Artichoke Risotto

The fun thing about risottos is that you can make up your own with whatever you have on hand. For this recipe, I used canned artichokes. Give them a good rinse and pat dry before using them.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

5 cups of chicken stock, low sodium

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup of Arborio rice

1 1/2 cups of chopped Artichokes

zest of one lemon

1 tbsp of butter

1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Directions:

Step 1: In a large pot, add the chicken stock and let it come to a simmer. Let rest on simmer.

Step 2: In a large, deep frying pan, add the olive oil and let it heat up. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes then add the garlic, mix around and saute.

Step 3: After a few minutes of sauteing the onions and garlic, add the red pepper and mix; saute for another minute or two.

Step 4: Add the rice, mix altogether and saute for 5 minutes, stirring as needed.

Step 5: Add a ladle full of chicken stock in at a time. After each add, stir in stock into the rice. Once absorbed, add another ladle of chicken stock.

Step 6: Once you've add half the chicken stock, add the artichokes. Keep adding the chicken stock until the rice is tender and creamy.

Step 7: Once the the rice is cooked, add the butter and lemon zest; mix together then add the Parmesan cheese.