I had Basmati rice on hand (the tips said you could use any type). It called for 5 cups of chicken broth. I had 4 cups of freshly made chicken broth in the freezer and finished it with half a can. I had recently cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot.* I took my time finely chopping a sweet onion and four cloves of fresh garlic.
After sautéing the onion and garlic in olive oil, I added and coated the rice that I ’d rinsed. I warmed the chicken broth (they said cold chicken broth shocks the rice, I’d never thought of rice as have a sensitive nature but, hey). After adding the warm broth to the rice and aromatics, the key to risotto, it seems, is to constantly stir it as it cooks. I stirred for about 25 minutes. The rice gets thick and creamy. At the end I added several tablespoons of butter for even creamer (they say you can add cream for even creamier). Talk about comfort food, so yummy. The idea is to then add some cheese, in the case of the recipe I was using, freshly grated Parmesan. I didn’t add the cheese because I’m going to freeze portions of it and add the cheese when I serve it. I kept eating it just as it was, Yum.
I’m impressed with risotto. It should freeze well. One can add different kinds of cheeses, vegetables, chicken or other meat; it’s a flexible dish. My mom and Grandma never did rice as a savory dish, I don’t know why (only with milk, sugar and raisins or in a rice pudding) they would have loved this, though.
Here is the link to the risotto-making tips I used.
Risotto-Making Tips
Here is the recipe I used:
Ingredients:
· 3 Tbsp. olive oil
· 1 onion, diced (I used a sweet onion diced small)
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 2 cups short grain Arborio rice (I used Basmati)
· 1/2 cup dry white wine, or more chicken broth (I didn't use wine and only used 5 cups of broth)
· 5 cups chicken broth, warmed
· 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
· 2 Tbsp. butter
•Salt and pepper to taste
Place chicken broth in a heavy saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan and cook onions and garlic, stirring frequently, until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes; don't let them brown.
Stir in the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3-4 minutes longer until some grains begin to look translucent. Add wine; cook and stir until wine is absorbed. Then add about 1/2 cup of simmering chicken broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed.
At this point you can add more broth, about 1 cup, at a time. The whole cooking process should take about 20-25 minutes. The rice should be tender, but firm, or al dente, in the center; test it by biting into some grains. When the rice is done, remove the pan from the heat and stir in cheese and butter and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until melted, then serve. Serves 4-6
*Side note: My friend
Vivian has me hooked on buying a whole chicken, rinsing it, seasoning it
however you like, Johnny’s Seasoning salt and a little garlic powder for me, and dumping it with
no liquid, breast side down, into the crockpot on low for 6 hours. So simple, I often do it
when whole Foster Farms chickens are on sale. Here is a link to an online discussion of the chicken in the crock pot
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