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I felt guilty (sort of) writing up this recipe first with the traditional risotto cooking method.  So here it is, slightly modified, and cooked using the simple risotto method.

To a true risotto maker, this recipe is about as blasphemous as using a microwave for lasagna (follow the link if you dare).  However, not only is the simple method easier, but it seemed to come out better than the traditional method.  For the traditional makers who have mastered the technique, keep on keeping on.  For the rest of us, let’s just do it and enjoy.

Ingredients

1 cup arborio rice (yes, it has to be arborio or a similar rice meant for risotto)

3 cups vegetable broth (3 teaspoons  Better Than Bouillon vegetable base to 3 cups of water)

    You can use regular vegetable broth, but Better Than Bouillon adds a ton of extra flavor.

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon crushed red peppers

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 carrot, diced

1/2 stalk celery, diced

1/4 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil – for frying

2 tablespoons olive oil – for finishing

Add the 3 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon vegetable base to the 3 cups of water in a small pot over low heat.  Stir and continue to heat to dissolve the base.  Keep warm, but not boiling.

Add the onion, garlic and 3 tablespoons of olive oil to another medium pot (at least 2 quarts size).  Simmer for about 3 minutes.  Add the dry rice, salt and pepper to the medium pot.   Stir about 3 minutes so that the oil mixture coats all the rice and the edges of the rice get a little translucent.  Raise the heat to at least medium.  Add about a third of the hot  broth.  Use a ladle to transfer the liquid, or make sure you’re a really good pourer.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  You may need to adjust the heat.  Once simmering, add the rest of the hot broth minus about 1/2 cup.  Stir until simmering again.  Lower the heat to very low.  Put a tight lid on the pot.  Simmer gently for about 18 minutes.  The package directions will give you a clue about how long to simmer. 

Check your rice after 18 minutes.  It should be just about perfect.  Taste the risotto.  The rice should  be soft, a little chewy, but certainly not mushy.  If  the rice is tough or appears too watery, replace the lid and simmer for another few minutes.  If it seems too dry, stir in some of the 1/2 cup of broth you reserved.  Simmer another minute.    The degree of wetness you want in the finished risotto is up to you, that’s why we reserved 1/2 cup of broth. You can adjust  the wetness at the end.  Most recipes say the rice should not be dry.  There should be just a little more fluid than the rice can absorb.   Remove the pot from the heat.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil to finish.

Follow these links for the non-vegetarian and traditional risotto recipes as well as additional notes and nonsense.

Traditional  method spicy vegetarian risotto.

Non-vegetarian simple method risotto.

Tags: easy, italian, recipe, recipes, risotto, simple, simple spicy vegetarian risotto, vegetarian

This entry was posted on 03/05/2011 at 14:06 and is filed under Recipes, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.