3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cp diced onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cp arborio rice
1/2 cp freshly grated parmesan
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper
1 red pepper **
Heat stock in saucepan and keep hot over low heat.
Heat olive oil over med heat in separate med-sized pot. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add rice to onion mix, stir and turn heat to low. Add about 1 cup of hot stock to rice mixture, and stir slowly until stock is absorbed. Continue to add stock 1 cup at a time, stirring slowly, letting the rice absorb the stock before adding more.
While risotto is cooking, preheat broiler to roast red pepper. Slice in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place the 2 halves on a cookie sheet, skin side up. Broil until skin is evenly blistered, about 5-8 minutes. Put pepper in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit 5 minutes. Uncover, peel off skin and slice into strips. **OR USE JARRED ROASTED RED PEPPERS**
The risotto is cooked when it is creamy on the outside and slightly firm in the center, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in half the parmesan and half the red pepper strips. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If too thick, add a little more stock until it becomes creamy.
Divide into serving dishes and sprinkle with remaining cheese and pepper.
