I am not a southern cook. I may live in the South, but I cannot fry chicken to save my life. I don't make a killer potato salad and I sure can't grill without burning something to a nice charred crisp. But you hand me a nice fire and a few pots and pans and some onions and other fine veggies and some pasta and stand back. I will whip up a simple meal that even royalty would eat!
Since I don't have a full time job....(or even a full-time part-time job but that is a blog for another day!)....I try to cook on a very tight budget. I cook fresh and from "scratch' as much as possible because I want more fresh foods in my body than I do preservatives and fast foods. My husband and I share a love of food and I have always tried to continue to keep a high standard of cooking for our dining enjoyment.
Tonights dinner was a small bowl of Tomato Bisque soup, a nice crusty Crostini with a slab of melted mozzarella and Asparagus Risotto.
I started with White ARBORIO Rice. Arborio rice is a traditional Italian rice that is used in dishes where a creamy texture is desired. RISOTTO is the Italian cooking technique for cooking the Arborio rice.
The rice I found is from the Lundberg Family Farms because it is not GMO rice and I refuse to eat genetically modified foods! Go check out their website. www.lundberg.com.
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Campanini Arborio Superfino Rice, 1 lb. (Google Affiliate Ad)
Here is the basic Risotto recipe for the Asparagus Risotto
3 TBLS. EVOO plus 2 TBLS. butter (NOT margarine)
1 large chopped onion (I prefer white or sweet Vidalias when in season)
1 cup of Arborio Rice
1/2 cup of white wine (optional for you teetotalers But if you are going to cook Italian...ADD THE WINE!)
3or 4 cups of hot chicken broth or water.
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
In a heavy pan, saute' the chopped onion in the olive oil/butter over medium heat until the onion is softened.
Add the Arborio rice and saute for a couple of minutes until the grains of rice are coated.
Add the wine (this is why I cook Italian!) and stir constantly over medium heat until the wine is absorbed.
add the hot chicken broth, 1 CUP AT A TIME, stirring after adding each cup. Add the chopped, cooked and mashed asparagus to the mixture and simmer until the broth is absorbed about 20 to 25 minutes. The risotto should be creamy and not dry.
Remove from heat, stir in the cheese JUST BEFORE SERVING! and then serve immediately.
I believe you should enjoy this with a glass of fine white wine as well. And THAT my fellow foodies is WHY I love to cook Italian. La Vino!
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