The Art of Patience

Tonight, I needed to use the majority of my basil bunch, since it really only lasts a few days in the fridge. I decided to make the Risotto with Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes, and Basil, a recipe that I've made before. I don't duplicate recipes a lot (there's so many out there, why make one more than once!?) but my husband really likes this one, and he specifically requested it for the current menu. Risotto is a great dish because you can do so many things with it. If you have arborio rice and chicken broth, you've got the dish, and anything you throw in to it makes the meal your own!

This specific recipe comes from Cooking Light Magazine. The yield is 6 servings and get this...it's only 378 calories a serving! This really is a very comforting dish, but also has a wonderful freshness to it. And it's simple, really! The only thing you'll need is patience...risotto is a very good exercise in the art of patience. Let's dig into this one and I'll show you what I mean!

First and foremost, of course, is our mise en place. For this meal, you'll need:

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups chopped leek

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or other medium-grain rice

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, finely diced

It didn't take that long to pull this together since I really only had to cut the leeks, mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. Everything else just called for a bit of measuring. First, I placed the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and brought it to a boil over a medium heat. The vinegar needs to simmer and reduce until it's syrupy and thick, about 1 tablespoon in measurement. This should take about 4 minutes. Once it's done, I would pour it out into another bowl so it doesn't just cool and stick to the sides of the pot. I had to heat the syrup in the microwave before serving since it had thickened quite a bit as it cooled. If that happens, that's okay, but it would work just as well to make this the last step, rather than the first.

While the balsamic vinegar was reducing, I also placed my chicken broth in a pot to bring to a simmer. You don't want the broth to boil, but you do want to keep it warm. The reason for the warm broth is that it doesn't shock the rice as you add it to the pot because it's at the same temperature as the pot you are adding it to.

Okay, now for the main event! Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saucepan (or in my case, Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the leeks to the pan, and saute them for 3 minutes. Mmm, I love leeks!

Next, I added the rice, and cooked for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, I stirred in the wine and cooked for an additional minute, waiting for the liquid to be absorbed by the rice. 

And now, here comes the patience. You need to continue stirring throughout this process so don't even think about walking away from the pot! Add a cup of the heated chicken broth to the pot of leeks and rice and stir constantly, allowing the broth to be absorbed by the rice. When the liquid has been absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of the broth at a time, allowing it all to be absorbed before adding more...and don't forget to keep stirring! (If you don't keep stirring, the rice gets stuck to the bottom of the pot, burns, gets clumpy and doesn't cook evenly...have I convinced you now?)

Keep stirring!

Heehee, okay, I know you've got it. Once all of the broth has been absorbed, 1/2 cup at a time, into the rice, it's time to finish it all off. The rice should be tender or very close to it at this point, so pour in the half-and-half, salt and pepper and allow to cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove the risotto from the heat and add the grape tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.

Place about 1 cup of risotto on each shallow bowl or plate and then drizzle with a little olive oil and a little bit of that balsamic vinegar syrup that we made earlier. Yummy!! Check out all that gooey mozzarella goodness and the fresh grape tomatoes, and the flecks of basil! So fresh, so delicious, so comforting!

Top 10 : Pantry Items You Should Always Have on Hand

Happy Friday, my culinary cuties! I would like to take a moment to thank everyone that's reading this blog. The response has been tremendous thus far, and I'm extremely excited to see where this takes me. It's so encouraging to see that there are so many readers, and that you are leaving comments and asking questions. Keep it coming, and I promise I will too!



Today, I wanted to touch base on some ingredients that should ALWAYS be in your pantry. If I run out of one of these things, it immediately goes on my shopping list for next time.

1. Olive Oil is used in almost every recipe. If you don't have olive oil, don't start cooking.

2. Balsamic Vinegar can be used in a lot of ways. If you have this and olive oil, you've got salad dressing! Additionally, you can reduce balsamic vinegar to make a glaze for meats or vegetables.

3. Soy Sauce is a staple in any Asian-inspired meal. If you have stuff to throw in a stir-fry, you better have soy sauce. I recommend the low-sodium variety, as its a bit less salty, and also a little better for you.

4. Red/White Wine Vinegar is a handy condiment for salad dressings as well as marinades. Many recipes call for it and it's good to have on hand in the event of a last minute dinner choice.

5. Arborio Rice is what we use to make risotto, along with the chicken stock below. A dinner made of leftover veggies thrown into a risotto dish is an instant success. 

6. Chicken Stock is an essential part of soups, sauces, and as I just mentioned, risotto! Keep it on hand for all of the above! (Again, if you can find low-sodium varieties, I recommend them.)

7. Canned Tomatoes (diced, crushed, whole, and paste) are a must-have! I keep a few cans of each of these in the pantry at all times. They make great sauces for a quick pasta, as well as a wonderful base for stews and chilis. 

8. Flour ... what is there to say about flour. You can make cookies with it, you can bread chicken with it, you can fry stuff coated in it, along with eggs you've got fresh pasta...always have flour in your house.

9. Breadcrumbs (or Panko) have many uses. If you are making burgers, you need breadcrumbs to hold the meat together, if you are making chicken or pork, you can coat it in breadcrumbs before baking, broiling or sautéing it, and they also make a great topping for a baked pasta dish. Panko is a Japanese bread crumb that adds a little bit more of a crunch than generic breadcrumbs. I prefer them.

10. Kosher Salt is a wonderful way to season your food. It's a bit less harsh than table salt and because it comes in a large box, is easier to measure amounts with as well. If you find that you're not getting the whole seasoning aspect of cooking, and want to follow a recipe TO-THE-LETTER, this is a good way to measure your salt before putting it into a dish.



This should get you started on building a pantry full of usable ingredients. I'll try and provide more of these top-ten type lists to give you hints into what you should be buying when you go to the grocery store. If you have a stocked pantry, you'll actually end up spending less each week at the grocery store because half of the ingredients will already be in your possession. That prepared feeling you'll get is priceless!