Spicy Cheesy Rice

Holy-o risotto.  Did you know you can make risotto with beer and cheddar?!  This stuff was incredible!  I love rice, and this was only the second time I had made risotto, but I thought this was the perfect dish.  It was so creamy and super cheesy.  It was like macaroni and cheese but with a slight bite to it.  I loved that you could still smell the beer while you were eating it, but it didn't taste like beer.  Make this.  I dare you.

Beer and Cheddar Risotto

Ingredients:

1/2 small onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

2+ tablespoons olive oil

2 cups Arborio rice

12 ounce bottle of beer, preferably not light beer (I used Honey Weiss)

49.5 ounce can of chicken broth

5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.  Pour chicken broth into a medium saucepan.  Keep warm over low heat.

2.  Heat large saute pan over medium-low heat.  Add butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Heat just until butter is melted.  Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent.  Turn heat to medium-high and add garlic.  Cook for 30 second to 1 minute, just until fragrant.

3.  Add rice and saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until opaque, adding more olive oil as necessary to coat the rice.

4.  Pour in beer, turn heat up to high until it starts to simmer.

5.  Turn heat back to medium-low and add the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid dissolves.  You may not need to use all of the chicken broth - risotto should be creamy and just slightly al dente.  This should take 30 minutes or more.  

6.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses and cayenne pepper.

Source:  Made in Melissa's Kitchen, http://www.madeinmelskitchen.com