Gourmet comfort food. I had never made risotto until this past Thanksgiving when I was visiting my Dad and Aleta. He suggested I go to his computer recipe files (he's a gourmet cook) to find something I wanted to make for dinner. I chose recipes for bruschetta and risotto and was happy I did. Here's my take on bruschetta. The risotto is beyond delicious and I was told it was the best they'd ever had--high praise!
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup walnut halves
4 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
¼ cup dry white wine
¾ cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
¼ cup mascarpone cheese
2 oz gorgonzola cheese
salt and pepper
Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium pot. In a small pan, saute the walnuts in 1 tablespoon butter; set aside.
In a deep pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and 2 tablespoon butter. Saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the rice is well coated, about 3 minutes.
Add the wine to the rice mixture and stir until the liquid has been absorbed. Begin to add the broth one cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. It is important to continually stir the rice so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and add 1 tablespoon butter.
Add the walnuts and the cheeses and stir until the cheeses are melted. Salt and pepper to taste. By the way, there are specially made risotto bowls which you can see in the photo--who knew?
