A little sompn sompn for Valentine's Day? Risotto is just the ticket.

I fell in love with risotto. The first I had was a sweet potato risotto with chicken and asparagus. I swooned. Then, I looked doggedly for the right rice, the best way to roast the sweet potatoes, how big to cut them, whether to roast my own chicken or get the rotisserie chickens at the grocery, do I really need to have Parmigiano Reggiano (yes), is there a short-cut? 

Then I had the risotto at Cafe Trio one summer evening - roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes and shallots - I was a gonner. Risotto is what I make when I want to feed an army. It's so hard to believe you can do that with only one cup of Arborio rice - but it doesn't last long - it's so good, it's gone - and that's good because it kind of loses texture overnight.

Then when I was at a cooking class at A Thyme for Everything (the cutest little gourmet kitchen shop near my office), Jasper Mirabile was doing an Italian Thanksgiving class. Another Risotto recipe for me, but he suggested vialone nano rather than arborio because it lasts longer and it's what he uses in his restaurant. I'll have to head over to his restaurant and grocery to get some, apparently, because not even Whole Foods carries it! (A chore for this weekend!)

While we were in class, my friend, Ann, said she had a great recipe for a baked risotto that you can make when you are entertaining and you don't have to stir, stir, stir until table time - I'll share that one, too.

But for now, this Tomato-Basil & Spinach Risotto I found at Iowa Girl Eats has my heartstrings aflutter. Look at that picture (Iowa Girl Eats has some of the BEST phood photos!) - don't you just want to dive in?  

My only changes are to use olive oil rather than the butter up front with the shallots and garlic and then toss in a tablespoon of butter at the end with the Parmesan cheese. I might even try some panchetta, pepperoni, or even just plain old bacon, crisped up and sprinkled in at the last minute to give it a little smoky flavor kick.

I love this stuff. It can be rich and savory filled with Autumn's bounty of root vegetables (roast up some beets with those sweet potatoes or roasted pumpkin) or it can be light and fresh with summer's fresh tomatoes and basil. I cannot believe that I have to sit through the office today before I can get home to make this. 

I mentioned chicken earlier - to roast or not to roast my own - that was the question. When chickens are on sale, I grab two or three and use my trusty Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. I know there are other pans out there that you can roast a chicken in, but this puppy is pretty and the chicken I get out of it doesn't last long...it's so tender without being cooked to death, and I can season it in different ways and the flavor doesn't linger from one baking to the next. 

I'm not paid to tell you about the Baker - I bought my own - but I LOVE it! 

My husband knows that he's going to get risotto or the most amazing chicken and noodles you'll ever want to eat when I'm roasting a chicken. Then I cool it, put it in a zip top bag and pop one or two in the freezer (I roast them all when I bring them home - then freeze them - half a chicken per bag) and I'm ready for risotto, the aforementioned chicken and noodles or, if I've Mexi-seasoned one, some to-die-for tacos/enchiladas/burritos just by setting them in the fridge in the morning before I leave so they thaw by the time I get home.

Let me know if you make this and what you do to make it your own. I love to hear your inspirations!