Brown Rice Risotto Recipe!

I've made this a few times lately, and Justin LOVES it! I've kind of adapted the recipe to be more TF (Traditional Food) friendly, and actually it makes it much easier to make. My mom has heard me raving about it lately, and so at her request, here it is.

Brown Rice Risotto

(for 2-4 People)

2 Cups Brown Rice
3-4 Cups Chicken Broth
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese (Roughly, and can be grated or shredded)
3 T buttermilk or plain yogurt (optional)
2 T Butter

Put rice in a bowl, and cover with water. Add buttermilk, and allow to soak in a warm place for 12-24 hours.
*(This step is optional, this is how you prepare grains the TF way. It also shortens your cooking time significantly, and makes your rice easier to digest and more nutritious. If you skip this step, you may need an additional cup of Chicken Broth)*

Heat butter in a medium-large pot or frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until it becomes soft and translucent.

Add Garlic and saute for a minute or so.

Add rice and liquid, and continue stirring.

Meanwhile, heat up chicken broth in a small sauce pan, and keep it simmering the entire time.

Continue stirring the rice. When most of the liquid is cooked off, and the mixture starts to become dry-ish (not dry), ladle in 3/4-1 cup of the simmering chicken broth. It's important that the broth be simmering so that cool broth does not lower the temperature of the rice each time it is added.

Keep stirring often enough so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Whenever the mixture begins to look dry, add more broth, and continue stirring.

Occassionally, taste the rice to test for doneness. When your rice is soft and not chewy, it's done. Your finished product should be a little bit saucy looking.

If you run out of broth before the rice is done, simply add simmering water instead. It really won't affect the taste much, because you'll still have all the chickeny goodness inside.

Take the pan off of the heat, and add the parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

YUM!



Traditionally, risotto is made with a special kind of rice. I really prefer to eat brown rice, and I don't have money to keep fancy rice floating around, so I just made it with brown. You could make it with white as well, I'm sure.

And just FYI, this is not something you can really whip up in a half hour. When I soaked the rice, it took me about an hour to cook entirely. The first time I made it, without soaking, it took upwards of an hour and a half. Yikes, I know. But I promise, it's worth the time and effort. It really is such a yummy side dish, and something most people don't have very often! Try it- it's easy and yummy, just plan ahead a little!