I bought a bag of carrots a week ago and I had only used two. So I was looking for a recipe to use up some of the carrots and I stumbled upon this recipe from Martha Stewart. I have to admit I haven't cooked a lot of her recipes, mainly because I don't subscribe to her magazine and I've always thought of Martha's magazine more of a craft and decorating type. Anyway, this dish came out quite yummy, and yes, I did do a few modifications, but only to make the risotto creamier.
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 6 medium carrots, grated (I only used 4 carrots)
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 1/4 cups long-grain white rice (I used Arborio rice; I'm not entirely sure why Martha Stewart has long-grain white rice in her recipe, though)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 wedges of Laughing Cow Original Swiss spreadable cheese product, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- In a saucepan, bring broth to a bare simmer over medium heat.
- In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in rice and coat all grains and cook 1 more minute. Add wine; cook, stirring, until absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add 2 cups hot broth; simmer over medium-low, stirring frequently, until mostly absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Continue to add broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring occasionally, until absorbed before adding more. Cook until rice is creamy and just tender, about 20 minutes (you may not need all the broth).
- Add the two wedges of cheese product and gently stir to melt and combine with rice.
- Remove risotto from heat. Stir in Parmesan, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.
