Risotto is an Italian form of rice that is simply delicious. You might have heard that it’s hard to make, but that’s not really true. It does take precision and time, however. It’s not a meal you can just start on the stove and then forget about for a half hour. It needs pretty much constant attention. But the efforts are SO worth it! Delicious, flexible, useful either as a side dish or the foundation of a delicious one-pot dish, risotto recipes can be whatever you want them to be!
Risotto comes to us from the Italian culture. Basically, risotto is just an Italian method of cooking a specific type of rice, called arborio rice. Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain rice that is named after the town of Arborio in the Po Valley in Italy, where it is grown. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, creamy, and chewy, due to the higher amylopectin starch content of this rice. It has a starchy taste of its own, yet blends well with other flavors in a variety of risotto recipes.
Besides arborio rice, risotto recipes are crafted from broth, wine, onions/garlic and Parmesan cheese. Slow, steady cooking is the key.
Here are a few of the possible variations of the basic recipe:
- Roasted red pepper risotto
- Mushroom sage risotto
- Bell pepper risotto
- Artichoke and roasted almond risotto
You’ll find the instructions for those recipes and even more at my risotto recipes page on my main Thrown Together Meals website.
Enjoy!
Tags: recipe of the week, risotto recipes
OK… I’m billing this blog as my “Recipe of the Week” blog, but I haven’t been very good at posting a new recipe every week. In fact, this is the first time in January I’ve posted at all. Sigh…
I plan to do better from now on. Problem is, I’m webmaster for several sites and I’ve let the other ones take priority of late. No more. While I get together the next recipe, you might take a look at the cookbook reviews I’ve posted on the site recently:
From the Heart apron
Oh, and have you seen my recipe contest? All you have to do is submit a recipe that fits the theme for the month and you can win a handcrafted apron from SewHappyCreations at Etsy.com. This month’s apron is pictured at the right. There aren’t too many entries yet, so if you submit one, you have a great chance of winning! Submit your recipe here.
Tags: free apron, recipe contest, recipe of the week
Our Mexican Rice Casserole is another thrown together meal, crafted on the fly from stuff I had sitting around the house, including ground turkey.
Mexican Rice Casserole
Even though I love to cook, I hate to shop, so I frequently find my cupboards and fridge getting a bit bare around the time I need to force myself to head to the grocery store for my monthly trip. One time, I came up with the Mexican Rice concept using the only kind of meat I had left in the house (ground turkey), some old prepared rice side dish packets (Southwestern Style and Mexican) I’d bought for lunch and never used and a few of my usual staples that I almost always have on hand, no matter how overdue grocery shopping is.
My hubby, mom and I were pretty pleased with the results!
I hope you like it too…
| Mexican Rice Casserole |
| Ingredients: |
2 packets of prepared rice side dishes
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup sour cream |
Seasonings as desired
1/2 cup crushed nacho chips
1 cup shredded taco cheese
1 small can sliced olives |
Directions:
Cook the rice according to the directions on the packet. Brown the turkey in a little olive oil, adding taco seasoning or a mixture of chili powder, cumin and coriander, along with salt and pepper, as desired. When the meat is cooked, add the corn and tomatoes and cook till heated through (about 5 to 10 minutes). When the rice is done, mix it, the meat mixture, the sour cream and the olives in a 2-quart casserole. Top with the shredded cheese, and then nacho chips. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes at 375 degrees, till the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot and bubbling. |
Serve the casserole with a green salad and/or cornbread or corn muffins. Yumm! For variations on this recipe, see this page. You can also find lots more great ground turkey recipes or ethnic recipes too.
Enjoy!
Tags: mexican rice casserole, recipe of the week
I decided to launch this new blog-based website to publicize some of our “thrown together” recipes from the Thrown-Together-Meals.com website. We’ll feature a new recipe each week, and it will be based on our thrown together concept, which means you construct tasty, quick and easy meals, using foodstuffs you have on hand in your cupboards and fridge. More on that concept can be found here.
Oh, and did I mention these meals can be prepared and served in less than an hour in most cases? And they’re mostly pretty healthy too… you see, I’m a nurse by background so I’m focused on eating healthy and cooking healthy.
Our first recipe of the week should be up within a couple of days, so watch for it. Meanwhile, you’ll find tons of free recipes at our main site:
http://www.Thrown-Together-Meals.com
Or, you can even share your own recipes or cookbook reviews, if you like.
Tags: free recipes, recipe of the week
