A Comforting Meal that sent me down this path.

So far this week I've spent a bit of time experimenting with cuisine, ranging from redoing a simple staple (fajitas) to trying something new (potato soup).  I guess that's what happens when you are home by yourself all weekend with nothing but cookbooks from 3 awesome chefs and the Food Network going.  Well, I guess I could have been watching basketball, but after the Huskies were eliminated, food seemed far more interesting.  But I digress...

I usually like to intersperse my experimenting/learning meals with a few of my comfort classics.  These are meals that are simple, easy to put together and reliable.  With my experimenting there is sometimes the risk of a flop followed by tuna melts for dinner.  Today's default was actually to one of the new entrants to the comfort food menu, one that actually started as an experiment, my risotto.

Prior to making my first risotto, the meals that I made for us were good.  They were pretty simple, and pretty basic.  I could grill a steak, bake some pork chops, things like that, and put together decent, palatable meals.  Stretching was when I learned how to steam salmon, or put pre-made mango salsa on halibut.  When I first made the risotto, it was shortly after I returned from my work trip to Vegas, and my first meal at the Mesa Grill.  I had purchased the cookbook, and was flipping through it trying to figure out what should be the first thing to cook.  When I got to the risotto, I decided to give it a try.  It looked simple, something I figured I wouldn't screw up too badly.  It also would allow me to cook with things that I hadn't used before like chicken stock and arborio rice, not to mention use the blender for something other than smoothies and margaritas.

All in all, it turned out well.  I followed directions well enough.  The risotto was a little al dente, and stuck to the bottom of the pan, but it was good.  I topped it with a seared diver scallop and a little tropical salsa from Whole Foods, and we had a nice dinner.  But, most importantly, it gave me confidence to keep trying new things, stretching myself a little more, experimenting with different things in the cookbook.  And, it was good enough that I could try it again, slowly perfecting then adapting the recipe to my personal tastes.

The base of the risotto is always the same.  Saute some onions, add the arborio, then white wine, then chicken stock until it is all absorbed.  But from there, that's where the experimentation starts.  I've done red pepper puree, green peas, or just cheese.  I've added bacon and fresh tomatoes, and different types of cheese.  I usually serve it is a bowl with some sort of seafood on top (tonight was shrimp), and then something sweet to balance the savory.

It's a hearty, healthy dinner, full of grains, vegetables, and proteins, but low on fats.  And it's something that just always seems to hit the spot.  But most of all, when I cook a risotto it puts a smile on my face because not only does it feel like I'm cooking something a little more fancy, but it reminds me that this simple recipe really helped set me off down the path that I'm currently on.  Who knew all of that would come from 7 ingredients?