Brown Rice Risotto with Snap Peas and White Beans

I love risotto. I love it because it's creamy and hearty, I can add anything I want to it, and because I can eat it out of bowl (NB: eating out of a bowl is more conducive to my sports habit, as it allows me to sit on the couch).

I've been wanting to try making risotto with a healthier grain for awhile now and when I saw a recipe for barley risotto on smittenkitchen's blog, I decided to try mine with brown rice.

I know what you're thinking: "It can't really be risotto if it's not arborio rice." Yes, I know. It's really risotto-style rather than risotto proper. But I'm OK with that.

Notes: I wanted to get a little color on the snap peas before I started the risotto, so I sauteed them a little first. I took them out of the pan and just added them back in at the end.

The saute stage

I intended to use pesto, but I couldn't find any store-bought version that I was crazy about. Plus, I found some tarragon on sale, so I decided just to use some fresh herbs.

You really need six cups of liquid for the risotto. I hate just using half of one of my cartons of stock, so I just cut it with water. If you want to use all stock, just replace the two cups of water with more stock.

Risotto is not a super-fast fix. It needs a little patience, so don't make it if you're starving. Allow a good 45 minutes just for the risotto cooking time. Allow a little more for prep.

I'm a season-as-you-go and taste-as-you-go kind of gal. In order to know if the rice is done, I taste it. If it's still crunchy, it needs more time. I add a little salt and pepper while I'm sauteing the veggies and aromatics, I add it again at the beginning, and then when I start tasting, I adjust as I need to.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown rice (not the quick-cooking kind)
4 cups or 32 oz. (one carton) of chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups of water
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 lb (8 oz) of snap peas
1 15 oz. can of white beans, rinsed and drained
1 large or 2 small shallots, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup of tarragon, chopped
3/4 cup of basil, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt
Pepper

Directions: Add stock and water to a sauce pot and turn heat to medium-low. It needs to be warm, but not boiling.

Heat a large skillet to medium. Melt the butter. Add shallots and garlic. Cook for two minutes or until fragrant. Add snap peas and saute until tender crisp. Remove the snap peas from the pan and set aside.

Add the rice to the pan and toast until it starts to smell nutty. Add the bay leaf. Add three ladles of the warm stock and stir. Allow the rice to absorb the stock. When the liquid starts to look low, add two more ladles of stock and stir again. Keep this process going until your stock is almost gone and the rice is tender.

Bubbling away

Remove the bay leaf. Add the snap peas back in and add white beans. Warm them through. Turn off the heat and add the herbs and lemon zest and juice.

The finished product

Put in a bowl and enjoy in front of your favorite sport!