Risotto with potatoes

You need to try it to belive it. I know it sounds weird, but we make a lot of dishes in Italy with rice and vegetables... and we call them risotto.


Preparation time: 20-30 minutes.

1) Peel and cut in small cubes one potato per person.

2) Saute` one whole finely cut onion with olive oil in a pot.

3) When the onions start browning, add an inch of butter and 3 tablespoons of rice per person (2 people=6 tablespoons of rice).

4) Stir the rice until browning and then add hal cup of white wine. Stir the rice and let the wine evaporate.

5) Add the potatoes to the pot. Also add some rosemery.

6) Add a cup of water every 3 minutes and keep stirring the rice. The rice will need a total of 20 minutes of cooking. Add few fresh baby tomatoes and some basil for color.

7) After about 18 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice rest in the pot. At this moment add some parmesan cheese and/or asiago cheese and stir it into the rice.

Add black pepper if you like

Buon appetito!

Risotto with spinach

In Italy we don't eat just pasta. We can also make some very good rice dishes, which we call risotto. Now it turns out that spinach is very good for you. It contains high levels of minerals and folic acid, which are reported to decrease DNA damage and diminish your chance to get cancer. So, you can buy a bunch of fresh spinach (please organic) or just some organic frozen ones. I like the frozen ones because to make the same quantity you need to buy at least 2-3 bunches of fresh spinach!

Which variety of rice to use? Traditionally, in Italy we use Arborio rice (medium-short grain), which is perfect for risotto dishes because, once cooked, it is both firm and creamy.

Preparation time: 20 min

1) Boil 6 cups of water in a pot for the rice

2) Add 3 tbsp of rice per person.

3) Add olive oil, salt, chopped onions and a lot of spinach (see above). Stir every few minute. The spinach will melt with the rice into a green cream.

4) Let it cook until the rice is done (about 10-15 min).

5) Add a teaspoon of butter and a lot of parmesan cheese at the end. Pepper if you like. Stir.

Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving...

Buon appetito!