Risotto

(photo: Pork and Asparagus Risotto)

We had a family gathering for Mother-in-law's birthday on the weekend. As usual, I took the left-over chicken bones home and made a big pot of chicken stock the next day.

I was tossing between using the stock right away or freeze it for later when I suddenly remembered the bag of Arborio rice sitting in the pantry. Pictures of Nigella Lawson making risotto on TV the other night also popped into my head. I've never done risotto before (I usually cook our rice in the rice cooker) but thought it would be fun to give it a try.

I followed the recipe printed on the back of the rice bag with some variations - chicken was substituted by pork and mushroom by carrots and corn. Husband says I improvise too much sometimes, but this was a spur-of -the-moment thing so not all ingredients were readily available.

Risotto requires constant stirring. So there I was standing in front of the stove with my spatula, stirring away. It was quite therapeutic except for the sometimes whining baby behind me! I fed Lara some banana and kept an eye out for her while I cooked. It took about 30-40 minutes to get the meal ready.


(photo: Risotto cooking in the pan.)

The risotto turned out to be a success. The chopped spring onion (didn't have parsley) and shaved parmesan cheese finished the dish nicely. We were also pleasantly surprised by how nicely the wine we had enhanced the meal. There's just enough left over for another meal!

(ps. Some meals taste nicer the day after, for example, curries. Risotto, however, is best eaten fresh on the day of cooking in my opinion.)