Tomato Risotto

 

I'm utilizing the pantry prepper supplies I bought in case of shortages, and discovering interesting recipes along the way.  I did spend more than I expected in September, but more recent trips to the store are less frequent and small enough that I pay cash off my tips (which are usually under $5 a day).  I really miss going to the store twice a week, especially the bananas, but it's safer.

The spark for this came from a prepper video.  There's a packaged form of tomato and olive risotto.  However, I have a bag of arborio rice and cans of tomatoes and broth, plus dried basil from the plant.  Yes, it takes longer this way, but I had all the ingredients on hand.  The salmon was a new purchase, but adding fish or meat to the dish was optional in every recipe I researched.  This is complete as a vegetarian meal.

*3 C unsalted chicken or vegetable stock
*1 C Arborio rice
1 Tb olive oil
*1/2 C diced onion
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/4 C white wine or 2 Tb marsala, optional
*1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
*2 Tb dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
*2 oz cream cheese

1.  Start heating stock in a saucepan to a simmer.

2.  In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium.  Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add rice and garlic.  Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3.  Add wine, if using, and wait for it to absorb/boil off.  If not using, skip to the first ladle of stock.  Add about a half cup at a time, stirring it in and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more.

4.  After the second ladle, add 1 Tb of the basil and the can of tomatoes, including the juice.  Stir and wait for the liquid to absorb, which will take much longer than a ladle of broth.

5.  Once the rice has thickened again, go back to adding broth until the rice is tender and doesn't accept more liquid easily.  This whole process will take around half an hour.  Add the remaining basil and cream cheese.  Stir until the cheese melts.  Serve hot, with fish or chicken if desired.

Difficulty rating  π