A complete mish-mash of cuisines! I love making risotto, it’s so much fun, it tastes delicious. I get all excited about it and enthusiastic.

That lasts right up until about halfway through the stock adding part of the process, I’ve been stirring near constantly for 10 minutes and have at least another 10 to go and I’m wondering why the hell I thought this was a good idea and I’m vowing to never make it ever again.

And then I sit down and eat some of it, and suddenly all the toil and arm ache of the past half hour vanish and risotto is once again wonderful!

Another Italian dish (can you tell I’m a fan?) risotto is remarkably simple to make and amazingly versatile. Start with the basics and you can add any flavourings you like. Approximately two cups (that’s one pint aka 16oz) of stock to every ounce of rice, yes that’s right, 16oz of stock to 1 oz of rice. You may or may not use it all, or even more depending on variables, but it’s a good starting point. Always finish with butter and parmesan and you have a winner! The rest is up to you.

I always use arborio rice, it’s a short grain high starch rice that when cooked is firm, creamy and chewy. It’s great for risotto as it’s really hard to overcook but gives the risotto a good creamyness.

This time, we decided to add a New Orleans twist with some chicken and andouille then some creole tomatoes. The blend of Louisiana and Italy worked wonderfully.

Get your stock on and heating up first, you want it simmering. We used some chicken stock we had already made, from the boiled up carcass of the roast chicken.

Then in a 6qt pan the andouille and then the chicken and mushrooms were seared off. I do the andouille first as it will release a lot of juices that the chicken can then cook in. Remove them from the pan and set to one side.

Next prep everything, yes, everything. Onions and garlic (of course, what sort of meal would it be without them), the tomatoes were concasse, that is to say, skinned, the insides removed leaving just the flesh, and then diced. Have your wine measured out (with a glass for you too), a ladle in your stock and then mince up your herbs. Have your salt and pepper sitting nearby too. Finally have your butter and parmesan ready for when it’s finished too.

Ok, now we’re ready to cook. Take the first amount of butter and melt it in the pan, the same one you seared the meats in. Don’t clean it, just drain off the fat, leave all those burnt crispy bits on the bottom they’ll add good flavour. Saute the onions until translucent then add the garlic and saute until cooked.

Add all the rice, stir in. Now recipes vary here as to whether to stir it in and continue on, or whether to cook it until the rice becomes translucent around the edges. I tend to go for somewhere in the middle.. just because I’m impatient and give up before the rice actually becomes translucent, it’s never done me any harm.

When your rice is cooked, or not, to your desire, turn off the heat stand back and add the wine. It’ll sizzle and hiss and lift all those yummy bits of cooked on meat off the bottom. Give it a stir and turn the heat back on.

Now comes the slow bit, one ladle full at a time add the stock, stir it until the rice has absorbed it all before you add the next ladle full. Continue this until the rice has cooked, generally about twenty minutes or so, around that time start tasting little bits of the rice, it should be cooked through, but a little al dente. If you use all your stock  and the rice isn’t cooked you can add some water, but extra stock would be best. Or you may not use all the stock and it’ll be cooked. It’s strange and finicky like that.

Stir in the meats and tomatoes and anything else you want to add. Maybe a few minutes before it’s fully cooked to give them a chance to cook through.

Right before serving stir in the butter and parmesan, I add the fresh herbs here too and any salt and pepper the dish needs.

Serve immediately, though we have found that it freezes and reheats well.

What are you going to put in your risotto?

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RECIPE
Yields 6-8 portions depending on how hearty your portion size is.

1lb Andouille
2 Chicken Breasts
1/2lb Mushrooms
4oz Butter
1 Large Onion
Garlic as desired
20oz Arborio Rice
8oz Wine
5pts Chicken Stock
5 Creole Tomatoes
6oz Parmesan
2oz Butter
Fresh Herbs
Salt and Pepper