Risotto With Leftover Chicken

I had a half chicken leftover in the fridge and was wondering what to make for dinner. So I got out the arborio rice and started throwing things into a pot to make risotto. I love to make risotto when I’m just winging it, no plans.

As always, I started by pouring some olive oil into a medium saucepan. Then I chopped some onion, not much, about enough to cover the palm of my hand, and cooked it until it started to go golden. Then I added the arborio rice and stirred until it was glossy with the oil. I let this warm up a bit, then I poured in a good helping of white wine. Sizzle.

Let this absorb into the rice. Then I added some organic chicken broth, some crushed red pepper seed, a good shaking of a dried Italian herb blend and let cook. I always keep a boiling kettle on the stove when I am making risotto and I alternate between adding water and adding broth. Just keep adding and stirring until it is absorbed.

Next, I diced a small orange habanero pepper. Oh my, they are hot hot hot! Don’t overdo it or you won’t be able to eat it.

I had bought a whole roasted chicken from the supermarket the other day and still had half of the meat left. So I shredded what I could get from it and put it into the pot. More broth, more water.

Other things I added during the course of the stirring and absorbing: a few chopped garlic cloves, salt, pepper, oregano, marjoram and paprika.

I tasted the concoction and it had too much heat. You really have to watch those habaneros. So I tempered it with some tomato paste and a fresh chopped plum tomato.

Toward the end I added a can of butter beans (rinsed), some shredded cheese and a wee pad of butter. It became very creamy. I then kept cooking and stirring until it was less liquidy and more like risotto.

I had some semi-stale French rolls which I cut lengthwise and placed on a plate. Then I put a heaping helping of risotto on top. Sprinkle with some parmagiana cheese and you have a rogue dinner.

Music to cook by: Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing the ultimate restaurant song Time to Say Goodbye.

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Rogue Risotto With Fresh Tuna

I love to get creative with risotto. Tonight I decided to make a risotto with fresh Albacore tuna steak and plenty of heat. Here is what I did.

Always start with arborio rice. Arborio is a short, plump, white rice perfect for absorbing liquids. It’s so lovely, like little pearls of wisdom.

Pour the amount you want into a medium saucepan. It will expand by a good deal, so don’t use too much. Pour in some olive oil and stir to coat. Heat in the saucepan to get it going. Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.

When the pan is sufficiently hot, pour in a good amount of dry white wine. It should be hot enough to sizzle. Let this cook off. The rice will absorb the liquid and take in the flavor of the wine.

I alway have a kettle of boiling water on the side while I make risotto. You want to keep adding liquids a little at a time and stir while the rice soaks it all in. I alternate adding vegetable broth and water. I also added a vegetable bouillon cube for flavor. You can use any liquid you want: chicken broth, beef broth, depending on the flavor you are after.

I always shied away from making risotto because it sounds so tiring. But it’s a myth that you must stir risotto constantly. I walk away from it frequently. Just don’t stay away too long. You don’t want it to stick to the bottom of the pot.

While I am adding liquids in stages, I start to throw in some other flavors. I chopped up half a shallot and crushed two cloves of garlic. I also put in some dried herbs and spices from my magic cabinet: an Italian blend, some marjoram (I’m obsessed with marjoram. I’ll do a post soon just about that.), oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper and, of course, salt and black pepper. Add whatever flavors you like.

At the same time, Jim was cooking the tuna for me. He cut it into cubes and put it in a frying pan with some olive oil, shallot, a little white wine, and salt and pepper. We set this aside until the rice was almost ready.

Poking around my fridge, I found some asparagus that I never got around to using. They were almost on their way out, so I decided to chop off the tips and toss them into the pot.

I also chopped up a small amount of fresh red chile pepper and one plum tomato. Into the pot they went.

Toward the end, I wanted to add some creaminess. So I added about a tablespoon of tomato paste, a pad of butter, and about a tablespoon of shredded sharp cheese. I also put in a few drops of hot sauce.

Only one thing left to do. Fold in the tuna.

Serves four people or two De Rosas.

Music to cook by: Gladys Knight’s Before Me

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