Tips to get you started:

· This dish is great for a small dinner party and can be prepared a little ahead of time and kept warm.

· The amounts in the recipe can be cut in half to reduce the yield if you aren’t cooking for a crowd.

· The use of Parmigiana Reggiano vs any other brand/type of “Parmesan” will drastically impact the resulting flavor of this dish, shop wisely! I get mine from Costco.

Total cooking time: 30-40 minutes, plus 10-20 minutes prep time.

Serves: 10 (approx. 1/3 cup each)

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken stock (you can use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)

1 3-inch sprig of rosemary

2 4-inch sprigs of thyme

1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmigiana Reggiano aged 24 months

1 inch of Parmesan rind from the same Parmigiana Reggiano above

2 cups Arborio rice

1 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup diced shallot

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or butter

1 cup dry white wine (I use a Pinot Grigio, but a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris would work nicely too.)

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice + more, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Part one: In a large pot or sauce pan, combine the thyme sprigs, rosemary sprig, stock and Parmigiana Reggiano rind. Bring to a low simmer. While you wait for this to simmer, dice your shallot, mince your garlic, zest and juice your lemon, grate your Parmigiana Reggiano.

Part two: Then, in a large Dutch oven or large thick bottomed pan over medium-high heat, warm the EVOO until it looks like it is shimmering but is not smoking. Add the shallot and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute), add the rice and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly to avoid burning shallots and rice, to this mixture add about 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and stir to release any sticky bits.

Part three: Once the wine has absorbed into the rice, add one (approximately 1 cup) ladle of stock from the simmering pan, to the Dutch oven and stir periodically until this liquid has absorbed, making sure to scrape the bottom to keep from burning any grains. Once the liquid has absorbed, add another ladle of stock, repeating this process until the rice is cooked. This should take about 25 minutes. Monitor the heat level as you add the stock, if it starts to “blop” reduce the heat a bit. At around the 18-minute time frame I start tasting little amounts of rice to assess doneness, salt level and overall flavor. When the rice is nearly cooked it will still have a little bit of a starchy bite to it.

Part three: Once that starchy, stick to your teeth texture is gone, turn off the stove, add your grated Parmigiana Reggiano, lemon zest and juice, and adjust salt and pepper levels to taste. Serve hot.

Serving suggestions:

· Top with a little grated Parmigiana Reggiano, a little chopped parsley, a sprig of thyme, or a lemon slice.

· Serve with Lemon Chicken Piccata.

Tiny chefs in the house? They can help:

· Juice the lemon

· Measure ingredients

 Nutrition information:

Total Calories: 285

Total Fat: 12 g

Cholesterol: 25 mg

Sodium: 181 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 31 g

Sugars: 1 g

Protein: 11 g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.