No, Not Better Than the Risotto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjzmuhb4kDA (Link to Seinfeld clip, since Linda Edelstein doesn't believe in embedding videos)
Given the ubiquity of this line from Seinfeld, you'd think that I'd have enjoyed risotto more often in my life. Hell, Seinfeld was enough to prompt arguably the world's most famous soupmaker back into business, with his draconian business practices and "no soup for you!" declarations. And yet risotto is not a territory that I had traversed often. Perhaps it was me thinking back to me at the tender age of 13, serving a rather toothsome risotto to my family. I guess the over-stimulation from having to stand over the pot for the entire cooking length of time stirring and stirring and stirring made me serve it early and exasperated.

But last night I decide to give it a second try, as the arborio rice in the bulk bin at Whole Foods and my freshly made vegetable stock were crying out to me to be made into something delectable. It really isn't a difficult dish to make. It requires a decent amount of attention, but in about 30 minutes you have a dish that warms the heart as much as the palate. Not to mention it would have cost a lot more and taken much more time if you had decided just to go out for dinner. Besides, we aren't little kids, we can focus for 30 minutes straight, right? Right?

 The result was a risotto that 13-year-old me would be proud of.

Luscious, creamy, supple, sexy, as Angelo (Top Chef) would describe.

Basic Risotto Recipe

Yields 4, 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients

1 T butter

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup arborio rice
1 T olive oil
1 cup wine (I used white; Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon - fruity, citrusy, peppery, zesty)
3 cups stock (I used vegetable; you could use chicken, fish, beef depending on other ingredients)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 cup of any vegetable and/or meat you'd like to add (peas, asparagus, mushroom, scallop are tried and true flavors)


Method
Melt the butter over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat, allowing the onions to sweat but not to brown. When the onions are translucent add the rice and olive oil, coating every grain of rice.

Add the wine, allowing the alcohol to cook off for about 10 minutes. Then add the stock. Bring the heat up to medium.

Stand over the pot and stir for 20-25, allowing for the starch in the rice to be released, resulting in a creamy texture (or what Italians would call "wavy"). At this point add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, give it another stir then serve.

I'm not really sure at what point I would add the vegetables, it depends. Mushroom and asparagus I would add toward the beginning so that they can cook and brown only slightly with the onions. I added frozen peas to mine at the very end, really only because I forgot, but I thought it was fine as they kept their sweetness and were defrosted thoroughly with the residual heat of the dish.

Scallops would most likely become rubbery if you add them to the dish, particularly too early. What I would suggest is searing them (heat up a pan with olive oil until it is quite hot then brown the scallops for about 3 mins on each side), then line them on the side of the plate. Mmm scallops.

My next experiments will be 1) making risotto with short grain brown rice (need to check how starching it is/if it will release a sufficient amount of starch and absorb the liquid) and 2) making it with a red wine, beef stock some high quality mushrooms and serving it with a steak that's so good it'll make PETA slap their mama.

Anyways, enjoy.

Oh and for cost:
1 cup arborio rice = ~1/2 lb arborio rice = $0.65 (Whole Foods)
3 cups vegetable stock = $0 (Homemade, using the scraps from vegetables and left over vegetables, but if I had to put a price ~$1.75, of which I used half, so $0.88)
1 T butter = $0.08 (Trader Joe's)
1 T olive oil = $0.09 (Trader Joe's)
1 cup white wine = $2.84 (Safeway)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese = $0.59 (splurged on a bit of the expensive kind, but it has lasted a while and I enjoy it more, hence, buy smaller quantities of higher quality) (Trader Joe's)

Extras:
1/2 cup petite peas = $0.19 (Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms (Trader Joe's) = $0.50

Total = $5.82 --> ~$1.46/serving (of course that means eating the proper portion size of 1/2 cup, which is not only good for your waistline, but apparently good for your wallet as well).