Risotto with smoked mozzarella

Risotto with smoked mozzarella and escarole,

another NYT Cooking recipe

It's a risotto recipe without the risotto preparation: No ladling of liquid, just cook the dry rice in oil for a minute and then add all the liquid. The smoked mozzarella added an unexpected note.

I added some parsley I still had for a touch of color.

Verdict: looks 4/10, taste 8/10, easiness 9/10. I'll make this again!

The NYT Cooking Site

...is great. A couple of things I've made over the past couple of weeks:

Pasta with chicken and mushrooms, risotto-style

It was fine, but I thought the somewhat cumbersome risotto method didn't add all that much to the flavor.

Fettuccine with asparagus and smoked salmon

Very good and I liked the fact that I didn't have to cook the salmon.

(Deconstructed) Lasagna with asparagus and chives

Fine. Not sure I got the lasagna part right -- other pasta would have worked as well. I did like the use of ricotta!

Mushroom risotto with peas

Fine. Not six servings, though. The parsley matters!

Onwards!

Week 4: Risotto with Parsley and Basil

Vegetable ingredient(s): Parsley and basil (does that count?)


This week's recipe is from a great cooking book: How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. It seems that many people are afraid of making risotto, but I can attest to it being a fairly uncomplicated dish. One just has to stay near the oven. (That's what audio books are made for.)

Ingredients:
4-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (sorry, I don't make stock from scratch, one has to draw the line somewhere)2 table spoons olive oil1 medium onion, minced1 1/2 cups Arborio ricesalt, pepper1/2 cup dry white wine1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves2 table spoons butter1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:


Warm stock, place oil in skillet, heat, add onion, cook for 3-5 mins.
Add the rice and stir until coated with oil, add salt and pepper, add wine
Begin to add warm stock, 1/2 cup at a time, let stock evaporate, add more
Begin tasting after 20 mins, it could take up to 30 mins


Verdict: 7.5/10


I love risotto and this one turned out well (was supposed to make 4-6 servings, but it's more like 3-4 servings for hungry eaters), but it didn't feel very healthy -- all that rice, butter, and cheese. Still, the great thing about risotto is that one can easily make different versions of this dish (by adding vegetables, such as mushrooms, spinach, or peas). The little person didn't eat anything.