Planning vs. Improvisation

Sometimes I am so ill prepared I irk myself.  I've been planning to make this dish for two weeks.  I was out and about earlier and could have stopped to pick up the two ingredients I didn't have in the pantry. . . . . but I didn't.  Somehow I forgot. 

Remarkably, my lack of preparedness did not ruin my dinner. 

Lemon Artichoke Risotto

Adapted from Every Day with Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion - finely chopped
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 1/4 cups drained chopped canned artichoke hearts
• Grated peel of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (I omitted)
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (I omitted)

Directions:

• Bring broth and 4 cups of water to a boil - cover and continue to simmer
• Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large saucepan over medium heat
• Add the onion and cook until softened
• Add the rice and stir until lightly toasted
• Stir in 1 cup of the broth mixture, bring to a simmer
• Continue to add the broth mixture 1/2 cup at a time while continuing to stir
• Allow each addition of the broth to be absorbed before adding more.
• Cook until the rice is tender (20 - 25 minutes)
• After adding the last of the broth, add the artichoke hearts, lemon peel, lemon juice and the remaining butter. 
• Season with salt and pepper 
• Stir in the cheese, parsley and walnuts.

The parsley and walnuts would have added some color to the dish.  I wish that I had had the parsley on hand.  I've never been a huge fan of walnuts in food; so their absence didn't break my heart.

Delicious dish - and the risotto turned out much better this time.  It was completely cooked, and tender.  Not scorched but undercooked and crunchy like my last attempt. 

You may be noting that my photography skillz seem to be rather amateurish, but that's what happens when you use the camera on your cell phone.  My digital camera has been acting rather temperamental lately, and I haven't had if fixed yet. 

I hope that you've enjoyed your weekend. 
My weekend was recently made perfect by the Green Bay Packers:)
I'm hoping to share some Super Bowl menu items with you over the next couple of weeks.  I'll have to do some practicing before the big game.

Signing off,

JamiK