Nutty Risotto

Here's a nutty idea - use brown rice to make risotto!  I read about this on the Facebook page for Massa rice, and thought it was interesting if non-traditional. Massa rice is so good, so fresh, so flavorful you can enjoy it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all on the same day, but risotto? Hmm... gotta try it to be convinced.

I used the usual technique for risotto except I warmed 2 cups of lamb broth instead of chicken broth to ladle in as the rice cooked. We had some leftover  browned lamb stew chunks in there, too, but the main ingredients were roughly chopped mushrooms browned in butter with garlic mince, carrots and broccoli florets, the latter two added at the end just to soften and brighten.

It took a bit longer to cook, as brown rice does, but not terribly much longer - maybe 10-15 minutes more of ladling and stirring. It's actually rather contemplative, leaving me lots of time to ponder and enjoy the process.

The rice was chewier and less starchy than traditional risotto, but the nutty flavor and springy texture were actually an improvement, not a detriment. The lamb broth made for a deeply, richly flavored base for the chunky meats and vegetables.

It may be a nutty idea, but it was a winner. I'd make this again and again.