Green Risotto

March 15, 2009 | Filed Under Holidays, Risotto, Saint Patrick's Day | 21 Comments 

The first time I made risotto, about a year or two ago, I was disappointed.   Although I’d followed the cooking instructions carefully, it didn’t taste very good and had turned out  kind of creamy.  It didn’t turn out nice and grainy, the way regular rice did.  Then I learned that’s the way risotto is supposed to turn out — creamy.  Oh!   Opps! 

Well, actually, my risotto wasn’t really that creamy, it was more like overcooked, too-soft rice.  I decided that I didn’t care much for rice like that, so I never made it again — not until I saw Lori Lynn’s Green Risotto on her wonderful food blog, Taste with the Eyes.  The texture and vibrant green color called out to me.  I wanted to try making risotto again.  The green color would be great in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.   I’m Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, you know (I’m also Brazilian on Brazil Day, Italian on Columbus Day, Dominican on Dominican Republic Day, Puerto Rican on Puerto Rican Day and so on so forth.  You get the idea.  I love that there are a lot of national celebrations in New York City.). 

An important tip that Lori Lynn noted was that the "key to great risotto is a very tasty chicken stock."  I got a very easy stock recipe from her and made my chicken stock.  She’d also recommended Wolfgang Puck Roasted Chicken Stock.  I couldn’t find it in any of the stores near me, but I made out fine with my homemade chicken stock.

My favorite part of preparing this risotto was making the spinach, which changed the risotto’s white color into green.  I loved that the color wasn’t due to an artificial dye.  Instead, it was all because of the fresh and nutritious spinach.  I’ve always loved spinach. 

So, I successfully made my Green Risotto. Lori Lynn was right, the key to a delicious risotto IS a tasty chicken stock.   My risotto  was green and delicious!  It tasted much better than the first risotto dish I made.

Although the risotto is supposed to be a side dish and served with parmesan cheese, I made mine a main dish and served it with roast chicken (yum!  It’s from a guest post by Simona of Briciole) and cherry tomatoes.  I was very happy with my meal.

Thanks, Lori Lynn, for this recipe.  I’m going to make it again, even after St. Patrick’s day.   Practice will make my risotto creamy and perfect.

Paz

Ed. Note:  Lori Lynn writes in the comment section:  "I want to say that I found the recipe in "Cooking for Madam" a great little cookbook by Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ personal chef, Marta Sgubin."

Happy St. Paddy’s Day to one and all! 

Green Risotto
Taste with the Eyes

Heat 1/2 c. olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add a finely chopped onion. Sauté until golden brown.

Add 1 1/2 c. arborio rice and stir until each grain is coated with oil. Add 1/2 c. white wine and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add about 5 c. hot chicken stock gradually as absorbed, stirring continuously until the rice is al dente.

Serve with Parmesan on the side.

Roast Chicken