Creamy Risotto

Emeril’s

1 full box (32 oz) chicken flavored stock

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

¼ cup finely chopped yellow onions

½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 ½ tbsp. basil, parsley or chives

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan, and keep at a bare simmer over low heat. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and thyme and saute until onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque, 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until the liquid is nearly all gone, about 2 minutes. Add ½ cup of hot stock and cook, stirring constantly until nearly all the liquid is absorbed. Cook, adding more stock, ½ cup at a time, as previous addition is nearly all absorbed, and cook until the rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, about 20 minutes. 

It's a long process, but it's also kind of cool to watch all the liquid get absorbed. Rice is a pretty magical substance.

Add cheese, heavy cream, herbs, salt, and pepper, stir well, and serve immediately.

Served, very fancy, with a boiled hot dog.

My Rating: 4/5 "This is worth the work. The spices and pepper make the creamy rice something to really write home about. It's not the best stand-alone dish, but since risotto is usually aside that's not a big deal at all. Just pair it with something bland or sweet to let it really show off its kick!"