You can Do it!


I love risotto. To me is the ultimate comfort food, it has everything you could want. It's warm and cheesy and has vegetables so you can pretend its good for you. But the one thing I find funny is that people are really scared about making risotto, to the point where they will order it in a restaurant and then say man I wish I could make this at home. Well I am here to tell you can. Once you make risotto at your home once you will no longer put it on a pedestal at restaurants. It is extremely versatile, which is what makes it a great dish to master. I remember the first time that I had risotto in a restaurant, I had heard how it takes forever to make and all the time and everything that goes into preparing to make it and it was good, really good but I wasn't afraid of making it, like I am about somethings that restaurants make. So I decided to give it a shot at home. Now I will tell you it does take a while but only about 30 to 45 minutes not the hours I was led to believe, and you do need the special rice. It really makes all the difference because of the way the starches break down. And one final note, if you are a fanatical risotto stirring machine like I am then you will need to have all of the rest of your ingredients prepped before you start. So that you aren't stopping to remove the tails off of the shrimp while the risotto is bubbling away. So give risotto a shot and trust me it will be worth every minute of prep and time to make it.


Springtime Goat Cheese Risotto

4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, medium dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of arborio rice
1 1/2 cups of white wine
2 quarts of chicken stock
1 bunch of asparagus, blanched and cut into thirds
2 cups of frozen peas
1 1/2 pounds of raw shrimp, tails removed
1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
5 oz of Ile de France goat cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a pan bring chicken stock to a simmer. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute onion and garlic over a low heat until they are softened. Add rice and coat the rice with the oil and cook for a few minutes til slightly toasted. Add in the wine and cook until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Add in ½ of a cup of the simmering chicken stock until most of the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Repeat this until the rice cooks and only has a small bite to it. Add in the asparagus, peas and shrimp and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes or until the shrimp is pink. Stir in Parmesan cheese and goat cheese and season to taste. I like to stir frequently while making risotto but you can follow any technique you like.

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