RISOTTO-A DIFFERENT KIND OF RICE
YIELD 3-4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Arborio rice (risotto, Italian short grain rice)
4 cups chicken broth, simmering, you may not need all of this liquid
1-2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup diced onion
½ cup shredded Parmesan
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley or sliced green onion

PROCEDURE
In a medium sized sauce pot, melt the butter with the olive oil and stir in the onions. Cook a few minutes or until the onions are soft, stirring occasionally. In the video, I slightly brown the onions, this adds extra color and flavor. Add the raw arborio rice and stir in well. Turn the heat to medium and add some of the simmering broth, about 1 cup. Stir around a few times.

Make certain that the risotto comes back to a gentle simmer. I like to set my timer for 20 minutes or just keep an eye on the clock. When 15 minutes have gone by, I add enough liquid so that it will be absorbed within 5 minutes. As the liquid evaporates, you need to continue adding around a cup of broth at a time, following the procedure from above. Once twenty minutes is up, the liquid should be absorbed into the rice. If not, let it simmer until it has, should be just another minute or two. Then turn off the heat and allow the risotto to sit for a few minutes.

**You need to stay nearby when you are making risotto. The reason that I call this a different kind of rice is because of the way that it is cooked. Most rice is steamed with the lid on. However, this rice is cooked with the lid off at all times.

Now you can add any number of different ingredients, such as the Parmesan and parsley from the above ingredients. Here are some other suggestions:

1 tsp fresh minced garlic (add this with the onions)
1-2 tbsp sliced sun dried tomatoes
1 tsp pesto
¼ cup cooked bacon bits, homemade
fresh diced Roma tomatoes
½ cup peas, frozen

**The leftover risotto makes great “cakes”. Follow the recipe and video for brown rice cakes.