Rissotto is labour intenstive, involving 20 mintues of constant stirring. Given this, you’d think it wouldn’t be off the cfc menu. Wrong!
Stirring is fun. Talk while you stir. Take a sip of wine and stir. Flirt and stir. Stirring is a great arm workout. Wear a strapless and you’re a stirring sex machine! It’s also the perfect cock-friendly recipe for an early romantic dinner chez toi (while your eyes are on the frying pan, his eyes are on you, loins stirring…)
Like dancing, making rissotto is a courtship ritual, with a tasty outcome. So shut up and stir.
Risotto Aphrodisio
Risotto is a groove-thing. The first few times you won’t be sure how you feel about it. Is the texture right? Too much liquid? What is this goop anyway? But then you’ll have this risotto breakthrough moment where you nail the texture (I like mine sticky vs soupy) and you won’t be able to stop making it. I made it twice this past weekend! Find your risotto groove! You won’t regret it (neither will your triceps.) The following is my standard recipe.
Ingredients
7 cups organic chicken stock (half stock/half water is also okay.)
1 cup white wine (1/2 is fine too: less in the risotto, more in your glass)
one cup Aborio rice
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (button or Cremini)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped leeks
1/4 cup chopped celery (optional: I sometimes like the sourness and texture it adds, or I mix the finely chopped celery with onion if I don’t have leeks on hand, to boost the flavour)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
Directions
1. Bring stock and water to a simmer.
2. On high heat, heat oil in large deep frying pan. Add leeks. Stir for two minutes. Add rice, stirring to coat grains in oil. Stir for 2 minutes.
3. Add the white wine and stir until evaporated. Set timer to 22 minutes and start adding the stock, one cup at a time, stirring until liquid is evaporated.
4. With five minutes left on the timer, add peas and mushrooms. Stir until a sticky texture is reached and the final liquid has been absorbed.
5. Turn heat off and let stand for five minutes before serving.
6. Serve into separate bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. (Note, some recipes call for mixing additional cheese directly into the risotto during the final minute of cooking, but I find the flavours are so strong you only really need the cheese on top, and the diner can mix it in for themselves, as they would a pasta dish.
Serve alone or with a simple green salad on the side. It’s also a yummy side dish for grilled meat (like the Cheap and Easy Pork Chop with Lemon) or Italian sausage. Sometimes I serve a steamed veggie on the side, like asparagus or fiddleheads, for extra nutrition and fibre.