Sunday Night Supper: Risotto

This was Sunday night's supper, courtesy of our Russo's run. We'd had a gluttonous portion of chicken wings for lunch, so I wanted to go a little lighter for dinner.

I bought fava beans and baby artichokes at Russo's. We have a ton of baby garlic growing in the garden, so I decided to use that too. The resulting meal: Fava bean and green garlic risotto with grilled baby artichokes (Yes, Top Chef fans, that is a non-functional garnish, sorry ...).

Making risotto isn't hard, but you do get better at it the more you make it. I am not providing a recipe here, but here is a good basic method. (I strongly recommend that you find any video of Lidia Bastianich making risotto - watching her is a great learning experience).

First, I sauteed minced shallots and green garlic in olive oil. Then I added two cups of rice and sauteed it until it was "toasted" (the rice grain gets pearly and the starch core turns bright white - you know it when you see it).

When the rice is toasted, I added a splash of white wine and cooked it until it all evaporated.

Then, over the next 20 minutes or so, I ladled hot chicken stock over the rice, stirring every now and then. When the rice was tender, I stirred in the favas, some more minced green garlic, a little butter and grated parmesan cheese.

While this was all happening, I steamed the baby artichokes for 10 minutes, then grilled them for about 5 minutes.