[cooking] is a good coping mechanism, part deux

So, when I'm in a really terrible spot, mentally, I like to cook.

Between the stress of my work from the last two months (due to the holidays, I was frequently the only one in my department, which meant a lot of my own work was pushed off because of urgent things that others would typically have addressed), stressors from my personal life (my dad is undergoing chemotherapy at Dana Farber for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (his treatment is going really well, luckily), and I've got some health things going on, myself), and attempts at having a romantic life (it's complicated, and confusing, and I wish I knew where it was going), I've been facing an ever growing feeling of I-can't-do-anything-right, and just general hopelessness. It peaked on my way home from work Friday night, and I hit a really low point. Dangerously low. It's not the first time I'd been there, and luckily I've found a good coping mechanism to put myself back in control again - cooking. It's meticulous, generally requires your undivided attention (an idle mind is dangerous for me in this state), and when you've finished, you have something that proves you're not an idiot, and that you just did something right.

I thought I'd share this particular experience with you. Let's begin!

For this recipe, I use 4 cups (960mL) of chicken stock, and 4 cups of water. Simmer close to the pan in which you are making your risotto.

Prepare your vegetables!

I used one medium vidallia onion, one shallot, and two cloves of fresh garlic. You're going to want to dice these, and leave them divided, which are both reasons for why the onion and shallot are halved!

Tip:

Make a series of slices with the grain of the shallot (and onion) without cutting all of the way through. This is going to make your dicing super easy.

Result of tip:

Holding the shallot (and onion) at the end that you left intact, slice the other end cross-wise. Voilà, easy diced shallot (and onion).

Divide as you go

You want to have the ability to make two piles of your diced shallot, onion, and garlic. I used two bowls.

Cut it out!

Everything cut up and divided. IIRC, the smaller you cut the pieces, the more flavor they're going to release.

Lube the pan

A tablespoon (15mL) of olive oil will do nicely.

Add half of your onion mixture

Without fail, every time I start a recipe with this base, I get comments along the lines of "that smells amazing, what are you cooking?" There are few things that smell more appetizing than sauteing onions, shallots, and garlic.

Thyme to get ready!

Grab some thyme (I used fresh, if you only have dried that's okay)

Don't forget to keep agitating your onion mixture!

No one likes eating sticks

Pick the leaves off of the little sticks. You want to end up with about a tablespoon. Banana for scale, in case you think measuring tools are for chumps.

1up

When your onion mixture becomes a bit translucent, add one pound (about 500g) of sliced mushrooms. I like portobello, but you can use whatever you like, I guess. You're such a rebel.

Also add...

Also add 2 tablespoons of butter (uh...well, a tablespoon is actually metric, so 30mL of butter, I guess? Probably not a correct conversion, since butter...isn't a liquid. Usually.), the thyme you prepared, and two bay leaves.

Mix it

Mix it good! You want to cook down the (now) mushroom mixture, giving it a stir every so often.

Ohhhhh, we're half-way there...

Mushrooms are done!

There should be liquid in the bottom of the pan, and your mushrooms should have darkened, and be tender.

Set it aside

Pour everything in the pan into a bowl, and keep it handy. Don't take out the bay leaves yet!

Put the pan right back on the fire, we've got a ways to go.

Rice, rice, baby!

Get yourself 2 cups (uh, 480mL? Christ, I don't know, suddenly it's confusing me that we pretty much measure everything using liquid measures in the US. Sorry. That's what you're going to get.) of arborio rice.

IT NEEDS TO BE ARBORIO RICE. THIS IS CRITICAL.

Lube the pan for round two

Add another, bigger, puddle of olive oil (2 tablespoons (30mL) this time) into your still hot pan. I hope you didn't bother cleaning up between rounds!

Return of the onion mixture

Pour the second half of your onion/shallot/garlic blend into the hot, oiled pan. Sauté as before.

Italians, avert your eyes

As an American who is fourth generation Irish on both sides of my family, with one of those sides also being fourth generation English, I like to use that as an excuse to cook with beer whenever I can. Honestly, the first time I made this recipe we didn't have any dry white wine in the house and I used beer instead. I felt that the flavor of a strong ale better complimented the earthy, meaty flavor of the mushrooms, and I've made it that way happily ever after. Tonight I used Fireside Chat, by 21st Amendment Brewery.

Anyways, you want a 1/2 cup (120 mL) of beer. Or a dry white wine, if you prefer. I'm not the boss of you.

Translucent Onions!

Again, sauté your onion mixture until it becomes translucent.

Alright, stop. Collaborate and listen!

Add your rice to the onion mixture. This is the point where you pretty much don't want to leave the stove, if you don't absolutely have to.

Quickly, now!

Spend a minute or two thoroughly mixing the rice into the onion mixture. You want to make sure the rice is well coated by the olive oil in the mixture, as this will prevent the otherwise starchy rice from sticking to the pan as you add your liquids and cook.

Speaking of which...

Add your beer! Mix your rice to make sure everything is evenly distributed, continuing to stir every 15-30 seconds or so, until the beer is more or less absorbed by the rice.

Stock photo

Add your stock, one cup (240 mL) at a time, making sure that the rice has absorbed (more or less) all of the last cup you added.

FYI

Here is the beer, in case you were curious. Yes, that IS Franklin Delano Roosevelt giving a fireside chat on the can. My personal favorite from this brewery is Sneak Attack.

Back on topic:

Add more liquid as needed.

Yeahhh

This is going to feel like it takes forever.

...woah, oh! Living on a prayer!

Stay strong, this is going ot taste amazing when you're finished.

Get in touch with your inner caveman

I like to add meat on top of my risotto from time to time. In this case, I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, and here I've torn all the meat from the carcass and shredded it by hand. If I had made the stock from scratch, this would have been from a chicken that I'd boiled with carrots, onion, and celery. I didn't have time for that today, unfortunately.

So close...

(moans provocatively)

Your rice should start to have a creamy texture and look to it.

Light at the end of the tunnel!

Ok, we've FINALLY added the last of the liquid. Continue as before, mixing the mixture until the liquid has been absorbed into the rice.

Meanwhile, we've got some other things to do.

Say 'cheese'!

I happen to like romano cheese for this particular risotto. Some people would tell you that parmesan is the way to go, but I feel that romano has a more robust, rich flavor that holds up to the mushrooms and beer.

Season to your taste

While there's still liquid to be absorbed, add salt and pepper to taste. Taste a few grains of rice, it should be al dente (a little firm), not mushy.

"Cheeeeese..."

Add your cheese, anywhere from 1/2 cup to a cup (120 to 240 mL. We've been through this argument, I know that's a liquid measure.)

Hold...hold!

Before mixing in your cheese, add back in your mushroom mixture. All of it. Except for your bay leaves, you'll want to pull those out, now.

Annnnnd go!

Mix everything in together!

Do you see this?

If you still see cheese, keep mixing!

Achievment unlocked!

Congratulations! You've successfully made risotto!

Banana for scale

Yes, this recipe makes a metric shitton of risotto. Serve yourself a reasonable portion, and anyone else whom you like enough to share. This usually makes enough risotto for dinner the night that I make it (more often than not a Sunday night), and then lunch for the next five days. I'm generally cooking for one.