November 7: Boo-Sotto

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup Arborio rice
2/3 cup barley
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups warm chicken stock (keep over low heat on the stovetop)
1 pound ground veal or turkey
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
   A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
   Dark green salad

Preheat a deep, sloped skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO, garlic, and onions. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, add the rice and barley, season with salt and pepper, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.

Add the wine and cook away, 1 minute. Add a few ladles of the warm stock, just to cover the rice and barley, then drop the ground meat in small bits. Wash up.

Stir frequently and continue to ladle in stock until the meat is cooked, the rice and barley are cooked al dente, and the risotto is very starchy, about 22 minutes total cooking time. Stir in the cheese, adjust the pepper, and serve with the chopped parsley.

4 SERVINGS

Rachael Ray says: "This is a risotto my mom and I created for my dog Boo. As she got older, she needed a careful balance of carbs and meat: mostly carbs (that's my girl!) Mom and I would eat as much as Boo. Now that she has gone on, we eat this in her honor."
I know this looks like dog food, but it's really not that bad. I don't think the veal was necessary. It is just a glorified hamburger helper, so ground beef would have sufficed.