Once again, I see something yummy on a friends blog and I just know that it will be perfect for dinner, once I have taken into account the ingrediants I have readily avalible and it has undergone my performance driven enhancements I ended up with a kind of risotto which was made from short grain brown rice, with a whole heap of veggies and shavings of pecorino. This was not the same as Michelle’s delicious risotto, but I think it was very much in the same theme as her’s
What I think might be useful, instead of just relaying this individual version of risotto (crossed with a pilaf to be a crazy half breed) is passing on a little trick I have. As you all know by now a risotto is only as good as the stock it is made with. I have a tiny freezer so I am unable to store quantites of stock, or animal carcasses or even vegetable remains to make a homemade stock at a moments notice. Which would be fine if I used commercial packaged stock, but I don’t. I think they make everything taste the same, potentially your risotto could taste very similar to your neighbours ACK! I can’t have that, besides I would rather save the grocery dollars for more exotic splurges. Instead I make my own veggie stock everytime I make risotto. I know that sounds crazy but I promise you it isn’t. What you will have is a method to ensure you end up with a great tasting and individal risotto everytime.
A basic principal of risotto making is that you need to add hot stock, therefore if you are using a saucepan to heat water anyway why not use it to make stock. To make the stock I just add the left overs, carrot peel, parsley stalks, half an onion, a few cloves of garlic, fennel tops, pretty much what ever I am use as my sofrito. I also always add a couple of bay leaves, a few peppercorns and bring the broth to the boil whilst I am sauting my sofrito and then rice, by the time it is required after the wine I have a tasty healthy stock full of the nutrients leached out of the veggie peelings. Very easy and it comes at a minimal effort or cost. Sweet! Actually if you like a sweet stock add a handful of frozen peas You will need to start off with more liquid tht you need at the end though, I just strain with my cup pressed against the edge and keep adding stock until the rice grains are al dente.
So you have seen my side plates, and now my massive dinner plate, so what do you think? Better than the old blue ones or what?