Oven Baked Risotto

I really like risotto -- I even have a risotto cookbook, devoted entirely to recipes for making risotto. Michael and I used to make risotto from scratch on a regular basis, but since having kids it just hasn't been practical. You see, making risotto on the stove requires stirring it pretty much constantly for at least half an hour. However, recently I read several recipes for risotto that looked so good that they made me want to try it again. The clincher was the recipe for oven baked risotto that I found in the latest issue of Southern Living magazine. Baking the risotto means that you don't have to stand at the stove for 30 minutes, so you get yummy risotto without nearly as much work.

Because we're trying to limit our intake of dairy products, I've modified the recipe a bit. Here is the original recipe for oven chicken risotto, in case you'd like to try it. In addition, this recipe for baked risotto with asparagus and spinach looks tasty as well. I included turkey in our risotto to make it a main dish, but you could leave out the turkey and serve the risotto as a side dish instead. I didn't add peas but think they would be a nice addition, so I've included peas in the recipe.

Oven Baked Risotto
serves 3 or 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth. Use either Imagine Organic Free Range chicken broth, Trader Joe's Organic Free Range chicken broth, or a homemade chicken broth.
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
  
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 pound (or 2 cups) cooked turkey or chicken, chopped into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes. I used Jennie-O Turkey Store All Natural Golden Roast Premium Turkey Breast, which contains turkey breast, turkey broth, sugar, and salt. Rotisserie chicken usually contains corn, but you could use leftover chicken from a homemade roast chicken.
• 1/2 cup of frozen peas, thawed
• 1 bundle of asparagus, cut into 1-inch long pieces
• 2 Tbsp. white wine or white wine vinegar
  
• Parmesan cheese as a garnish. Use either a block of Parmesan that you grate yourself, or 4C Imported Parmesan All Natural grated cheese.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small frying pan heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-low heat until the oil shimmers. Dice the onion and transfer it to the pan. Saute the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes. When the onion is soft, add the Arborio rice to the pan. Stir the rice into the onion so that the rice is coated with oil. Remove the frying pan from the stove.

While the onion is sauteing, pour 1 Tbsp. of olive oil into a 9"x13" baking dish or a Dutch oven. Spread the oil around so that it coats the bottom of the pan or Dutch oven. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth, the white wine, salt, and pepper to the pan. Add the onion and rice and stir everything to combine.

Cover the 9"x13" pan tightly with aluminum foil, or place the lid tightly on the Dutch oven, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked and the liquid is entirely absorbed. While the rice is baking, chop the pre-cooked turkey or chicken and thaw the peas. Rinse the asparagus, snap off the ends, and cut into 1-inch pieces. Steam the asparagus for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender crisp. Drain the water, return the asparagus to the pot in which it was steamed, and toss with 1 to 2 Tbsp. white wine or white wine vinegar. Cover the pot with the asparagus to keep it hot.

When the timer beeps for the rice, remove from the oven and add the chopped turkey or chicken, the peas, and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Stir, cover the baking pan, and return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Then remove from the oven, toss in the asparagus, and serve. Provide grated Parmesan for people to sprinkle on their risotto.