Daring Cooks: Risotto

I love rice. I prefer rice over potatoes as my starch. I love all kinds of rice, white, brown, red and black. It is the staff of life in my opionion. Risotto is so creamy and rich. It lends itself, like other rices to many interpretations. I went really simple because my daughter hasnt been eating very well. She is babying a tooth. I sprinkled za'tar over mine with some parsley which really jazzed it up. Sometimes simple is just what you are looking for.

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of Melbourne Food Geek and Jess of Jess the Baker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

Za'tar Seasoned Risotto

Serves 4 as a starter or light lunch

Ingredients:

14 ounces arborio rice
1 onion, minced
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
stock (I used turkey)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry for a few minutes to flavor the oil then discard. (We diced ours and left it in as we like onion).
2. Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.
3. Add the wine and za'tar and let it bubble away until the wine is evaporated.
4. Add enough stock to cover the rice by a finger’s width (about an inch or two).
   Place a wooden spoon down into the water and lightly touch the top of the rice. Pull the spoon out and you can see the depth by the water line.
   
5. Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.
6. Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step..
7. Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage.
8. Add the final 100ml of stock and olive oil and stir until both are completely absorbed.
   

Turkey Broth

Roast a turkey carcass until it is golden all over in a 400F oven. Remove from oven and carefully break off into pieces. You can break it up before roasting as well. Place in large stock pot and add 2 celery ribs, one onion (quartered), 2 carrots cut in 2 inch dice, 1/2 head of garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt.

I wont tell you yet what this other item on my plate was but I will tell you that the risotto went really well with it. Okay, I will tell you tomorrow.

In the mean time make sure you enter for the giveaway under the Dutch Oven Bread post.