Trader Joe's Product O' the Whenever: Aroborio Rice

Risotto Anyone?

I can't believe how few people make risotto at home. It is really quite easy and sooooooo delicious!

To make it, you need aroborio rice. Enter our product o' the whenever...

The best thing about this aroborio rice is the easy, delicious recipe for risotto on the box. It's the recipe I always use when making risotto. It is a basic recipe, so you can add different ingredients to change it up.

For instance...

I recently went to my friend's birthday party at a super-authentic Italian restaurant, and I ordered the most glorious rissoto. It was so good, I decided to try and duplicate it at home. I hit the jackpot with this recipe... McPreachy gave it a perfect 10!

Here's the Recipe:

Risotto with Sausage and Tomatoes a' la' Casey Crocker

• 1 package uncooked Italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 12 oz. TJ's aroborio rice
• 4-5 cups chicken stock, heated
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• approx. 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese ( a couple of hand fulls... eyeball it.)
• 4 oz dry white wine
• 1/4 c. cream
• salt to taste

1. Brown and crumble the sausage until cooked through over medium heat in a large stockpot. Drain on a paper-towel lined plate, and set aside.
2. In the same pot, (No need to wipe it out. Keep the fla-vah alive, yo.) melt the butter and saute the onion for a few minutes to soften it up. Then add your rice and stir to coat.
3. Add the wine and cook until evaporated.
4. Now begin slowly adding your chicken stock, one cup at a time, adding more only once the stock has absorbed into the rice. Continue until you have added it all and the rice is cooked through but not mushy. This should take about 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, chop your tomatoes. First cut them in half lengthwise and gently squeeze all the water and seeds out of them so they don't make your risotto watery. That would be a travesty. Once you've de-seeded them, just give 'em a rough chop.
6. Once your broth is gone and your rice is done, add the cream, cheese, sausage and tomatoes and remove from heat. Salt to taste.

And They All Lived Happily Ever After.

The End.

P.S. Nik, if you are reading this, PLEASE do not let Chris see this. My risotto is embarrassed in front of fancy chefs. I'm just a truffle-less, haricot-vert-free laycook.