Basil Risotto

The other night, my parents, boyfriend and I went to dinner at a local restaurant. It is a rather pricey place, but we had a gift certificate from Christmas. After looking through the menu, I decided on swordfish over basil risotto. It was fantastic!! This meal inspired me to go home and try making basil risotto myself. I like to experiment with risotto because there are so many different flavors and ingredients you could add to it. So far, this one has to be my fave!


I served the basil risotto under salmon (and Kevin had cajun fried flounder with his - he hates salmon)! For the salmon, I seasoned it with salt, pepper and Simply Asia Sesame ginger garlic blend. It was pan seared in a deep stainless steel pan with a couple tbs of olive oil. Did about 3 minutes on each side until it was crispy and browned.

Servings: 4-6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 oz fresh Basil leaves (lightly fills 1 cup)
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs salted butter
4 shallots, finely chopped
3/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 cup Arborio Rice
6 cups Chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
* Optional * Save a few small basil leaves for garnish


Directions:

1. In a large sauce pot, heat chicken broth to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Continue to heat on very low.

2. In a food processor, chop basil, garlic, 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Set mixture aside for later.

3. In a large saute pan, heat oil and butter. On medium-high heat saute shallots for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add rice and stir for additional 2 minutes, until coated. Add white wine and stir until absorbed.

4. Adding 1 cup of chicken broth at a time to the rice, stir constantly until each cup is absorbed. After the last cup of broth is absorbed into the rice, add basil mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
*Stirring is time consuming. Patience is always the most important part of making risotto, but the end result is always worth it!

5. Place a layer of risotto on dinner plate, and top with your choice of fish, chicken, meat etc. Garnish with a couple of small basil leaves.