As I mentioned in my last blog post, Sarah and I spent the day yesterday in Richmond. While Sarah was hitting up the archives at the Library of Virginia for her Master's research, I got to see a bit of downtown. In particular, I was able to explore Shockoe Slip for a coffee shop (and I eventually stumbled on Shockoe Espresso). I found the area to be quite nice (and a bit overrun by tattooed hipsters). I even found a Segway store right in the heart of Shockoe Slip. Fun times.
Anyways, when Sarah was done at the archives, we decided to hit up a local eatery for some good eats. Inspired by a local magazine article, we settled on checking out Garnett's Cafe in the Fan District. Kendra Feather, the owner of Garnett's, follows a gluten-free diet and offers a large number of gluten-free options at the eatery. For the sandwiches, Garnett's offers Sami's Bakery gluten-free bread from Tampa Bay. I ordered the BLT with the gluten-free bread, and it was absolutely delicious. The flax and millet bread the sandwich was served on was fantastic and perfectly toasted. The mayonnaise was delicious, the bacon crisp, and the tomatoes optimally juicy. The sandwich even came with home-cooked French potato salad and pickles. Overall, I was very happy with our lunch choice. Bonus points: Elliott Smith played on the sound system during our meal. Perfection achieved.
When I got back to my apartment in Austin, I noticed that my pantry wasn't quite empty. I still had about one cup left of Arborio rice. Of course, that meant risotto again. This time around, I went for a much simpler recipe, being exhausted from the long trip home. I call this one Onion and Basil Risotto. If you wish, you can get creative with this recipe by adding cheese, extra spices, etc. However, the base dish is still delicious and fairly healthy as well. I recommend serving it as a first course, a la Italian style.
Onion and Basil Risotto
Ingredients:
1 cup of arborio rice
4 1/2 cups of chicken broth
10 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of chopped red onions
Black pepper to taste
Steps:
1. Combine the broth and basil leaves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to low and cook the basil broth for 10 minutes. Remove the basil leaves and continue to simmer the broth.
2. Heat a saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and onions and stir-fry for 2 minutes until the onions are golden. Add the rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the rice is starting to toast.
3. Add a ladleful of the broth to the rice and stir. Continue stirring gently until the water of the broth has evaporated, which should take 1-2 minutes. Repeat adding a ladleful of broth, allowing the broth to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful. Make sure to continuously stir the risotto. When the last of the broth has been added (this should be around 17-18 minutes or so from the time the cooking started), the risotto should have an al dente texture. Season the risotto to taste with the black pepper and serve immediately.
The recipe makes 4-6 servings.
I love risotto! It really doesn't take too much time to make. I made a butternut squash risotto last night that was delish :)
ReplyDeleteI will have to try that variation =P. I fell in love with risotto when visiting Italy for a conference. I honestly was afraid to try to make it for the first time a couple of months ago, but I found with a tad bit of patience and attention, it was not too difficult at all to make a decent risotto =).
ReplyDeleteI agree! :)
ReplyDelete