Kitchen Sink Risotto
Ingredients:
- an assortment of vegetables (i.e. mushroom, bell pepper (any color, but green or purple is best), onion, zucchini, scallions, spinach, squash, etc.)
- two garlic cloves
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
- orzo (wheat or regular, but I prefer wheat)
- Israeli cous cous (optional)
- 1/4 cup black olives (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
- heat a pot of water to boil, with a little bit of kosher salt
- chop garlic and add to olive oil, saute for a couple of minutes before it gets brown
- chop all vegetables into small, bite size pieces
- add the harder vegetables first (pepper, zucchini) and saute for a few minutes
- start adding the softer vegetables (onion, mushroom, scallion) and saute
- add the spinach and saute for a minute before it wilts too much
- if using black olives, chop them and add with the spinach
- by now, your water is probably boiling so add the orzo (and/or Israeli cous cous) and a teaspoon of olive oil - let it boil for only about 4 minutes, just to soften it up a bit but not so it's fully cooked
- add 2/3 cup of chicken or vegetable broth to the vegetables and lower the heat to let it simmer
- strain the orzo, then add to the skillet with vegetables
- add the remaining broth, and cover over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked and the broth has absorbed
- add salt and pepper to taste, and Parmesan cheese.
- stir to mix, and serve hot!
- When using wheat pasta, it takes a bit longer to cook. This is why you soften it up a little bit first in the boiling water. If you're using regular pasta, then you can just add it dry to the vegetable mixture with all of the broth at once.
- Israeli cous cous is a great orzo substitute - or supplement. I used both because I had a little bit of both and I wanted to make a larger serving. You can find Israeli cous cous in the ethnic section of most grocery stores.
- The black olives make the taste a little more Mediterranean, and they go great with the spinach and zucchini.
- The vegetables can be freshly bought, or they can be on their last legs - as long as they're ripe and in good shape them throw them in!