Easy Risotto

If you asked most kids what they'd like for their birthday dinners, they might offer up pizza, chicken fingers, or macaroni and cheese as options. A is a little bit different. Every year, she asks for a special risotto dish. The ingredients change each year, but the base is the same. This recipe is standard and easy, and allows for all sorts of additions to change up the recipe over time. This year, she opted for red pepper and chicken sausage* (and I've included that recipe addition at the bottom). Even C gobbled it all up, but he's also a BIG fan of rice!

You need:

6 c. chicken or vegetable broth (low-sodium)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 shallot, very finely chopped
2 c. Arborio rice
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring broth to a simmer over medium heat.

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the shallots and saute for 3 minutes. Pour in the rice and add the garlic, stirring until the grains are translucent around the edges, about 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until absorbed. Begin adding the hot broth, one cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until it is absorbed, before adding the next cup. This should take about 20 minutes. The risotto is ready when it is tender but not mushy, with a bit of firmness in the center. Gently fold in the butter and Parmesan. Serve immediately.

*chop one sweet red pepper and saute with the onion. While the risotto is cooking, cook up a chicken sausage per person in a saute pan. To serve, slice the sausages into coins and place atop cooked risotto on the plate.