Radiating Risotto

For me, risotto is one of those great comfort foods, both to make and to eat. It's a recipe that requires a lot of attention, but really not that much skill, contrary to what seems to be popular belief. I feel, it seems complicated only in that it requires almost constant attention and stirring. I enjoy this somewhat tedious process, though... watching over it, stirring, putting more effort and energy into it. These are the most rewarding dinners for me... the ones that require more effort for a greater, tastier pay off.

Earlier this winter, I made a butternut squash risotto which was pretty much an utter failure. My brain was scattered... I totally lost track of what I was doing and ended up adding a good portion of my stock all at once... resulting in WAY undercooked rice which lead to unpleasant eatings... but the squash was nice. :) This time I may have slightly overcooked the rice (it lacked a slight bite that I wish I had maintained) in an effort to use up all the stock, the last scoop may have been one too many. Nevertheless, still creamy and all the right flavor components were there.

I'd began craving risotto again... pretty much right after the earlier disaster. Ha. I needed to redeem myself. Having some decaying peppers from Jean Talon, I decided it was necessary to roast them so that they would preserve in my fridge for a little bit longer. This, in my opinion, gave me a perfect excuse to make risotto with roasted peppers. :) And what a magnificent notion that was. (Although I still have a good cup or two of peppers left over and am wondering how I will utilize those.) This was one of the greatest risottos I think I have ever made. So many flavors that didn't overpower each other, but rather worked in copacetic harmony... with just the right amount of blissful heat from a jalapeno pepper.

Again, kind of going on a Mark Bittman binge these last couple days as this recipe stemmed from his cookbook too. Stemmed pretty loosely, though. I only really USED him for the basic idea of how to make risotto (sorry Mister Bittman... I feel a bit dirty for that :P). Having become a bit obsessed with food blogs and finding new, interesting dishes others were tasting, I have been ignoring my mountain (well... not mountain... maybe a small hill, or a mini mound, if you will) of cookbooks. What was I thinking? Trust the experts, that's what I should be doing... mastering the basics and then making my own tweaks.

I'm feeling a bit uncreative tonight :( so I'll save you all the agony of scanning further through my mundane thoughts by going on to the recipe. It's essential to have all the ingredients prepped and ready to add to the hot pan because there's little to no time to chop once you get going. Oh... right... feeling a lack of protein in this meal, I poached an egg to put on top. I learned this trick from a fellow blogger and I adore it. Poaching eggs is my new favorite culinary task to master... and I must say my skills are being honed nicely. I used to stare at the pot of boiling water, reciting a short prayer in my head that all goes well and wince as I put the egg into the swirling water, hoping all turned out well... but now it's no big deal. And the outcome is superb. I love the creaminess of the yokey egg spilling over my risotto... they mingle so wonderfully together.

Roasted Pepper Risotto

Adapted from Mark Bittman's 'How to Cook Everything'

Halved for little old me (As it is, the full recipe is supposed to serve 4-6, so I'll get a good three meals of this.)

Ingredients (halved)

• 2-3 cups chicken broth (again... I used all three cups, but could have omitted about 1/4 for a slight bite to the arborio.)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 a medium onion (I used 1 small red one)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 a jalapeno, seeds and all (of course, for slightly less heat, remove the seeds)
• 3/4 cup arborio rice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup basil, chopped (Further devastating my basil plant. I didn't have parsley, so I used a mixture of basil, oregano, and cilantro... Bittman states that any fresh herb will do (and suggests chervil to be "especially good") but not to substitute dry ones.)
• 1 Tablespoon softened butter (Master Bittman suggests that adding butter is the key to a truly excellent, creamy risotto... but I opted out of it.)
• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
• about 1/2 cup Roasted peppers, chopped (I roasted a green, orange, yellow, and red one days before making this, but, in my haste to incorporate them, I took a bit from the top of the mix which ended up being only red and yellow... which I like anyways because they are slightly sweeter, adding a nice flavor contrast.)
• 1 egg

Preparation

Warm the stock in a medium saucepan over medium heat and leave the heat on.

Place the oil in a large saucepan or skillet, preferably non-stick, and turn the heat to medium. When it's hot, add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the rice and stir until it is coated with oil. Add a little salt and pepper, then the white wine. Stir and let the liquid bubble away.

Begin to add the warm stock, 1/4 cup or so at a time (I added by the laddle-full), stirring after each addition and every minute or so. When the stock is just about evaporated, add more. The mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Keep the heat medium to medium-high, and stir frequently (constant stirring is not necessary). (<---- Except, in my opinion it kind of is. Maybe because I'm too afraid that the rice will burn, but every time I left for a bit and came back to stir, the rice began to stick to the pan... I didn't like that... so I'd say constant monitoring is a must.)

Begin tasting the rice 20 minutes after you add it; you want it to be tender but with a tiny bit of crunch. It could take as long as 30 minutes to reach this stage. (I would say 25 is ideal.) When it does, add the butter (which I omitted), herbs, and parmesan. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.

I assumed I would have more time to chop my herbs and roasted peppers during cooking... which was not the case and so I ended up forgetting to add the peppers when I originally planned to (which was with the onions, garlic, and jalapeno). This actually worked out perfectly, though because ultimately I added them with the herbs and parmesan. As a matter of fact, this seems the better place to add them as they are already roasted and soft.

For the Poached Egg

Bring about two inches of water with a splash of white vinegar to boil in a medium pan. Whilst you wait, crack your egg into a small dish. Once boiling, bring the heat down to a slight simmer, swirl the water violently and slip the egg into the water. Let it be for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the whites are set. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate to dab dry a bit. Place atop a mound of risotto.

So delicious. In my opinion... this picture is almost Food Porn worthy. :) I molded my risotto in the bottom of a circular tupperware :P... and served it alongside a simple salad of mixed greens and my favored vinaigrette.