Risotto, an easier side dish than you think

Have you ever watched Hell's Kitchen? The one with Gordon Ramsay looking for a new head chef for one of his bazillion restaurants and he pretty much yells at you and throws things at the chefs. That one, it comes on Fox, but man don't I love it. My mom thinks I am weird for loving a show where the main person is yelling and screaming at the cooks and in her words "degrading", but my Dad and I LOVE IT and think it's so funny. I also mainly love it for the cooking and the challenges. (Master Chef is also a great show to!!) On a side note, if you have never worked in a restaurant you have no idea how tense it can get in the kitchen, yelling happens. Hence why you grow tough skin when you get burned, to protect you from all the yelling.

One of my Favorite shows.

 Well the reason why I bring up Hell's Kitchen is one of the sides I see the chef's make 95% of the time and seem to screw it up 93.4567% of the time (just trust my math, he-he) is Risotto. It is a very simple dish to make, hence why I couldn't comprehend why these guys can mess it up so much. Before we go into the nitty gritty let me give you a very brief history of Risotto. Risotto is a short grain rice that was introduced to Spain and Italy by the Arabs during the Middle Ages. Italy was most ideal to grow this rice because of the humidity and flat land and quickly became an Italian staple. Believe it or not, Italians also love to take their time with their food to make sure that the flavors are absorbed and cherished (hence why an Italian dinner party can last for hours, trust me I know from first hand experience).

Now let's get started on this lovely dish. This is another dish that you can make your own, add or subtract veggies or change the flavors. Play with it, add saffron or fresh basil. It's truly hard to screw up Risotto. It just takes a little longer than normal rice and some additional stirring, but by the end, you can impress your friends and they will believe you are a gourmet chef!

Here are the things you are going to need:

1. 1 to 1 1/2 cups of Aborio (risotto) rice. This will make a lot, it's just like rice, it will double or triple in size.
2. 1 quart of broth, Chicken, vegetable or beef. I usually use what is going to complement my main dish.
3. Optional: vegetables to saute, such as mushrooms, peas, or spinach. 
4. A little olive oil
5. Optional: wine

Yup that's it, really four items. Ok let's get started. Get a medium saute pan. With a little olive oil saute your veggies. I picked mushrooms. After they have been sauteed to satisfaction, add the Aborio. Yes dry, trust me. Let the Aborio saute a little until you can smell an almond or nutty scent.

Saute it dry first

While the mushrooms are sauteing, start on your broth. I usually recommend that it is warmed up. I used the powdered broth or the stuff from the carton. Heat up about a quart of broth.

 

Now that your broth is ready, pour a little into your risotto pan, about a quarter of the liquid. With a spoon stir the risotto and mix it all in together. You don't have to stir the risotto all the time but  keep an eye on it because you do not want it to stick. You want the risotto to absorb the flavors.

When you first add

When you mix it all together

Then when the liquid is fully absorbed and there is no liquid in the pan, add more and repeat. You are going to do this till you are out of broth (3-4 times) and till the risotto is nice a creamy. If you stir often enough and use enough liquid, you should be able to avoid lumps. When you get lumps Gorden Ramsay comes to your house and throws the pan against something a disgrace. And you don't want to be a disgrace by Gordon Ramsay.

Last set of sauce

End product

If you are not a creamy stage and you need just that extra ounce of liquid, this is where vino comes in. Not sure what wine to use, chicken broth and veggie = white (chardonnay goes well) and beef =red. Stir it in and Viola, Bam,  or Poof the Magical Dragon if you prefer, your Risotto is done. It goes great as a side or as a main dish. I grate a little fresh Romano or Parm over it, that is some excellent cooking there.

So now get your application for Master Chef (Gordon is nicer there) or the Hell's Kitchen because you know how to cook Risotto. Now go home, sit down with a glass of wine and pat your self on the back because you made it better than the others show screw up 93.4567% of the time. Live, Laugh, and Love!!!

I love the Italian Flag and Food

So if you haven't read or noticed that I am Italian. I love being Italian and I love everything about my heritage. I especially love cooking it! So sometimes I subconciously catch myself sticking the colors of the Italian Flag in my meal, don't judge, you would do if your heritage was awesome to! :P

Viva Italia!

I am technically from a small town in Sicily!

So last night I wanted to whip up something quick, easy, and healthy and it's all in my repertoire! So let's get started.

Ingredients needed:
- Chicken Breast, 2-3 (more if you are making it for a huge crowd)
- Mushrooms
- Fresh Spinach!
- Grape Tomatos
- Seasonings
- Garlic
- Olive Oil

That's it, half the stuff you probably already have. Hubby and I just love fresh ingredients in our meals so I tend to go shopping often for our fresh stuff. Ok first step, slice your chicken into bite size pieces and season with all that you like. I like to stick to my holy trinity: Garlic, Basil, and Oregano. (Tip: It's so much cheaper to grow your own herbs and dry them yourselves. We need to dry soon so I will make sure to show you how, so simple!)

My sliced chicken with garlic, and awaiting everything else. Can you tell I love Garlic?

 So let your chicken saute a little bit. As it is cooking in the olive oil over medium heat, start slicing your mushrooms. Then just chunk them in. Again bite size is optimal but if you get smaller mushrooms your can just halve them and saute them that way. Again, make it your own! It's all about making it your own in cooking!

I love mushrooms, love,love, love

 Then take a hand full and a half, that's right hand full and a half. Figure it out, there is not exact measurements in my home. I like to just slice it here and there because they can get long and stringy in the pan.  Once the mushrooms are soft, throw in the spinach and saute.

Spinach is so healthy and good for you!

 Then half your grape tomatoes and saute together. Then you are done! Add Olive Oil as needed and I do recommend adding just half a cap full of lemon juice to help with the bite of the spinach, but it still tastes great with out it to!

Fin!

So when I first made this I made some risotto to go with it, yummmm. But Today I just had this and some green peas. Yummy, delicious, and healthy for you! Don't be afraid to shred some Romano or Parmesan over it. One pan, one cutting board, and one knife. Simple and quick clean up!

I am working on some baking recipes so keep an eye out soon! Until then, Live, Laugh, Love!