Casey's Birthday Risotto

There are only a few things I'm willing to improvise in the kitchen: one is curry, the other is risotto.  My dear friend Jeremy served me the first risotto I've ever tasted, and as he said then, "It's all about the butter and cheese."  

I've stuck with that, and it seems to work. 

Other things about risotto: it takes a long time, you must stir, and NEVER add too much water at once.

Casey loves risotto, so that's what I made him for his birthday. I've tried to write down the recipe because it was such a unique flavor profile, but since my measuring methods consist of "big clumps" and "a couple of squirts of Sriracha" it's kind of hard to write down...

Birthday Risotto

Stuffs ya need:

3 or 4 T Earth Balance vegan butter (yes, regular butter works)

half of a red onion, diced

half of a white onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic (I think...just go for a bunch)

1 Not Chick'n bouillon cube

almost 2C arborio rice

4 -5 C water, heated in pan

dried marjoram

chili powder

cumin

black pepper

Sriracha

almost 1C Romano cheese 

green onion (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Before you start any burners, chop everything you need.

2. Heat the water in a pan to boiling, then add the bouillon cube and reduce to warm.  meanwhile.....

3. In a large, flat-bottom pan, warm the butter on medium heat until it's runny, then add the garlic and onions. Stir 'em around until they've reduced a little bit. Add some black pepper for good measure. 

4. Sneeze.

5. Add the arborio rice with about a half cup of water. Stir so each grain is soaking through, changing from opaque to translucent. 

6. Once the water is absorbed, add a little more and stir/sit/stir until it evaporates. Continue doing this until you've one addition of water left.

How do you know how much water? Well, it's going to take a lot. You can try the rice - if it's too crunchy, it needs more water and needs to cook longer. SCIENCE.

7. Time for the yummies: add almost one teaspoon of chili powder, a good dash of marjoram, a good dash of cumin, and a couple of decent squirts of Sriracha. We like our food spicy, so this amount is a matter of personal taste.

8. Add the last addition of water; once it's absorbed, add the cheese (as much as you like). 

9. When it's ready so serve, chop some green onions to sprinkle on top. 

10. Pair with dry red wine for a delicious complement.