My first recipe from My Italian Garden was a success. The book is beautiful to leaf through and be inspired by, but that's seldom an indication of whether the recipes are any good. This was -- for something with as difficult a reputation as a risotto, it was simple, fresh, and delicious. I even ran out of medium-grain rice and had to use 1/4 basmati, and the recipe still worked beautifully. The zucchini almost melted into the risotto, but its flavor filled out the whole dish without overpowering the intense rice flavor. It took time, but with a glass of wine and a book there was no reason for me NOT to stand by the stove for a while, right?
We ate it with fresh tomatoes and cold smoked chicken; Lawson was making ribs on Sunday, so we put a chicken in the smoker for the last few hours, thereby ensuring the next day's dinner, several days of good sandwiches, and a carcass to make stock out of later in the week. I need more hours in the day.
2 comments:
I thought risotto needed arborio rice--this is good news. I've only made it once, I think, and it didn't quite get to the wonderful state that made me want to try it again. But now I will.
I thought it required arborio rice, too -- I thought that wasn't even negotiable. But seriously, it worked really well. Parmesan and lots of black pepper at the end seemed to be key. Let me know how it goes!
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