Risotto? I'm Ron Burgundy?

I will spare you apologies for the lack of blogs, and will just say that life is lame for the time being. However, in my various endeavors, I did have a chance to make a few things that were pretty damn tasty.

I finally tried my hand at a risotto. I had heard about it a long while ago, and began researching them a few months ago. I had purchased all of the necessary ingredients, and after a few drinks decided to try my hand. Since I had been studying them so intensely I did not use a set recipe, but went with how it all looked as well as the taste.

For this, I will describe the ingredients along with the process, so you can look up your own recipes since your taste will vary (or if you want one like mine comment me). If you are going to recreate this, read this entire entry, as I will go back and forth hap-hazardly and ruin you. I sauteed a frozen chicken breast on both sides in a bit of olive oil with a touch of fresh cracked sea salt and pepper. I then moved it into a 400 degree oven to finish it. While the breast was cooking, I sauteed a chopped onion (a medium yellow onion, for its pungency and sweetness) in a mix of butter and olive oil until they were translucent but not quite carmelized (using med-high heat). I sat those off to the side and started sauteing or toasting (not sure of the term) the arborio rice in that mix of butter and olive oil.

Before I began, I began slowly heating a pan of chicken stock. The amount you will use will vary, but make sure you have enough (read recipes to find out why). Make sure to only put warm or hot ingredients in your main risotto pan. While the rice was toasting, I deglazed the chicken pan with some pinot grigio (about a cup or so worth) and heated it up to a nice warm temperature. When the rice was getting translucent, I put in the wine and let it absorb. I think I either used too much wine, or I used too cheap of a wine, as I will point out later. I then re-added the onions, and went from there.

When the wine had all absorbed/cooked out, I started putting in the stock, a ladle at a time. I consistently stirred the rice as I did this, and kept adjusting temperature to make sure it was staying at a consistent temperature. I kept adding ladles of stock until it could barely hold more. I had pulled the chicken from the oven and cubed it as well. I pulled it just a bit early to cook in the end with the rice. I will mention that I had gotten a small wedge of a Parmesan (not Reggiano, to my dismay). I shredded a half-cup or so into a bowl before-hand. When it was about finished, I added my Parmesan. When that had melted, I added a TBS of butter, and when that was heated, about a 1/4 cup of cream. I turned off the heat then, and kept stirring to make the whole mix super creamy. It was fairly thick and a golden color.

I plated it, with a large portion :). I tried it, and I realized I shouldn't have had the couple drinks while cooking it, as I killed a little of my tasting power. I first felt the texture of the warm rice and the abundant creamyness and resistance of "al dente" rice. I then tasted initially the sharp taste of the wine, then the pungent Parmesan, then the creamy/stock sauce. It was good, except the sweet/sharp tones of the wine were a bit overpowering. The chicken added some good protein and broke it up a bit.

Next time I do a risotto, I will add more vegetables than just the onions. Also, I will feature the protein separately, in this it felt like a cheap rice-a-roni dish and didn't really contribute. As mentioned above, I will not use quite so much wine as well, and a better quality wine. Otherwise, this was a fun and relatively easy dish. The prep time was short, but very important as timing is key in this. Make sure stock is ready and hot, the wine is hot, the cheese is shredded, and that all is cut and ready to go when the time comes.

So, until next time, enjoy!