Risotto Returns

I've made risotto once before, and I followed the recipe like my life depended on it, lol. I've actually been so intimidated by risotto in the past, that the closest I usually ever got to making it was buying the arborio rice. Then, I'd just stare at the container in my kitchen hoping that I could simply will it to happen.

So, today I'd had enough of this wishing and hoping for risotto, and I decided to jump in feet first and make up my own risotto recipe. I'm very happy with the result, especially, since this is only my second time making the stuff. Here's what I used:

extra virgin olive oil
1 large zucchini, diced
4 carrots, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
fresh parsely
fresh cilantro
dried rosemary, to taste
dried thyme, to taste
sea salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
3 cups arborio rice
cooking sherry
4 cups vegetable broth
coconut milk creamer
1/2 stick margarine
5-blend Italian cheese blend

I listed the ingredients in the order that I used them because the recipe kind of took on a life of its own as I worked. It was fun!

I've seen recipes where the vegetables are roasted and then added to the rice towards the end...but I have a big pot...and I was kind of lazy about getting something else dirty. So, I decided to just saute the vegetables in the pot and then add the rice to "toast" right in with the veggies. I'm sure some dead culinary genius is rolling in his grave about my audacity, but oh well...

Anyway, after the rice was a little translucent, I  added some sherry--just because I had some in the pantry and it smelled so good--and some of the broth. Once it was absorbed, I started adding the rest of the broth as it needed it and the stirring began. Let me tell you, that is some workout! I was sweating like I'd run a few laps, lol.

 Right before the rice was cooked all the way, I ran out of broth, so I looked in the fridge and saw that I had coconut milk creamer left over from a dessert recipe I had made. I added it to the risotto and the creaminess started to look really good. This led to the margarine which made it perfectly creamy. But, of course, the dairy demon got me when I was putting the margarine back. There it was in the deli drawer calling out to me **sigh** Well, I grabbed that cheese and dumped it in there and OMG it was perfect!

Originally, I had intended for this recipe to be completely vegan, but I just couldn't resist throwing the cheese in at the end. Honestly, though, it tasted great without it. I know because I had to taste this thing all along the way to make sure that it was tasting the way I wanted.

It took longer to cook than I expected, but I suppose that's because of the insane amount of rice that I used. I don't know what came over me...three cups!?! Really? Next time, I'll use 1 1/2 cups of rice and less of the vegetables. After all, I could have stored the veggies that were cut up instead of making so much.

Now, I have a huge pot full of risotto, LOL. I am going to have to have risotto for lunch and dinner tomorrow, AND I'm going to have take extra with me to work so I can give this stuff away or it will go bad before I can eat it all.

Lesson Learned: RICE GROWS A LOT...BE REASONABLE!