Making Mama's Kitchen: Brittany's Risotto

This recipe was a gift from one of my pharmacy students on her last day of my rotation. As I've probably mentioned before, the best part of my job is having Butler pharmacy students come for rotations. Not only do they keep me current in the field, increase job satisfaction, and all that other good stuff, but also they're fun, interesting people and we are always sad to see them go at the end of the month.

Here's the amazing risotto recipe that Brittany gave me last month. It's so delicious I made it again two days after the first batch! It's a little bit of a process that requires some attention, but for me, it was almost therapeutic. I hope you enjoy this risotto as much as my family has - here's how Brittany makes it:

just keep stirring...

Brittany's Risotto

Ingredients:

- 1 stick butter
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 c. rice
- 2 qt. chicken stock (2 cartons)
- 1/2 t. saffron
- 4 oz. grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 lb. chopped chicken breast
(serves 6-8)

Directions: (taken from Brittany's recipe)

1. Cook the chicken in boiling, salted water (about 20 minutes or until tender - I usually slow cook the chicken from when I start cooking to when I need to add it to the rice & broth).

go ahead, cook the whole package

save the rest for the next batch!

2. Melt butter in a large pot. Fry sliced onions in butter pot over medium heat about 5 minutes or until brown.

3. Then add cleaned, washed rice to butter and onions and stir for 5 minutes to prevent burning. Then add 1 c. chicken stock. Stir constantly.

4. Dissolve saffron in 1/2 c. warm broth. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then add colored broth to rice. Stir well.

the saffron I bought came in 4 little capsules

I used 1 for this recipe

5. Gradually add remainder of broth as the rice absorbs it. When the rice has cooked about 30 minutes, add 1/2 of the cheese and continue stirring.

6. Add chicken; stir constantly. Add additional cup of broth if rice becomes too dry. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Entire process takes about 45 minutes and when done, is moist and creamy. Add remaining balance of grated parmesan cheese and then ENJOY!