Cookin' with Moxie

Risotto, risotto, risotto. Oh, why can’t I eat you for dinner every night?

The lemon flavor really comes through in this risotto. It was exactly what I was hoping for – just a slight tartness on your tongue. The addition of a few pats of butter and some Parmesan cheese really round out the flavors in here. You’ll be licking the spoon before you get your plate on the table! This dish is great as a main course but feel free to broil some fish to go alongside it if you’d like.

Risotto is such a versatile dish to make. Once you get the hang of the stirring the rice and can make a basic risotto, the sky is the limit! Don’t forget – slow and steady wins the race in this case. You can add any combination of flavors, textures and foods that you wish. I’ve really been trying to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet this year, hence the addition of broccoli. It’s one of my New Year’s resolutions. It is a challenge for me to cook at last one vegetarian dish a week, not including pasta! I’m really trying and this dish helped me out last week…

Lemon Broccoli Risotto (adapted from Epicurious and Sweet Salty Spicy)
Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets (discard hard stems)
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
• 1 cup white wine
• Zest and juice of two lemons
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan bring the broth and the water to a boil. Simmer the broccoli florets for 3 minutes, or until they are just tender. Do not drain the water – transfer the florets to a separate bowl and reserve them for later. Keep your broth at a low simmer.
2. In a large skillet cook the onion and the garlic in the olive oil and butter over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until the alcohol has evaporated.
3. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and cook the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding the broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each portion be absorbed before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still al dente. (It should take about 20 minutes to get to this point. You may not need all of your broth to do so.) Stir in the reserved broccoli florets, zest and juice of the lemons and simmer the risotto, stirring, until the florets are heated through. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining two tablespoons butter, Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

Tutti Mangia!

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