Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Monterey Jack, Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

When I was trying to find a side dish to go with last night's pecan chicken, I remembered a recipe for cream corn risotto I stumbled across in one of my cooking magazines. Unfortunately, I couldn't find that recipe, but a quick Google search brought up a Cooking Light recipe that sounded so delicious, I just knew I had to try it.

This was my first time making risotto, and I have to say that I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. The consistency was perfectly creamy with just the right amount of heat hitting the back of the tongue; the only problem was that it definitely needed salt, which the recipe doesn't call for. As soon as I tasted it, I flashed immediately on Gordon Ramsay on Hell's Kitchen, yelling at the chefs for bland risotto. I will definitely make this again, but next time I will be sure to add salt. I can cross risotto off the list of dishes that intimidate me!


Monterey Jack, Corn, and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto
Source: My Recipes, originally seen in Cooking Light

1 3/4 cups water
2 14 1/2-ounce cans vegetable broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked Arborio or other short-grain rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
(I didn't use)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
(omitted; I didn't have any)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
(I used 1/2 teaspoon)
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
3/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers (I used fire-roasted)

1. Combine water and broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep broth mixture warm over low heat.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice, cumin, coriander (if desired), and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture; cook 2 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of liquid is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in the onions, cheese, hot sauce, corn, and bell peppers; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow, this sounds fantastic! I loved the corn risotto I made last month and this sounds like an even better flavor combo. I love anything with roasted red pepper. Mmm!