Herb Risotto

On our first wedding anniversary, my husband (I still love saying that) and I went to a nice dinner at a place we had never been before.  It was highly recommended by my sister (in-law), Emily who has great taste in many things so we knew it would be a hit.  It was!  Cozy atmosphere, delicious food, stiff drinks and the best company a lady could ask for.  Come on, you knew something cheesy was coming. 

Anyway, I had a grilled pork chop and herbed risotto.  Everything was amazing--the risotto was just as fantastic as the pork chop.  To be honest, it might have been better.  Hence today's recipe--Herb Risotto.  I knew I had to figure out a way to recreate it.  I seriously think I nailed it.  It is so simple to make and is surprisingly good considering the few ingredients it requires.  

I would encourage you to make this--today.  You will not be disappointed. 

Musical Selection: Love by: Matt White.  Just feeling a bit cheesy today. 

 To begin, chop up a huge onion.

 Melt some butter in a large sauté pan

 Add half of the onion since it was so huge.  Saute the onion in the butter until it is translucent/tender.

 Meanwhile, bring a few cups of chicken broth to a simmer.

 Add the arborio rice.  I let it toast for a minute or two while stirring constantly, you don't want to burn it.  I learned this from my friend Giada.  I wish…about the friend part.

 Add a splash of wine.  Finish the bottle, I'm not here to judge.

 When the liquid is absorbed and it looks like this...

 Add two ladles of the chicken broth.  Stir, and keep stirring until the liquid is absorbed again.  Repeat this several times.  Well, twice for now…

 Then remember you forgot to add the herbs…add a bit of rosemary.  I like to smash it up in between my fingers before I use it to break it up a bit. 
 Also add dill,

 And fresh thyme.  I'm pretty sure fresh is key.  I also added a bit of basil but forgot to take a picture, so add some of that too.

 Stir it up.  See, it needs more liquid.  Keep adding the liquid, stirring and letting it absorb until you have reached your desired texture.  We are a fan of a risotto with a bit of a bite.  Keep tasting after every addition of the liquid to see what you like.

 After you have reached your desired texture, add a whole bunch of parmesan cheese.  That's it!

That is the best picture I took of it.  I know, not a lot of help.  What I can say is this is ah-freaking-mazing.  I'm not kidding.  What is even better is that I made something EVEN BETTER with the left overs.  I'll post that recipe next.

In the meantime, make this.  For reals.

Herb Risotto
1/2 large onion, chopped finely
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine (that you would actually drink)
6 cups of chicken stock (low sodium)
1/8 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 dried basil
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Being by preheating a large skillet on medium high heat, add the butter and onion.  Saute until translucent. While the onion is sautéing, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a separate sauce pan.    Add the aborio rice to the sauté pan, let toast (keep stirring) for 1-2 minutes.

Add the wine to the sauté pan, stir until the liquid is absorbed.  Add two ladles of the chicken stock, keep stirring.  Add the herbs after the first two ladles of broth.  After you add the herbs, add chicken stock, two ladles at a time, stirring pretty regularly.  Taste the rice before each addition of the chicken stock.  Once you have reached your desired tenderness of the rice, remove from the heat and add the cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to you taste.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz