March Daring Cooks Challege

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

Yum! I like risotto. I like most things rice though. This challenge was great because we could basically make whatever type of risotto we wanted as long as we stuck to a few simple rules. We had to make our own stock. "Can do," thinks me. We also had to make the risotto base. Check on that one to with a few minor changes.

Looking through the forum, a lot of people used Jaden of SteamyKitchen's pho stock. It sounds good but I wanted to go a more traditional route. Especially since I've never made risotto before.

Stock Ingredients

• 9C water
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, scrapped and chopped
• 5 cloves roasted garlic (wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and roast in a 450 oven for 15 min.)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 T whole black pepper
• 1/3 bunch parsley
• 1 T oil

Stock Method

1. While you prepare the roasted garlic, heat oil in the dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 min. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove the foam from the top and continue boiling.
2. Let the stock boil for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. We want it to reduce to maybe a little over a third of what it was, enough to make the risotto. This concentrates the flavors.
3. Strain the stock and place back in the rinsed dutch oven. Bring back to the boil for the risotto.

As for the risotto itself, I used a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. This was pretty good to me sans meat. My husband didn't like it but that's to be expected. He hates rice. I'll be making it for myself I guess. Or trying various other stocks.

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