Risotto

That there's what's called a risotto cake. Heaven's little starch patty. OK, let's back this risotto cake up to where it first started...

People ask quite often if I can eat rice now that I'm Gluten Free. This may seem like an odd question to an old, seasoned GF pro, but the term "rice gluten" is thrown around quite a bit these days, so the confusion is understandable. Turns out, rice has its own gluten that has has nothing to do with the gluten found in wheat, barley, spelt, or rye, so feel free to over-indulge in homemade rice dishes, my little chickadees.

Here's a fantastic link that explains more about rice than I care to explain:

Is Rice Really Gluten Free?

Risotto has become a staple in our house. This is dish is so easy to make, yields several servings, and is adapatable to whatever is in season. If you order it in a restaurant, please clear it with your server that they're not thickening it with any flour. They shouldn't be, as a true risotto gets its creamy starchiness from the short grain Italian Arborio rice...but better safe than sorry, hokay?

I'm gonna lay down a very basic risotto recipe for you beginning risotto makers out there. Then when you get your sea legs, you can start experimenting with different add ons--seasonal veggies, herbs from the garden, mushrooms, even chicken, scallops, shrimp, or whatever protein strikes your fancy.

And then when you have leftovers, you can make risotto cakes! Make a patty out of leftover risotto, dip into your GF flour, and fry it up in the pan.

Basic Risotto

1.5 cups of Arborio rice (get it from Trader Joe's if possible--it's least expensive there)
1 box of chicken stock (or 4-6 cups of your own homemade chicken stock)
1 onion, finely chopped (I use brown, yellow, or vidalia)
1/2 cup white wine or juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup of a veggie, either frozen peas, roasted asparagus, or spinach
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (optional)

Put your chicken stock in a sauce pan on a back burner on medium heat to get the stock warmed up and ready to use in making of the risotto.

Using a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil on medium high heat until shimmering. Saute the chopped onion until very soft and almost translucent, being careful not to burn the onion, about 8 minutes. If the onions are a little dry, add in 1 pat of butter or a little more olive oil.

Pour the Arborio rice into your pan and coat with the oil/onion mixture. Let the rice heat up until the outside edges of the rice grain become translucent, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.

Pour the wine into the pan. It will sizzle, and this noise is fun. Let the wine cook into the rice, and let the alcohol burn off, stirring constantly so the rice does not stick to the pan, about 5 minutes.

Ladle one scoop of chicken stock from your heated saucepan into to the rice, stirring constantly until the chicken stock is absorbed. Repeat this two-step process of slowly ladling and stirring for about 20-25 minutes, until the rice is tender. Constant stirring is essential. Do not leave unattended, or you will have burned rice.

Stir in any veggies you'd like to add. If they're frozen, stir them in for a few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan and the mascarpone cheese until well blended and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I will give y'all some more specific recipes for risotto, but for now, have at it!