A friend turned us on to one of those food kit things – y’know, where you get a weekly email with a list of menu options and you chose which you like, or skip it entirely.
For this week, one of our food kits was scallops with Parmesan and garlic risotto and pan-fried asparagus.
It all looked tasty, and really not at all hard to toss together, but I was not feeling the love for the fussy stirring and watching and stirring of the risotto.
Then, I recalled a microwave risotto recipe I had come across a few years back, and thought, “why not?”
Why not, indeed; this is a pretty terrific, and fuss-free way to enjoy risotto at home, in a tad under 3o minutes.
INGREDIENTS
•1 tbsp + 2 tsp butter
•White parts of 2 scallions
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•1/2 cup Arborio rice
•1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1-1/2 cup boiling stock*
•1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•Pan fried asparagus
•1 tbsp olive oil
•1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/4 tsp black pepper
Add one tablespoon of butter, the white bits of scallion, and garlic to a two quart ‘wave-safe casserole with a cover and cook on high for three minutes.
Heat the stock in another ‘wave-safe container for two minutes, then stir into the scallion and garlic mixture along with the rice and seasoned salt.
Cover and ‘wave on high for six minutes – checking after three minutes in case there is a bit of boiling over (if there is, it is not a big deal, just a bit of a mess to clean up).
Give it all a big of a stir, then return to the ‘wave and cook – uncovered this time – on high for another ten minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked off.
Stir in the cheese and two teaspoons of butter, then cover and set side to rest while you prepare the asparagus.
Trim the woody ends off the asparagus and cut into one inch pieces.
Warm the olive oil in a pan, then add the asparagus pieces, 1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and cook, stirring often, until lightly charred and tender; about ten minutes total.
Add the asparagus to the risotto and serve.
We had ours, as per the food kit, with scallops and the green bits of the scallion on top, but…
I air fried our scallops, and may never try to cook them any other way.
Those details, tomorrow.