(post, Zanne Miller)
I was going to make risotto on Saturday night, but when I looked at the recipe I had, which was something along the lines of "lovingly caressing each grain before putting it into the exact-temperature olive oil after removing each little bit of onion and then adding eight teaspoons of stock (also at a precise temperature) at fifteen minute intervals all while singing a lullaby in Italian," I decided we would have some good old unfussy orzo for dinner. But then I found Viviana La Place's recipe for Red Wine Risotto on Culinate, not such a production, and decided to give it a try yesterday. I didn't make this recipe exactly (I was experimenting with garlic and red peppers), but the simplicity of it--sautee herbs/seasonings, add wine, add water, stir-- was a lot less intimidating. You do have to stir constantly, but that meant a chance to stand still. I think risotto is my new favorite food.