Relaxing rice yoga...aka risotto

Today I was frustrated. I was tired, I was cranky and I was annoyed....with everything.

I had too much work to do, my feet had forgotten how to deal with shoes and had erupted in angry red blisters, the mosquito bite on my calf was most itchy and my evening's date got canceled.

So as I sat in my cafe stewing over my irritations and annoyances I decided, come hell or high water, tonight I'm making risotto.

Why risotto, you ask? Excellent question. At  a first glance risotto doesn't seem to be the first choice for synapse soothing but I promise it can be. There is something very zen about the art of risotto making, the slow stirring and systematic additions of broth...the add, stir, repeat cycle itself makes me breath and relax, and of course it doesn't hurt that I'm breathing in delicious smells. It's like yoga, in rice form...

This ended up being a BEAUTIFUL risotto and my realization of the day is a. shoes suck and b. risotto is all about the right wine and the right cheese. Read on after the jump!

Tonight's cooking showed me that in risotto, cheese and wine choice is neccesary. The recipe involves mushrooms, giving the dish an earthy feel and to achieve optimal deliciousness your cheese and wine should balance that earthiness with a certain amount of crisp freshness. I used an aged Raspberry Bella Vitano cheese that I had picked up at the farmers market. Really it's just a sort of asiago that has been aged in a raspberry ale sauce. If you can't find the Bella Vitano use a similarly hard cheese that has been cured in something faintly fruity. Alternatively you can use a normal asiago or parmesan but add in just a smidgen of lemon juice or raspberry juice for a surprising and subtle fruity hint in your risotto.

Wine choice is important too! I used a Vino Verde, a very young white wine with some crisp fizz. The wine is slightly tart which is great for balancing the mushrooms and the fizz makes your mushrooms and onions simmer delightfully. You're only using a bit in the recipe, so even better if its a wine you can enjoy on the table as well.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For this risotto you will need:

1 small onion, chopped

2 handfuls of baby bella mushrooms, sliced

Salted butter

3-4 leaves of basil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups of low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup grated cheese (I used raspberry bella vitano, read more about cheese choice above)

1/2 cup arborio rice

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/8 cup cream

Heat up 2 tbsps of butter in a medium pot. Once the bottom of the pot is covered in melted butter add your onions and sautee until they start to turn golden. Add your mushrooms and more butter if necessary and continue to sautee until onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender. Add in 2 more tbsps of butter and the arborio rice. Cook on medium heat until rice is covered, this should take about 2 minutes. Add your white wine and let simmer until the wine has been evaporated. At this time add in salt and pepper to taste. I used salt sparingly and pepper liberally.

While this is happening microwave your 2 cups of broth. Once the wine has evaporated pour in 1/2 a cup of the broth and stir until it has been absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 a cup at a time. When your adding your 2nd to last cup, throw your chopped basil into the mix as well. This should take about 20 minutes of stirring but when all the broth has been observed and the rice has puffed up and is tender yet al dente, add in the cream and stir until it thickens. Then pour in your cheese and continue stirring so the cheese gets incorporated into your dish.

When the mixture is at your desired consistency, scoop it out and enjoy the deliciousness.

I enjoyed my risotto sprawled on my couch (sorry mom) watching Family Guy while balancing the bowl on my chest and praying it wouldn't spill on my new favorite pajamas that I might have stolen from my sister (sorry sister)...but as the delicious rice worked its magic, I did lose much of my previous annoyance.

Does risotto have the same effect on you?

Happy eatings!

Surya