Wallow Night - Part 1

I was in desperate need of a good wallow last night, and, being an expert on wallowing, I know that one of the most essential parts of a wallow night is some delicious and comforting food.  I had some pages marked in the cookbooks that just showed up at my house one day (that tends to happen when your mother is a librarian), and they turned out to be excellent wallow recipes.

I had always wanted to make risotto, but it intimidated me with all that stirring!  Plus, I had never cooked with wine before and had no idea what kind to use (thanks, Google, for helping me out with that one).  It turns out that making risotto was not all that difficult.  Sure, I burnt the onions a little, but you wouldn't even know it by the time the risotto was finished :-)   

I'm a huge fan of rice, and I loved the creaminess and richness of the risotto.  I threw a little extra parmesan and some salt and pepper on top to give it some extra flavor.  Let me just say, all of that stirring was totally worth it!

(Look, Lauren...I'm becoming a wine drinker!  Aren't you proud of me?!)

Basic Risotto

Ingredients:

3 (14.5 ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1-1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.  Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil).  Keep warm over low heat.

2.  Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion; sauté 3 minutes.  Add rice; cook 1 minute; stirring constantly.  Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.  Add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total).  

3.  Remove from the heat; stir in cheese.

Source:  The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook