Risotto Therapy

You should cook risotto sometime. It does take about 45 minutes from start to finish, but standing in one place stirring for half an hour, watching rice slowly absorb the warm stock (sounds rivetting, I know), truly is so calming. Add a glass of wine, and you're in a dreamy place that only Norah Jones could enhance. So take some time to make risotto next weekend when you're not as rushed, and if you have kids, send the husband out on a pre-dinner walk with them for a little while. Pop on some Norah, pour a class of Sauvignon Blanc (you have to use it for the risotto, so you might as well drink some while the bottle's open!), take some deep breaths, and patiently stir creamy risotto. I promise... it's worth it on so many levels.

Here's a recipe if you want to give it a try. This will make two huge bowls or four regular ones.

First heat up 7 cups of chicken stock in a saucepan. That's just shy of two boxes of stock. Keep it at a low simmer while you make the risotto. Dice a small yellow or white onion into pretty small pieces, season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper, and cook it in about three tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot for about three minutes. Stir the onions every 45 seconds or so so they don't get too brown. Lower the heat to low, and stir in two cups of risotto (also known as arborio) rice. Stir it constantly for about two minutes, and make sure that every grain gets coated with some butter. Pour in one cup of white wine (this is when you pour yourself a glass, too), and stir for about a minute. Now comes the fun part! Get a ladle, and pour in the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring constantly over medium-low heat. Don't pour the next ladle in until the liquid from the first has been absorbed. You basically want to see the bottom of the pan when you stir before adding anymore. So take your time with the ladles of stock. It will get creamy and translucent and decadent. Once all of the stock has been absorbed, stir in about a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (please... don't use the green plastic can stuff), a half a cup or a good handful of chopped Italian parsley (the curly kind doesn't have the same flavor), and the zest (the yellow part of the lemon peel - use a grater or better yet a Microplane to get it off) and juice of one lemon. Season it with a little more salt and pepper, and immediately pour into shallow bowls and serve. Risotto isn't the same if it sits, so do your best to eat it right away.

Enjoy the calming effects of risotto, friends. It's cooking therapy at its best.