Why didn't anyone tell me about risotto!?!

I had my first taste of risotto at a friend's for a dinner party and I was amazed. This dish is SO good! Strong flavor, creamy, filling... good. In a word- good.


So what I'm confused about is: why don't I hear more people lauding the glory of risotto. It's not that hard to make. If you and a dining partner (kid, significant other, random person you want to feed) prepare the dish together, you'll have an enjoyable evening and your hands won't be too full.

I have also never cooked anything using heavy cream, so I can't be sure that the reason I'm in love with this dish isn't because I've never experienced the joy of such a heavy ingredient.

So, here it is. I made this today and am still basking in the stupor of creamy goodness.

ARTICHOKE RISOTTO
(adapted from a recipe from The Food Network)

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 2 TBS unsalted butter
• 3/4 c. chopped onion
• 1/4 c. red bell pepper
• about 2 TBS of garlic, chopped or pressed
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 5 c. vegetable stock
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp. salt
• ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. chopped green onions
• 1 can of artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1/4 c. Parmesan
• some parsley to garnish

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add butter and then onions, bell pepper, and garlic; cook until vegetables are wilted.

Add rice and saute 1-2 min. stirring constantly, until grains begin to look opaque. Add wine and cook until evaporated, stirring constantly. Add 3/4 c. stock, the lemon juice, and some salt and pepper. Keep stirring. Continue to stir constantly, adding 3/4c. more of stock every time it looks like the rice has absorbed most of the liquid in the pot.

After rice has cooked for 10 min, add green onions and artichoke hearts. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add heavy cream and Parmesan. Stir well. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 min. before serving. Garnish with parsley.

Fresh green beans made a great side dish.

This meal was incredibly rich. I looked in some of my cookbooks and found a lot of other recipes for risotto that do not call for any cream; I'll have to experiment with those another time. Since we were stuffed (but never willing to go without dessert), I cut up some fruit with a little bit of vanilla yogurt. Scrumptious.

Side note- We're finally going back to school post hurricane so I will have less of this crazy abundant free time to spend baking, cooking, and blogging.