My First Risotto

We love to watch Food Network, Top Chef, and sometimes we even watch Hell's Kitchen. On every show, someone is always cooking risotto. I have had it in restaurants and love it, but for some reason it seems really intimidating to me. Well, those fears are gone now. Tonight, I cooked my first risotto. I never played football, but to me, this feels like I just threw my first touchdown. That didn't sound right coming from me, but you get the drift.

I will say, that this is a very time-consuming dish. The recipe and pretty much every TV chef says you have to constantly stir this or it will stick and burn. It was really creamy and delicious and you could add or subtract any of the flavors depending on what you like. Jason actually thought this was a bit too lemony. So, if you don't like lemon flavor, hold off on some of the lemon zest. I hope you try this....you would really impress someone if you took the time to make this!!!

Risotto:
3 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound Arborio rice

5 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper

Lemon zest (from 1 whole lemon)

Lemon juice (from 1/2 a lemon)

Splash of white wine

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, warm the 5 cups of chicken stock.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.

3. Saute onions and garlic.

4. Add rice to the butter, garlic, and onions and cook for 1-2 minutes to coat the rice.

5. Then start add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock to the rice, stirring constantly until absorbed.

6. Keep adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time....make sure it is completely absorbed before you add more. This is the time-consuming part.

7. Once all of the stock has been added, pour in the juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt, pepper, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese.

8. Hit with a splash of white wine and once that is absorbed, you're ready to serve.