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| Monday, March 25, was one of the most miserable days, weather wise, that I have personally experienced at SJU. The snow didn't know whether it wanted to be rain or sleet and the sky decided to make everyone depressed by being 50 shades of awful. Plus, not 5 days ago did Rita's hand me a free water ice but all of Philadelphia had been thrown back to January 1st. Great. Anyways, due to the atrocious weather I found myself in a peculiar mood. I had a policy presentation that morning which made me stressed, it was monday which made me depressed and to cap it all off, the weather made me drained of any emotion. In short, the horrible Monday that was March 25th inspired me to cook because cooking makes me calm and so very happy. |
The very first recipe that came to my head was my mom's red wine risotto with peas. Its creamy and savory and absolutely satisfying. My brothers and I actually call it "Barney rice" because the green peas in contrast to the purple arborio rice make it look like mom got mad at Barney and did away with him in our dinner. But trust me, no Barney bits here! (I'm just not normal, I know). Back to the food. This risotto takes about 50 minutes to make but it's worth it if you have some time to spare. I specifically wanted to make something that would take me a while prepare because I needed a solid amount of time just to be by myself and do what I love.
Since it's obvious I was in need of a pick me up, this is definitely a comfort food. Not only is this dish very colorful but the flavors create a unique blend that is savory, buttery, and rich. the peas add a nice freshness that surprisingly compliments the merlot. With it I made my walnut crusted chicken which I will post the recipe for soon!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe and if you make it, it brings you the same joy when you cook it and when you eat it. Bon Appetit!
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic, cloves, minced
1 cup arborio rice, or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/3 cup frozen peas, defrosted, optional
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
Salt and black pepper
Bring the broth to a simmer over medium- high heat. Cover the broth and keep it warm over very low heat.
Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes.
Mince garlic.
Stir in the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes and stir until rice is toasted.
Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 1 minute.
Add 3/4 cup of hot broth at a time until there is no broth left. Simmer over low heat until liquid is absorbed, then add more.
When all the broth has been absorbed, add peas and parsley, stir. I used dry parsley, so only a few dashes.
Next, add the 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle additional cheese over and serve.
Enjoy! Now Shut Up and Eat.
Love,
Laura
