Risotto

Although it's far from being dietary, I wanted to try to make risotto as I learned to make it Sunday night at La Chiesa, and at the same time, I wanted to make the broiled tilapia that I made a couple of weeks ago for Mari again. So, I went ahead and made the two together. The flavors went together very well. And although there aren't a lot of flavorings added to the risotto, it was very tasty.

I thought I knew how to make risotto until Sunday night. There I discovered that I was using the wrong kind of rice. You need to use Arborio, or similar rice in which the starches are on the outside of the grain rather than on the inside where most rice stores the starch. You also need to roast the rice before you add it to liquid. Although I don't have an official recipe, I can give you the general run down without specific amounts.

First, you need to heat a little olive oil and butter together in a skillet. Add finely chopped shallots and Arborio rice. Roast, stirring until the shallots begin to brown. I'd say about 5 minutes will do it. Then add stock about a cup at a time. I made chicken stock last night. That's something else I learned Sunday night. You need to make chicken or veal stock around. You just need to simmer the bones along with some carrots and onions. I also threw in some celery. You can freeze it and have it around as you need it. So, anyway, you keep adding the stock as it cooks away and is absorbed. Test the rice by tasting a grain once in awhile. Once it's done, add Parmesan and salt and pepper.

I really was impressed with how tasty the risotto was. But the tilapia was again really good. :)