Gastro 101: Risotto made two ways

by Gina Biber
- The Capitol Hill Times - 

My default recipe over the last year has been risotto.

It’s amazing, it’s versatile, it works well as an entrée or a side dish, and though it has a reputation as being fussy, risotto is actually as easy as stirring rice around a pot for twenty-something minutes, and makes for great leftovers.

Using the same base of Arborio rice, vegetable broth and a bit of white wine, you can craft a variety of risotto specific to your tastes, the season or every day of the week. To start, here are two of my favorite versions:

Lemon Risotto

Ingredients 

(Makes 2 entrées, 4-5 side dishes)
3 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 to 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, julienne cut
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

1. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, warm olive oil.

2. Add onion and cook for 1 minute, coating the onion in oil.

3. Add Arborio rice and cook for an additional 2 minutes, coating the rice in oil.

4. Add white wine.

5. When white wine is absorbed, add ½ cup of broth, and continue adding in ½ cup increments each time the broth is fully absorbed.

6. When all of the broth is absorbed (about 20 minutes), add sundried tomatoes, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Gina Biber / The Capitol Hill Times.

Big Italy Risotto

Ingredients 

(Makes 2 entrées, 4-5 side dishes)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
3 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, halved
1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
1/3 cup green beans
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup Roquefort/blue cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

1. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, warm olive oil.

2. Add onion and cook for 1 minute, coating the onion in oil.

3. Add Arborio rice and cook for an additional 2 minutes, coating the rice in oil.

4. Add white wine.

5. When white wine is absorbed, add ½ cup of broth, and continue adding in ½ cup increments each time the broth is fully absorbed.

6. When all of the broth is absorbed (about 20 minutes), add sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, Roquefort/blue cheese, salt and pepper. Serve hot.