Plonk 'n' Pot Noodle Risotto

Risotto holds a top spot in the hierarchy of foods-I-can't-live-without. It came into my life about a year ago, and has held a firm grip since then... Risotto is THE cupboard stand-by, and as Tom says, 'you are roughly half an hour from a nourishing, comforting meal.' But for some reason, people are frightened by risotti... why? In his intro to the Risotto chapter, Tom says that it's because most cookbooks and writers find it difficult to not be too bossy in the steps to a perfect risotto.

I am a lady of rules... I don't do very well on my own and without some instruction.. so I suppose making risotto, with all its steps, works well for me. But just because I'm a lady of rules doesn't mean I can't be a bit stubborn too, so this is where Tom and I clash in making risotto.

In The Kit for the chapter, Tom writes that the best rice for risotto is either Arborio, Vialone Nano, or Carnaroli. Ok, no problem, got that covered. Also, a risotto maker should use a wide, heavy-based pan, with a lid. Roger that, Tom! And then things get a bit tricky....
Tom says that one should never use cooking wine, as it is 'plonk', and that using stock cubes to make stock will make the dish taste like a 'Pot Noodle'.

So here's my case.
1. I don't drink wine; I don't like wine. Even if I did drink wine, why would I use it to make a dish?? Ok, maybe I'm being a bit irrational, but I've made risotto dozens of times, and not once, have I ever thought it tasted off.
2. Knorr stock cubes rock!!! I will use them for the rest of my days; I've had Pot Noodle, or at least the U.S. equivalent. My risotti do not taste like that! 'Nuff said, Tom!

Ok enough of my rambling.

8. Chilli and Herb Risotto - *Risotto*

I have a few risotti in my repertoire, but never the combination of herbs and chilli. So I was quite excited to try this one out! Tom leaves the herbs to be a personal choice and recommends basil or oregano. I thought I'd be wacky and use both!

From left to right: Oregano, basil, garlic, chilli flakes, saffron, butter, poor man'sgrana, plonk, Pot Noodle, onion, tomato puree, arborio rice

The risotto started off by chopping up finely an onion and a couple of garlic cloves. Then, those were added to a pan of gently heated olive oil. The chilli flakes and salt were added as well, while a pan of stock was gently simmering on the nearest hob. The stock, vegetable I decided, also had a couple of strands of saffron in it. (I got mine in Valencia!) The veggies were allowed to sweat with a lid on for a few minutes till the onion became opaque.

Then in went the rice and tomato purée, and some wine (aka plonk)... this bubbled away at a high heat. Then the heat was reduced so that the rice could simmer gently... This is where I usually jump the gun and thus end up using most of my stock. But this time, I lowered the heat and added more stock each time. I found that it finished cooking at pretty much the same time as my previous experiences, but I needed a lot less stock. It was cooked to perfection; I was chuffed!

Then the final ingredients were added once the rice was removed from the heat.

Final ingredients: chopped oregano and freshly grated Poor Man'sgrana (and tbsp of butter, not pictured).. unabashedly showing off my Living Kitchen goodies ;)

You may notice that there is no basil in the above picture... Well, I bought a fresh, or so I thought, package at Stop 'n' Shop yesterday. I opened it today and it smelled like licorice! Euuussshhh! I know that the smell means it's not fresh at all, so I was peeved! I've already said how disgusting the basil is at my grocery store... Awful sub-parmarket was my last resort. What do I got to do to get freakin' good basil around here, huh???

Ok rant over. After the final ingredients were folded in, the risotto sat in the pan with lid on for about three minutes... and it was done! In case the pictures do not speak for themselves (and if they don't I'll have a word with them later), this risotto was BLOODY FANTASTIC!!!! I know I'm an unrelenting risotto enthusiast.. but this was really really good! Perfect combo of the flavors of the tomato purée, oregano, saffron, chilli, garlic and onions!!! Fantastic!!! I'm actually glad the whole basil thing didn't work out as I think it would have been too much.

Mmmmm. Gimme!!!!

Whoops! Almost gone.... how did that happen?!