the magic risotto

My name is Food Maven and I'm a risotto-holic...

     Porcini mushroom risotto, lemon-thyme with asparagus, fresh tomato and wilted arugula risotto, shrimp risotto. There are just too many to list. Risotto, Italian in origin, has a comfort food status and a creamy consistency. If you have never attempted to make it, you may be a little intimidated by all that stirring. Never fear! It is one of my go-to lunch or light dinner menus and the variations are endless! The starch in the arborio rice releases when you are stirring, creating a creamy consistency. The rice is cooked in broth or stock which flavors the grains.

     In season one, episode four of the Gilmore Girls, Chef Sookie was lamenting over a popular food critic's proclamation of her famous risotto as 'perfectly fine,' in a review of the inn's restaurant.
     She, believing that her risotto has magical powers, takes this assessment as a pronouncement of mediocrity. Lorelai, upon hearing of this short line in an otherwise stellar review, exclaims, 'Not the magic risotto!' And thus, in my household, a reference was born.

hannah

     My baby, eighteen years young, requests magic risotto every once in awhile. She is referring to my recipe with chicken and sweetcorn... Her fave! Who doesn't love chicken and corn? It can be served with a salad or topped with halved grape tomatoes and a couple of basil leaves to make a wonderful meal. I hope you will try this recipes and discover the magical powers for yourself.

Ingredients

3 T. unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely minced

13 oz., arborio or carnoroli rice

1/2 c. dry white wine

8 cups homemade chicken stock, simmering

2 c. chopped, cooked chicken meat 

1 lb. frozen or fresh sweetcorn

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped, fresh Italian parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a deep saucepan on low heat, melt 2 T. butter and saute onion slowly until translucent, but not brown. Add rice. Toast the grains for about five minutes. Pour in white wine, stirring constantly until absorbed. Add three ladles of hot stock. Stir until all liquid is absorbed. Toss in chicken and corn, then add more stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring until all liquid is absorbed. Continue to add a ladle at a time, stirring between additions. Taste a grain of rice between each addition, stopping when rice is tender in the center, but still firm to the bite. Take pan off the heat, stir in remaining 1 T. butter, the cheese and season to taste. Mix in parsley and one last ladle of stock. Cover and let rest for five minutes. Serve with extra cheese to pass. Feeds four to six.