Radicchio Risotto

I feel like we've had a bit of a respite these past few weeks. We are back at school and work after the holidays, but the children's after school activities haven't picked up yet, and we actually seem to have some evening and weekend time free.

I suppose free is a relative term, because there always is something to do. I often feel like the logistical part of being a mother is about moving stuff: putting shoes in the bucket near the door, hanging up coats and backpacks, clearing off the dining room table, making a space to work in the kitchen, moving the children's belongings from downstairs to upstairs, moving things from the children's rooms downstairs. My mother said that during these years when stuff seemed to dominate, she used to fantasize about tipping the entire house on its end and letting all the clutter slide out the door and out of her life.

But despite those ongoing and seemingly unattainable fantasies of a tidy house, I have managed to put my blinders on many times over the last couple of weeks and play games with the children, or just sit and chill. I'm not very good at sitting still, but when I do it (and I don't fall asleep), I wonder why I don't do it more often.

Of course I also have made some time to cook. Risotto has a reputation for being time consuming, but contrary to most instructions, I don't stir constantly. Instead, after each addition of stock, I stir a bit, then let the risotto cook for a couple of minutes, then stir again. This allows me to have a bit of time while the risotto is cooking to continue to prepare the dish, to prepare a side dish, or to take my turn at Othello. If that still seems like too much time, there is always the pressure cooker.

The radicchio in this recipe adds a bitter balance to the sweetness of the rice. It is added at the end of the cooking process so that if you are serving eaters that don't like the radicchio, you can set some plain risotto aside for them.

Now I have to enjoy this last week before practices and rehearsals begin again. Deep breath, ignore the chaos, and know that someday in the future, when this house is too quiet, I will have time to keep it neat as a pin.

Radicchio Risotto

The proportions for this recipe assume that you will add radicchio to the entire amount of rice. If you decide to keep some of the risotto plain for any fussier eaters, you may want to reduce the amount of radicchio.

Serves 6
15 minutes preparation
30 minutes cooking time

5-6 cups vegetable stock (or water with 2 bouillon cubes)
1 medium-sized head radicchio
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for the table
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the stock in a small saucepan. If you like, peel off a few whole leaves of the radicchio for serving. Slice the rest into thin slivers.

In a large pan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and sauté until it is translucent and soft, about 7 minutes. Add the rice and stir for a minute or so until it is coated evenly. Pour in the wine and stir until it has been absorbed into the rice. Continue cooking by adding one or two ladlefuls of stock at a time, stirring occasionally. Keep adding the broth until the rice is tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The best way to know when the rice is done is to keep tasting it. It is done when the rice no longer has a crunch in the middle, but when it still retains some texture.

When the risotto is done, stir in the radicchio. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and pass additional grated parmesan at the table.

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