Risotto. Yes, You Can Make It!

Now, before you start thinking that risotto is just too time consuming and difficult to make, lemme stop you right there.  You're just being silly.  In my house, risotto is just cheesy rice and if it sounds less daunting to call it that, then by all means, do it.

If you've got picky eaters in your house like I do, and their diet consists mostly of spaghetti and macaroni & cheese, give risotto a shot.  The great thing about risotto is that you can throw just about anything into it and it will taste really good.  Even leftovers.  Start with the basic recipe to test the waters and then move on from there.  

The other thing I love about risotto is that you can sneak stuff into it that your child might not otherwise eat.  My son likes to say that he will eat mushrooms, but only if they are in cheesy rice.  Why the distinction?  I don't know.  Maybe he just doesn't notice the mushrooms as well when they are in the rice.  The reason for that?  Well, because I take my cue from the movie Big Night and chop everything teeny, tiny, making it nearly impossible for little fingers to pick out things that they don't like.  "I just don't see anything that looks like a shrimp or a scallop . . ."  EXACTLY!  (Pst!  Don't watch this with your little one, unless you think it's cute for a toddler to use the F-word.)  I love the crazy Americans in this clip who think that you should get a side of spaghetti and meatballs with your rice.

As per my usual, I based my recipe on a Food Network star's, in this case, Giada De Laurentiis, and my technique on Alton Brown.  I don't follow either to the letter, because well, that's just the way I am.  Risotto makes it easy to do your own thing.


Mama's Basic Risotto

4 cups chicken stock

4 tablespoons butter, divided in half (you can also use part olive oil too)

1/2 medium onion (or 1 shallot) diced very small

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup wine (Use whatever you think tastes good, but usually a dry white wine is best.  If you don't want to use wine, substitute with extra stock or even water.  It won't taste the same though.)

1/4 heaping, to 1/2 cup, freshly grated Parmesan (don't even think of using the canned stuff!)

Salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Start by warming the chicken stock in a small pan to almost boiling.  Keep over low heat.  If you've got an electric kettle, Alton says to use that.  I just stick mine in a 4-cup measuring cup, warm it in the microwave, then keep it on the "warm hold" setting.

In a large, heavy pan or big pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, but not brown.  Add the rice and stir to coat in the butter.  Continue to stir until the rice has absorbed some of the butter and is translucent.  Add the wine and simmer until it has been almost completely absorbed.  Meanwhile, take a big whiff and think about how yummy your dinner is going to be.

Add about a 1/2 cup of the stock and stir the rice.  Contrary to what you've heard, you do not have to stir non-stop until the stock is absorbed.  Give the rice a few good stirs now and then.  Just don't walk away and leave it to take care of itself.  You'll notice when the stock is starting to be mostly absorbed and then you'll want to stir it some more.  Keep adding stock in this manner.  I use Alton's method to check when more liquid is needed.  When you can pull the rice back and see the bottom of the pan without the rice sliding back in, add more liquid.  

Usually, when I've got about a cup of stock left I'll taste-test the rice to see if it's cooked, or needs more stock.  Four cups usually works out perfect for me.  By the fourth cup your rice should be really creamy and yummy looking.  Remove from the heat when the final cup has been completely absorbed, add in the rest of your butter, then stir until melted.  Add the cheese and stir until incorporated.  Add some pepper (not too much!), then taste-test.  If needed, add some salt to taste.  You may find that the butter and cheese add enough saltiness, so be careful not to over salt.

Serve immediately when it's at its warm and creamiest. 

Once you've got the basic recipe down try adding in vegetables or meat.  Alton suggests not more than two ingredients at a time and always make sure they're fully cooked before adding to the rice.  Add the extra ingredients after the last bit of liquid has been absorbed.  My favorite is just plain and simple mushroom risotto.  Try adding some left-over chicken and some roasted vegetables.  Mmm, yum!  That would be fantastic!  Hmm . . . I may have to make that one soon!

Mama's Meatball Soup

I'd love to tell you that this is my Mom's recipe or even my Grandma's recipe, but the truth is that when I was growing up, my mom hated to cook.  I remember on more than one occasion hearing her mumble, groan, and lament about making dinner.  It's not that my mom is a bad cook, in fact, quite the opposite, she just didn't enjoy doing it night after night.  She had so many other things that she wanted to do, or needed to do for that matter.

Dad on the other hand has always loved to cook and loves to make soups in particular.  I'm pretty sure that Dad does all the cooking now days.  He can, and very often does, take an entire day to cook one meal.  It's not just because he does things so slowly (which he does), but I think a lot of it is just the fact that he is having so much fun while doing it and therefore doesn't really worry about all the other things that he could be doing instead.  So, why isn't this called, "Dad's Meatball Soup"?  Well, because even though Dad makes a rockin' Albondigas, this is not his recipe.

This is my recipe, hence "Mama's" in the title.  I won't lie to you.  Originally, I did get this recipe from Rachael Ray during one of my Food Network obsessive periods.  (Just for clarification, I am not a big Rachael Ray fan, so you call all just take one step back.  I am an Alton Brown fan, but Alton is often a lot more technical than I need on a school night.)  I've changed the Rachel Ray recipe just slightly (it's definitely NOT a 30-minute meal).  However, if it peeves you enough that I "stole" this recipe, then by all means get the original recipe here.

Mama's Meatball Soup

Olive oil (use what tastes good to you, just enough to cook the veg in)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1-14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, with liquid

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 cups chicken stock + 2 cups water (The original recipe calls for 6 cups chicken stock, but I find that with the added tomatoes, that much liquid is unnecessary.  Use it if you need it though.

2 cups small dried pasta shapes (I like pipette)

Handful of fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley (optional)

For the meatballs:  Combine the meat, egg, garlic powder, cheese, bread crumbs, and nutmeg.  Add salt and pepper to your taste.  Mix thoroughly with your hands making sure to get everything well incorporated without over-mixing it (I believe Alton once said that over-mixing leads to tough meatballs, but I could just be making that up.)  Roll meatballs into bite size pieces. (I'm not very precise about this, I just eyeball it, but I usually end up with about 35 meatballs.)  Refrigerate until needed.

For the soup:  Heat the olive oil in a big pot over medium heat.  Add the carrot, onion, and bay leaves.  Salt and pepper to your taste.  Stir to coat the vegetables in oil then cover and leave them to cook for 5 minutes.

Next, add the stock, water, and tomatoes (including the liquid) to the vegetables.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Once the soup boils, slowly and very carefully, add the meatballs (don't dump them in all at once unless you want scalding hot soup everywhere).  Once all the meatballs are in the bath, add your pasta and give it a good, gentle stir.  Adjust your temperature to a gentle boil and simmer soup for about 10 minutes.  Check that the pasta is done then serve with a little fresh cilantro or parsley in each bowl.

I'll leave you with these last thoughts on why I like this soup so much.  Well, first for the most obvious reason, this is great comfort food and is especially good on chilly, wet, winter days.  Even the kids enjoy it.  More importantly, to me anyway, it's got meatballs in it!  I don't know what it is about meatballs, but I L-O-V-E them.  I want a t-shirt that says I ♥ meatballs.  If you take some meat, roll it up in a ball and give it to me, I will gladly eat it regardless of how you cooked it or what you serve it with.  As Alton has said, meatballs are good eats.

Finally, I think I like this soup so much because when I make it I feel that I'm channeling just a little bit of both my mom and dad.  Many times I just don't feel like making dinner yet again for my family.  I'm tired and uninspired and just a little bit whiny (for the record, my mom would never whine).  When I'm feeling that way I start to make this soup and suddenly I feel a little like my dad too.  I find myself enjoying making the meal and sometimes I get inspired to tweak the recipe just a bit.  I've made this soup with turkey and chicken instead of beef.  I've made it with different vegetables and different pasta (sometimes egg noodles).  I've made a small batch for just two people, and really big batches for a big family gathering.  And if I feel like I'm really tired of cooking, well I can just about make this soup in my sleep, which is how I imagine that Mom always felt when making Dad's favorite fried chicken.

So, get to it!  Make it, eat it, and enjoy it! 

(P.S. the above picture is for a version that I made with chicken, celery, rotini, and no tomatoes)

I Can Make That! #1

Do you ever see something in the store and you think, "Wow, that's really cool, but there's no way I'm paying that much for it!"  I know I do all the time.  A lot of times I think, "I'll bet I could make that."  I know my limits of course and some of you are probably way more talented than I am.  For those of you who feel that you don't have much creative talent, this is the post for you.  It's my intention to show you that given the right idea and some simple instructions you can make all kinds of stuff on the cheap.  Or, maybe it's not that you lack creative talent, but that you just don't have the time to figure out how to make something.  That's where I aim to help too.  I've already taken the time to think this stuff through, research it, and experiment with it.  All you have to do is follow my direction.

I begin "I Can Make That! #1" with the simplest of simple things.  Soap.  I know you're thinking, "Huh, soap.  Yeah, I've got other places to be."  But, let me explain.  How many of you have kids who love foaming hand soap?   And how much do you hate paying what they want for soap of all things?  Did you ever stop to think about what foaming hand soap really is?  Well, I'll tell you.  It's watered down liquid hand soap.  Yup, that's all it is.  You pay more for the added color and scent, but you get much, much less.  How dumb is that!?  Really dumb.  So instead of buying more of this overpriced soap or the ridiculous refills, just make your own.  Here's the recipe.

To make 8 ounces of foaming hand soap you need:

2 oz. liquid hand soap (clear, lotion, antibacterial, whatever you have on hand)

6 oz. water

liquid food color

Mix the liquid soap and water together in a water tight container.  I generally just shake it to mix it.  Add enough liquid food color to make the desired color, (what a plus! you actually get the color you like instead of always just green!) usually about eight drops.  Add more if you'd like a darker color, but be careful that you don't add so much that you over-dilute your soap.  Pour your soap into the dispenser, making sure to leave some air space so the pump will work.  You will still need the special pump that is used for foaming hand soaps, so you'll need to buy the regular stuff at least once, but from then on the sky is the limit!