Rainy Day Risotto

I am ready for fresh vegetables and grilling and making salads with lettuce from the farmer's market.  I want to sit outside in the sun and read a good book.  It has been rainy and cold.  Instead of grilling out, I am in the mood for risotto.  Risotto is comfort food.  It is creamy and warm and filling and you can put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.  (This last point is how I define comfort food.  Knife and fork are not allowed to be a part of comfort food intake.)  The best part about risotto is how easy it is.  It's time consuming, but that is not to be confused with hard.  Have a pot??  Must make risotto.  It's good with just about anything thrown in, but my favorite way (also my husband's favorite way) to have risotto is at its most basic.  White wine, sage, caramelized onion, and bacon.

As I am sitting out the ingredients the other night, I realize we have no white wine.  This is a horror to be sure.  Dan suggests, you should try using a Corona.  I said, yes, I should.  Later, as we were discussing what might make a beer taste more like white wine, he said, you should add a lemon.  I said, yeah, I should.  And he said, also grate in some Bella Vitano cheese. I said, ok.  The following is the recipe for the new and improved basic recipe.

Risotto - The Improved Basic Recipe

1 large sweet onion (Vidalia), chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, grated (or minced)

3 T. olive oil

1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice

1 bottle of Corona (or similar)

3 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 whole lemon, reserve juices

6-8 fresh sage leaves, chopped

handful grated Bella Vitano cheese (similar to parmesan or white cheddar)

8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

Add onion, garlic, and oil to heavy pot, saute until transparent and fragrant.  Add rice.  Stir.  Add liquid in 1 cup intervals.  Allow rice to soak up ALL the liquid before adding more.  This process releases the rice's natural starches and gives it a certain creaminess.  In between adding the liquid, you should continue to stir the rice, this makes the dish even creamier.  When the last of the liquid has been added, toss in the chopped sage and pour in the lemon juice, stir to incorporate.

Apparently, risotto does not photograph well. Keep stirring.  Always stirring.  Or get someone to stir for you. Until the liquid is all incorporated.  Then add cheese and bacon.

Stir.  Divide into bowls.  Eat.