Recipe: Veggie Risotto

I decided to change things a little. Instead of only writing about things I eat out, I will start posting some of the things I make at home as well. I do cook a lot. I come up with my own recipes a lot, and they turn out delicious about half the time :P This was the case just now, so I decided to share what I made for dinner.

I had some left over things in my fridge that I didn't know what to do with: chicken stock, celery, carrots, tomatoes... I suppose I could have looked up a recipe that uses all of those things, but I decided to just add them to a risotto. Making a professional chef-quality risotto is a tricky thing, and I don't claim to be a risotto specialist. But I do love the way mine turn out. Plus, the number of variations are limitless. The key is to start with good arborio rice or other risotto-grade rice; simple write or brown rice doesn't work here...So here's my recipe for risotto with veggies, along with a few suggestions for variations:

Ingredients:
1 large carrot, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon canola (or vegetable) oil
2 plum tomatoes, or any other tomato, including sun-dried, diced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 cup arborio rice
2.5 cups stock (chicken or vegetable) or water, warmed a little on the stove or in the microwave
Salt and pepper to taste
Oregano, parsley, basil or any other combination of dried herbs
1 wedge of Laughing Cow cheese (I used Chipotle and Queso)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pot. Add the onion and cook until it's softened. Add the garlic and stir. Add the carrots and celery and cook 2-3 minutes, until their color intensifies. You can use any vegetable you have. After all, the purpose of this risotto is to use up old things in the fridge.

2. Add the rice and stir frequently until the rice grains turn mostly opaque. Then, start adding the liquid of choice, 1/2 cup at a time. Simmer the risotto, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is absorbed. Then add the next 1/3 cup. The general rule of thumb is 3 cups liquid per 1 cup rice. I added only 2.5 cups risotto because the tomatoes have some liquid in them. If the rice is not all the way cooked after adding all of the liquid, add some more.

3. After the addition of the first or second portion of liquid, add the tomatoes and the capers. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. Don't add too much salt because the capers are very salty even after rinsing them. You can taste the broth to see if it's seasoned enough.

4. When the rice is soft and cooked, turn off the heat before all of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the cheese. Real risotto is made with 1/2 cup parmesan or other hard Italian cheese, but I didn't have any :-/ I assume any melting cheese will work well. Stir the risotto until the cheese has melted. Let stand a few minutes and then serve!

Note, you can substitute the FIRST 1/2 cup liquid for white wine. It does make the risotto taste better, but I didn't have white wine :( DO NOT add red wine. It will turn the risotto an ugly purple color. Yes, I know that from experience... Thankfully, the taste is not compromised.

I hope someone will try this and like it :)