Risotto

I only had time last night to post one recipe because we ended up eating really late and it was about time for bed. I was cooking some marinated mahi mahi filets I got at Trader Joe's, and I thought--like their ahi tuna steaks--there were only two in the package. So I suggested to the husband that we eat dinner after the boy went to bed. We had some brie to tide us over...I heart brie so much. When I took the fish out to let it thaw in a bigger container, I found there were five pieces of fish in it. Oops. Oh well, the boy doesn't really eat fish anyway, unless it's tuna from a can.

I had been dying to try this risotto recipe and had bought stuff to make it a couple times, but for whatever reasons it never worked out. It's from one of my favorite websites, Pioneer Woman Cooks!. If you haven't been there yet, GO NOW! This will still be here when you get back. ;) My friend Jen B. made it before and said it was awesome. I heart risotto, so I couldn't wait. I decided to half the recipe because she had said it made a lot and wasn't as good the next day. The recipe below is for the whole shebang.

PW’s Perfect Risotto
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small or 1/2 medium onion
3 to 4 cloves garlic
1 pound Arborio rice
7 to 8 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups (total) grated Parmesan, Romano, and/or Asiago cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chopped chives

Heat oil in large skillet, then add chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft. Dump in 1 pound dry Arborio rice, and stir to coat. Then add the broth, in 1-cup increments, stirring after each addition until liquid is absorbed. Rice is done when it no longer has a hard bite. After all liquid is absorbed, add cream, cheese, salt & pepper, and stir to combine. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

*****

Now, somehow I didn't have any onions. Not sure how that happened, but I did have some shallots, so I used those instead. And there was a near mishap with the heavy cream. I bought some last week, and the date on it was yesterday. I opened it and poured it into my measuring cup...and clumps came out. GROSS!!! I had some fat free half and half I was going to use (you have no idea my disappointment), but then I saw another container of cream in the fridge that was still good! Hooray!! Mine took about 3 cups of chicken broth, which was good because that was exactly how much I had.

The risotto was AWESOME. The husband and I both had seconds, and there was about one serving left. I put it in the fridge but haven't tried it yet today to see if Jen's right and it doesn't reheat well. She's usually right about that stuff, so I trust her opinion. Oh, and I'd say it probably took 30 minutes for the risotto. The husband and I both agreed we could have stood over the pan and ate the remaining portion, but as it was 9:00, we figured that probably wasn't the best idea. I will DEFINITELY be making this again!

(No dinner tonight, by the way...we have a birthday party to go to!)