By Emily

My husband Matt loves RISOTTO.  It's one of the 3 things he makes, along with burgers and lemon pound cake.  This is our basic risotto recipe originally from the Harry's Bar Cookbook ("the world's greatest Italian restaurant") but modified because they don't have wine in their recipe which shocks me, because it adds such great flavor to risotto.  Plus, this is my excuse to pour a glass wine to sip while I hang out over the stove for a half hour stirring the risotto (I mean it's out on the counter so I may as well not waste it).  I think that's why I love making risotto; there's something therapeutic about the stirring, sipping wine, and thinking of nothing for a few moments at the end of your day.  
Once finished, this is a rich dish that fills you up fast, so savor every tasty bite.  Yum.

You'll Need:
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine (use something good enough to drink)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small/medium onion, chopped small
1 1/2 cups short grain Italian rice, they suggest Vialone or Carnaroli but I've only used Arborio
3 Tbs butter
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Sea salt (I usually use about 1/2 tsp)
Fresh ground pepper 

Additionally you'll need:
-1 cup frozen small peas, at room temp or cooked separately and set aside
A few slices of pancetta (smokey Italian bacon).  Cook the pancetta crispy like you would bacon, and crumble on the top of your plate of risotto - you can substitute bacon if you can't find pancetta, however, pancetta is easy to work with and SO tasty so it's worth it to explore if you've never cooked with it before.

To Make: 
Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan and keep it at a bare simmer so it's hot.  In a separate large saucepan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion on medium heat until golden but not brown (maybe 5-7 minutes).
Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon to coat well with onion and oil.  
Turn heat up to medium high and add white wine, stirring constantly, then 1/2 cup of the stock.  Keep the mixture boiling softly, and add another 1/2 cup of stock as the liquid absorbs into the rice.

Keep stirring and adding 1/2 cup of stock, and sipping your wine : )

You may need to adjust your heat so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, yet keeps at a slow boil.  
Keep this up for about 20-30 minutes.  You know you're finished cooking the risotto when your rice looks creamy and is tender on the outside with each grain still firm on the inside.  
Test a bite to be sure it's a little firm inside and then you know your are done.  (It's overdone if there is no firm interior, which still tastes good, but not the way risotto is meant to be)
Remove the pan from the heat and vigorously stir in the butter and Parmesan, then taste and season with salt and pepper.  If you are using the Peas & Pancetta recipe, here's where you add the cooked peas, or whatever veggie you are using.  If it becomes hard to stir, you can also add a little more stock to soften up the texture and make it even creamier. It should not be dry or lumpy, but very creamy like the consistency of cooked oatmeal.  Serve immediately and garnish risotto with extra Parmesan, top with crumbled Pancetta if you are using that, and salt & pepper.  

Note: you can add pretty much anything to risotto.  This is just one variation with Peas & Pancetta, but you can do a mushroom or asparagus risotto, or anything you want to use up in the fridge... We also make the plain parmesan risotto recipe above (with no additions) pretty often to accompany a marinated meat or a more involved dinner that doesn't revolve around the risotto.  Also, the fresher and better your ingredients, the better your risotto.
 

By Rachel

After Miranda posted that Asian style rib recipe I just had to try them out for myself.  Since there was no official recipe for the fried rice, I combined what she said with a recipe I found online to create this one.  It has a hint of spice, is really hearty, and overall went really well with her delicious Ginger Soy Ribs!
Here is what you will need:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste), divided
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 bunch scallions
2 tablespoons veggie oil, divided
2 1/2 cups cooked and cooled rice (I used white but I think brown might have tasted even better)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup julienne-cut red bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tsp peanut butter
2 cups loosely packed chopped red cabbage 
Lime wedges for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Combine first 4 ingredients, 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine eggs and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek in a bowl. Separate green tops from green onions, and diagonally chop; set aside. Cut green onion bottoms into 1-inch pieces; set aside.  Chop up your cabbage and onion as well and set aside.  The recipe directions move kind of fast, so I liked having everything chopped and ready to go!
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan and 1 tsp peanut butter, swirling pan to coat evenly. Add rice and stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer rice mixture to a large bowl. 

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in pan. Add onions to pan; stir-fry 30 seconds or until tender. Add brown sugar mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until liquid thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Add onion mixture to rice mixture.

Wipe pan clean or use a new one if anything is left sticking to bottom and sides.  Bring pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add bell pepper and cabbage; stir-fry 3 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, green onion bottoms, and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add to rice mixture, in large bowl.  Return pan to medium-high heat. Add egg mixture to pan, swirling to coat pan; cook 30 seconds or just until egg is set. Transfer egg to a cutting board; chop. Stir egg into rice mixture. Plate and top with green onion tops; garnish with lime wedges.

Click here for Miranda's Ginger Soy Ribs recipe!
This recipe took a lot of pots and bowls because I was making the ribs at the same time...luckily my husband almost always offers to do the dishes after dinner.  The poor guy didn't know what was waiting for him after tonight's meal - at least he was still full at the end of his cleaning shift!