Risotto: a Gluten Free delight!

I have had a fascination with risotto long before my Gluten Free endeavor. I know, it is not likely to be the first recipe a newly GF person will try because it can be rather time consuming, but as I was thinking about the recipes I already make, I was thrilled to realize this one is on the "safe" list without having to alter it! I first tried to make this several months ago, with little success. (Word of advice: do not make this on a first date if you are not good at multi-tasking; i.e. trying to engage in meaningful conversation, all while constantly stirring and timing). But not liking to fail, I resolved to conquer the art of risotto, with the help of my friend, Russell. He offered me a great Basic Risotto recipe which I'll share with you below: (Also, check out his blog at http://www.myplateisfullblog.com/ for other great recipes!)



Basic Risotto
Serves 4

1 cup Arborio rice
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced (about 1/2 -3/4 cup)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2-3 cups chicken broth (be sure this is GF! Pacific Foods is a good one)
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbs cream (regular or fat free both work)

Directions:

1. Preheat the chicken broth just to the boiling point and keep heated stove side. In a large skillet with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Cook the onions until translucent.

2. Add the arborio rice and saute with the onions, until grains are toasted and begin to brown (about 7 minutes).

3. Once rice is toasted, add wine slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon.

4. After the rice has absorbed the wine and the skillet is nearly dry, add the heated broth, 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, stirring occassionally. Cook over low heat until absorbed. You can tell when to add more broth by drawing a line in the middle of the skillet and the resulting line fills in very slowly (see picture below). Repeat this process until the your broth is gone and rice is cooked and chewy. This whole process usually takes me 25-30 minutes.

5. Add butter, parmesan, and cream and stir to combine. (Note: some recipes then say to cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes)

Another fun thing about risotto, is once you have your basic risotto, you can mix in any of your favorite ingredients. I've done with shrimp, spinach and sundried tomatoes. Most recently I added cooked spinach and cannellini (white) beans. Delicious!