Red Pepper Risotto

I loove Italian food. I think I have mentioned this before. I am sure I have mentioned this before, but why not remind you of it. Rice on the other hand isn't in my top 10 favorite foods. I do like fried rice, the Chinese way, but white or brown rice by itself, not so much. Unless its sushi, but does that count??? This was until I made risotto. Yum. Have you ever tried it? It is a dish of rice that has been cooked differently from any other rice. You need some patience to cook it and can't quite walk away from the stove as you would when making regular rice. I also couldn't cook it in my rice cooker. Bummer. But it is oh so worth it. If you are Russian you know what "Risovaya Kasha" tastes like.... It is cooked by adding a little milk at a time until the rice is soft and has lost all of it's firmness. Well, this is KIND OF like that, except it is not a sweet dish and still has a bite to it. This specific risotto recipe also includes white wine which I think makes almost anything better, if you are into that sort of thing. Please, if you don't like "Kasha" don't automatically assume you won't like risotto. You could also make risotto with many different ingredients. This one calls for red peppers. I have seen some with dried tomatoes and basil. Whatever you like. The original recipe also calls for goat cheese which I am also not a fan of. If you are though, please feel free to use the original recipe.

Red Pepper Risotto

Adapted from Ree Drummond

You will need:

• 4 cups Chicken Broth, Low-Sodium
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ½ whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 whole Red Bell Peppers, Diced
• 1 cup Arborio Rice
• 1/3 cup Dry White Wine
• Salt To Taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• ½ cups Grated Parmesan
• 
  

1. First start off by finely dicing your red pepper and 1/2 of an onion.
2. In the meantime, drizzle about 2 tablespoons Olive Oil into a pot and let it begin to get warm on medium heat.
3. In a second pot, pour in your 4 cups of chicken broth and let it come to a simmer. Turn it off an let it stand there.
4. After you have diced the onions, thrown them into the pot with the oil and let them cook for about 2 minutes or until translucent.
5. Now throw in your diced red pepper and let it cook for another 8 minutes stirring every once in a while.


6. When the red peppers have become softer, after about 8 minutes or so, throw in your cup of Arborio rice. Make sure that is it Arborio rice. I don't believe risotto will turn out the same with a different kind of rice.
7. Stir the rice and vegetables and let them cook for about a minute before we start adding liquid.
8. Now, if you are into wine flavored dishes, pour in about 1/3 of a cup of white wine and let it cook for a minute or two. Turn the heat to medium-low.
Okay. Now. This is how you make risotto. You gradually add in ladles of hot broth, stirring after each addition until the rice has absorbed the liquid. You repeat this process until the rice is done

9. To begin, add enough broth to almost cover the rice—about a cup or so.

10. Stir it around until the liquid is fully absorbed…

Like this.....
11. Then add in another cup or so of broth.
12. Stir it around gently while the rice absorbs the liquid…
13. And when the liquid is all absorbed… add more and repeat the process about 25 minutes. You might not need to use all of the broth. Try the rice and see if it is cooked with a little bite to it.

14. Finally when all the broth has been absorbed, thrown in about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and another 1/2 cup of the grated cheese.
15. And stir it all until it's melted. Turn off the heat.
16. Now my friends, you have made risotto and you could open and Italian restorante.

Well... maybe not just yet. But soon.

17. I like to add a bunch of fresh milled pepper to my risotto....

... and serve it next to Ina's Baked Shrimp Scampi.

Whatever you choose to serve it with, enjoy!!!!