Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Three-Grain Risotto with Asparagus Spears

Okay- I confess. I am obsessed with risotto. You probably already know this if you ever look at my blog. I have tried it with all types of grains, vegetables, seasonings, spices and everytime I love it.
This Cooking Light recipe uses arborio rice, quinoa, and instant barley. A nice combination of grains. I love all of those grains and I was excited to see how a combination of the three would turn out.
I also really like asparagus, as do my kids and it was perfect with this risotto.
This recipe was a little bit creamier than some of the others that I have tried-I think because of the milk and cheese that is added near the end, but the extra creaminess was very delicious.
I ordered risotto at a restaurant recently and was very disappointed by the taste. It was practically soup. Does anyone have any recommendations of a good place to order risotto? Even if you do, I will probably just keep making it at home. I tend to think you can make almost anything at home that will be just as good or better than eating out. But that is just me.


Three-Grain Risotto with Asparagus Spears from Cooking Light
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed (I omitted this)
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup uncooked Arborio or other short-grain rice
1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup dry white wine ( I used chicken broth)
1 cup water
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup 1% low-fat milk
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 asparagus spears, steamed
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
Bring saffron and broth to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil).
Keep warm over low heat.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes. Add rice, barley, and quinoa; sauté 2 minutes.
Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Stir in 1 cup water; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.
Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).
Remove from heat; stir in cheese and next 4 ingredients (cheese through pepper). Top with asparagus spears, and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Up Next- Craving Ellie- Salmon and Lentils and Barefoot Bloggers- Chinese Chicken Salad

7 comments:

  1. I've never had risotto that was made with anything other than arborio rice. This one looks really interesting.

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  2. I too am a HUGE fan of risotto - my husband makes fun of me for all of the cartons of stock I keep on hand for my risotto creations! My newest obsession is to make risotto with whole wheat orzo pasta. You use the same method as with arborio and cook until the pasta is tender. It is delicious!!!

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  3. I just recently made risotto for the first time and I really liked it! I have a huge container of arborio that needs to be used now. Maybe this will give me an excuse to try quinoa!

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  4. Love risotto! I will have to try it with different grains.

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  5. I've never had risotto made with any grain other than rice, so this looks really good - I have all the grains on hand!

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  6. I am glad that you are obsessed with risotto, because I am as well, but you are the one with all of the incredible ideas that I get to benefit from :-) This one looks fabulous - love the asparagus; it's the perfect spring vegetable.

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  7. Food made at home is always better than restaurants. Even with my limited skills and abilities. It's something about making it yourself.

    Your risotto looks yummy. I love that it's 3-grains.

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Mary Ann