I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – risotto is not that hard. It does take time, but it you are okay without perfection, risotto is a great dish to make. It is my go-to dish when I’m tired and can’t think straight, but don’t want to go out for dinner. It can be made with whatever you have on hand and is a very filling meal. I love risotto and think more people should make it.

This version was better than I thought it would be. I had extra vegetables in the fridge from earlier in the week and had a long, tiring day at work. So … roast the vegetables in the oven, grate some cheese and make a risotto.

Recipe:

• 1/2 large yellow squash (or whatever you have on hand)
• 1 handful asparagus (or whatever you have on hand)
• 1/2 large sweet onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup aboro rice
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 pat butter (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup shredded pecorino or other hard grating cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine (totally optional)

Heat the oven to about 375 degrees. (Ovens vary, so some may need to be at 400 and other 350 – just use whatever temperature you generally roast vegetables at). Set vegetable stock/broth to simmer in a pot on the stove.

Cut vegetables to about 1 inch pieces. Coat in a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for about 12-15 minutes, tossing half way through. Vegetables should be roasted, but not burnt. Remove from oven.

While the vegetables roast, dice the onion and garlic. Heat a large pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add aboro rice. Toss rice to coat with the onion and oil then let toast for a about two minutes, stirring frequently. If using wine, add here and stir until it is absorbed/evaporated. Add one cup of broth and mix. Let simmer over medium heat until absorbed. When the rice/pan is dry, add more broth and stir. Continue adding broth, 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until rice is fully cooked – about 25-30 minutes. Before the last of the broth is fully absorbed, add the roasted vegetables and mix well.

Once the last of the broth (you may not use all of it) is absorbed, remove from heat and add butter and half the cheese. Mix well. Squeeze the lemon over the pan of risotto and mix again. Add a little more cheese and mix. Plate and top with a little cheese.

Whole Foods had canned beans on sale the other week and I stocked up. I figured it’s October and we should be getting chili weather soon. It’s not to be. We are still in the upper 80s and low 90s half way through the month. I finally decided I didn’t care that the weather is still saying summer – I want chili.

So … clean out the fridge and the cabinet and let’s see what we come up with. Three cans of beans, 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes, some vegetable broth, spices, a needs to be cooked now yellow pepper and half a red onion. That’s it. At the end – shredded cheddar cheese that I picked up a while back for tacos and you have a meal. I was a little surprised at how well this turned out – and it was even better as enchiladas later in the week. (I forgot to take a picture of that though.)

Recipe:

• 1 can fire roasted, diced tomatoes
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 can white bean (pick your variety)
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 1 pepper (I had yellow on hand, so that’s what I used)
• 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Olive Oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated/shredded cheese for topping (optional)

Peel and dice the onion. Dice the pepper. Drain and rinse the beans – set aside.

Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan that can be covered. When hot, add onion and pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Onion should be translucent and peppers should be softer, but not mushy.

Add spices and toss to coat. Cook about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, then add tomatoes and half the vegetable stock. Mix, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add beans and mix well. Add the rest of the broth. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Uncover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Check and adjust seasonings.