Risotto - Lord of the Rice Kingdom

For me, risotto is king of the rice kingdom.  The creamiest of them all.  I am still amazed at how it tastes so creamy and cheesy but has such a low ratio of dairy products to the whole.

No secret recipes needed - literally the one on the back of the Lundberg Farms risotto I have at home is fine.  The secret to good risotto is patience and a little technique.  Unlike most rice dishes, you have to add the cooking liquid in small batches and wait for it to absorb before adding more.

What's great is that it is universal - from this one basic recipe you can add just about any meat/veggie combination that you want.  All those ingredients go in towards the end of the cooking time.  Some common ones you've probably seen at restaurants: mushroom, salmon/asparagus, butternut squash. 

My favorite of this year just so happens to be risotto with salmon and swiss chard.  If you've never tried swiss chard, I find it is one of the milder greens, as compared to spinach, turnip or kale.  It cooks super quickly, and it is not bitter!  The stems can be left in the middle and will add a little crunch to your meal if you cook it very briefly.  Swiss chard comes with either white, yellow, orange or red stems, but they all taste the same. 

RISOTTO WITH SALMON AND SWISS CHARD:
Serves 4
45-50 minutes total


1 cup uncooked arborio rice
2 T. coconut oil
2 T. pastured butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped fine (or sub 3 shallots, my personal favorite)
3 cups bone broth (chicken, turkey, beef, vegetable, or whatever would taste best with your mix-ins)
1/2 shredded aged raw milk cheese (or parmesan)

MIX-INS:
1 bunch organic swiss chard, washed and torn into pieces
1/2 lb wild salmon, poached or smoked, flaked into bite-size pieces (sub chicken if you don't like fish!)


Bring your broth to a boil in a small saucepan; lower heat and keep at a simmer while you cook the rice.  (Poach the salmon now if you haven't already got it cooked.)

Saute onion/shallot over low heat until transparent (also called "sweating" the onions - you just don't want them to brown).  Add rice and saute for another couple minutes.  Turn heat up to medium-low and add wine.  Stir occasionally until almost completely absorbed, then add 1 cup of the broth.  Continue cooking and stirring until the liquid is almost absorbed again.  Repeat this process with adding a cup of broth at a time for approximately 25-35 minutes, tasting the rice about the 25 minute mark and thereafter for doneness.  You want the risotto to still have a little bite, similar to cooking pasta to "al dente."  When it seems close, but not quite done, it is time to add the mix-ins.  Similar to any other green, the chard will seem to take up the whole pot at first, but never fear, it will cook down quickly.  Remove pan from heat when rice is perfect, and stir in the cheese, salt & pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Leftovers are great reheated or mixed with an egg and molded into little balls or patties that you can "fry" in the skillet with a little butter or coconut oil.