Risotto Round-Up

It was Saturday evening, after the third batch of risotto in four days that I realized I was in a risotto rut. But, really, a risotto rut isn't such a bad place to be.

I'd always been intimidated by the concept of risotto from scratch. Terrified, in fact, by the prospect of straying away from my stirring duties for just one moment and returning to a ruined pot of risotto. It was a shame really, because I love risotto and the most fabulous varieties don't seem to come in a box! It was the discovery of pumpkin risotto on Foodbuzz that finally convinced me to attempt risotto making - and I'm so glad I finally did!

Now, it seems to me, the secret to good risotto is commitment. You just have to accept that for the 30-40 minutes it takes to cook, you won't be going very far from the stove. But, it smells ah-mazing the whole time, kind of makes up for that.

The risotto making was also a good chance for Joe to see all of my type-A tendencies on full view - he might as well know what he's getting into!

First, we measured and set out all the ingredients. It was super-neurotic, but made the risotto making much smoother.


Then, after the triple confirmed all the ingredients were ready, we started cooking.

Wednesday night, we made Pumpkin Risotto with Thyme and Scallops from the Streaming Gourmet. It was absolutely divine - very, very highly recommended! The combination of the pumpkin (which was very subtle for those who perhaps don't love pumpkin the way I do), thyme and scallops was delicious. I made one small change to this recipe, I switched one cup of chicken stock for one cup of white wine. I believe risotto should always include wine (actually, I think that about most things!). All pumpkin lovers should check-out this blog: 31 days of pumpkin recipes to celebrate October!


Friday, minus Joe because he hates mushrooms and was off gallivanting in the woods ROTC-style (no, I did not exclude him from the risotto making for his limited palate), I made Mushroom Risotto, this time discovered on We Are Not Martha. It was divine. The sauted mushrooms garnish was absolutely brilliant. I very happily enjoyed this for lunch the next two days.



Saturday, - again minus Joe who, although he grew up mostly in Georgia, dislikes sweet potatoes! - I made Sweet Potato Risotto. Maybe it's a New England Yankee prejudice, but I always imagined all Southerners loved sweet potatoes. This recipe was also found on Foodbuzz and while I was excited by the concept of this recipe, I was not thrilled by the execution. I followed the recipe, but the sweet potatoes never had a chance to fully cook. If I make this again, I'll definitely pre-cook the potatoes before adding them or even follow a similar method as the Pumpkin Risotto (did I mention that was so, so good?).

I'm taking a break from risotto making for a week or two at least, but now that I've learned it isn't quite as complicated as I originally thought, I'll be enjoying homemade risotto on a regular basis. Especially as it keeps getting colder here in Maine, risotto seems like perfect cold weather comfort food.