In the dead of winter (yes, even a 50 degrees-with-a-chance-of-rain San Francisco winter) it's hard to beat the creamy, yet chewy nuggets of Arborio rice that have absorbed flavorful chicken broth like
little sponges. We don't make risotto as much as we used to; the small children and their inevitable interruptions have made it challenging (at best) to stand over a stove and carefully stir the risotto until perfect broth absorption is achieved. Which is why we were thrilled to find this recipe in Donna Hay's Instant Entertaining. We discovered this gem of a recipe over the holidays and served it to a crowd on Christmas Eve about an hour after the cat jumped over a lit Duraflame log and ran up the chimney, but that's a story for another day. (He was heroically rescued and survived without a scratch.)
The original recipe serves twelve, but we halved it here. As always, it is preferable to use great tasting ingredients; we used homemade broth we had in the freezer and freshly grated Parmesan. You'll want to take the risotto out of the oven when there is still a little bit of broth at the bottom of the pan (it will meld nicely with the cheese and the butter) and the rice is firm but not crunchy. We also tried a variation with leeks and peas, which add color and a bright flavor. Simply saute 1/2 cup of leeks in the olive oil until soft, then add the rice and follow recipe directions. When you add the cheese and butter at the end, add 1 cup of frozen sweet peas that have been thawed.
1 Tbsp olive oil1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small Dutch oven or other stove top, oven proof dish until shimmering. Add rice and cook for 1 minute until hot and covered with the oil.
Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake in the oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until most of the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente. Remove from the oven and add the Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper and stir for three or four minutes until risotto is thick and creamy.
Serves 6
Cook Time: 50 min
Total Time: 1 hr
