Risottos'R'Us

I love to cook. Well, more accurately, I love to eat good food, and given my circumstances, that means I have to cook. I'm sure I could quite easily learn to love having someone else cook for me, given the opportunity. However, as our budget does not allow for a personal chef, I shall retain my post in the kitchen for now.

This past month, I've been on a bit of a risotto quest. I first went to my old favourite, smoked chicken & mango risotto. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any smoked chicken, and my substitution of grilled chicken left things a little bland and disappointing. So I moved on to cardamom chicken risotto, which was decent, but again left me feeling disappointed for the time invested standing at the stove. Finally, the bacon, tomato and spinach risotto. Delicious! Bacon makes everything better. Except for my non-meat eating friends. So the quest was narrowed to finding a yummy vegetarian risotto - and so we come to a delicious red onion/tomato risotto. All of these recipes come out of a risotto cookbook I borrowed from the library years ago. (I've tried to look it up online with no success; I'll track it down when we stop at the library today.)

Before I share the recipe with you, let me share a few things I've learned in my vast risotto history. First, risotto needs to be stirred pretty much constantly, so make sure you have everything else chopped/prepped/measured beforehand. Secondly, pan choice is key. I used a stock pot once, and only once, because stirring in that thing was a huge pain in the ass. I tried a large deep frying pan, but it was so wide that the liquid dissipated too quickly. Now I use my wok and get the best of both worlds. Finally, be prepared to add more liquid than the recipe calls for. You may or may not need it, but it's frustrating to be scrambling around for more when you think you're almost done.

And so here it is. I'll credit the book as soon as I find it. If you try it out, let me know how it goes for you! Found the book! *Risotto: Over 120 Healthy & Delicious Recipes, by Kathryn Hawkins & Jenny Stacey*

Red Onion Tomato Risotto

1/2 cup (125 mL) soaked sun-dried tomatoes
4 oz (125 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
3 3/4 cups (950 mL) vegetable stock
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2 cups (500 mL) arborio rice
1 tsp (5 mL) dried or 4 tsp (20 mL) fresh mixed herbs
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup (150 mL) dry white wine
14 oz (398 mL) can chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
2 Tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh parsley

1. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes & slice into thin strips. Pre-heat the broiler to a hot setting and cook the cherry tomatoes for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly charred. Set aside.
2. Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter and gently fry the onion, garlic, lemon juice and sun-dried tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes until just softened but not browned. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until well mixed. Add the herbs, and season.
4. Add the wine, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar, and cook gently, stirring, until absorbed. Ladle in the stock gradually until it is all absorbed and the rice is thick, creamy and tender. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
5. Gently stir in the broiled cherry tomatoes and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.