I'm obviously not a vampire... Garlic! Again!

In case it wasn't already obvious, I'm not a vampire. For that matter, I never enjoyed the Anne Rice books, nor have I read any of the Twilight series. Good thing with my obsession for garlic. Yes, it probably is an obsession, not just a love. As soon as I see something with the world garlic in it, my head will twist any direction necessary to check it out.

Last week a friend shared that her husband made garlic risotto for dinner. Garlic risotto? Well, of course, why not! And then my research began. I found a lovely roasted garlic risotto and had to give it a shot. It was great. And the true miracle, my husband loved it. Until now he has refused to touch risotto. Granted, the problem is I make mushroom risotto and he hates mushrooms. So he took a tiny spoonful and tried it, eyes lit up, grabbed the spoon and heaped it on his plate. I only made a half recipe because until now I didn't really have to share, plus I was down to two heads of garlic. Well, I did, with Thing 2, and she can chow, but it wasn't like sharing with the whole family. I also made this as a side dish, not a main. And the main, why chicken marsala, of course. Let's throw all those calories in at once!


The original recipe is here Roasted Garlic Risotto. As always, I've made a few changes. Very minor in this case.

Roasted Garlic Risotto
2 servings
2 whole garlic heads
22 ounces chicken broth
1 T butter
1/2 T olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine - I use vermouth
1/4 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.  Peal garlic heads removing the skin from each clove. Make a small pouch with aluminum foil. Place garlic cloves in pouch, drizzle with olive oil (and of course salt & pepper if you are inclined, but we all know I'm not!). Close pouch and place in oven. Bake 40-50 minutes, checking at the 40 minute mark to determine how brown and yummy looking they are.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. Mash the yummy goodness in a bowl for later use. Try not to get out some crusty bread and goat cheese and munch away. Try hard!

Bring broth to a simmer in a large saucepan. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, until hot. Melt butter and olive oil in pan. Add onion; sauté until lightly browned, 3 - 4 minutes. Add rice and stir until it is nicely coated. Cook in oil for 2-3 minutes. Add roasted garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add wine and cook until mostly absorbed. Turn heat to medium-low. Add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until each addition is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup.

When you are out of broth, taste the risotto and ensure it is cooked fully. It should be nice and creamy. If it isn't, add another 1/2 cup and cook a bit longer. I found the amount of liquid in the original recipe wasn't enough and I adjusted my ingredients accordingly. You may need to adjust up or down depending upon your rice.
Stir in cheese.

Serve immediately.