil in this batch...

Your pot will be FULL, so make sure you have plenty of containers to freeze this up in single-servings or a big party to go to. The oil you cooked it in at first helps it come out nicely and reheats into a smooth creamy risotto that doesn't goo into a big mess.

Why would you not make this?
Takes too much time - If this takes more than an hour, you're doing something weird. Stop that.
Takes too much work/stirring - Seriously? I'm probably punier than you are.
I don't have enough room in my kitchen. - Look at my kitchen.


Do you see counter-space there? I don't.

No excuses - this is a quick 30-50 mins that will feed you for a while and you will sound super fancy when you show up at work with your risotto for lunch. Like you actually spent time carefully crafting your lunch last night instead of making it last weekend and freezing it.

And you, my friend, are one classy cat.

Love,
M