Italian al dente

Well it doesn't get much more italian than risotto. For those with a risotto-less palate, this is kind of like the child of a marriage between pasta and rice. Delicioso. You can either find a box of parmesan risotto mix on the rice aisle or make your own using arborio rice. This is a great dish to "hide" vegetables in. Dice up your favorite veggies to make this a greener dish.

Ingredients:

4 cups of chicken broth or stock
4 TBSP of butter
3 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1.5 cups of arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of pepper
1/2 cup parmesan
Vegetables of your choosing: shallots, zucchini, squash
Directions:

1. Heat broth over medium heat in a saucepan.
2. In another saucepan heat the olive oil Add the vegetables to this (onion, garlic, and whatever else you want to throw in), let them cook until they look tender. Then add the rice and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the wine to the rice and cook until absorbed.
4. Now add a ladle full of the hot broth at a time to the rice and stir. Keep doing this until the mixture feels about the consistency of heavy cream.
5. Remove from heat and add butter, parmesan, and herbs al dente