March 11: Spinach Risotto

I didn't make this recipe today. I wasn't feeling good today after such a long hard day yesterday. I came down with a cold in my chest and I'm coughing up phlegm. I'm sure you wanted to know that. Anyway, watch for an update tomorrow. Maybe I'll make it for lunch. Good night.

ETA 3/20/13

I made the spinach risotto for lunch on Tuesday. Here are the ingredients:

I melted 2 tsp butter in a skillet and added 2 tsp olive oil. I cooked a chopped shallot and added 1 1/4 cups arborio rice. I cooked that for about 3 minutes, then stirred in 1/2 cup white wine and reduced by half:

I transferred that to the crockpot and stirred in 3 cups chicken broth and 1/2 tsp salt:

I cooked it on high for 2 1/2 hours, but I should have done only 2 maybe, because it came out really mushy. I stirred in 2 cups fresh spinach and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. My pine nuts had gone bad, so I had to throw them away:

I served it for lunch:

The recipe says: "Cover and cook on HIGH 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until rice is almost cooked but still contains a little liquid. Stir in spinach. Cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until spinach is cooked and rice is tender and creamy. Gently stir in Parmesan cheese and pine nuts just before serving." I cooked it too long, so I didn't cook it that last 15 minutes. It had a good flavor, but the texture was just too mushy, kind of like eating thick oatmeal. The kids liked it well enough. I wonder if I could get it right next time. It might be worth a try, but it might just be better to cook it like real risotto on the stove.