cheeseburger risotto you say?

Yes, you heard right kids... Cheeseburger risotto. Just the latest materialization of the goings-on within my brain. While at work last Wednesday I found myself with nothing better to do than fantasize about dinner (Wednesday nights are my nights while Jared's in class so I usually try experimental recipes on myself first before feeding the boys). I had a wicked hankering for a burger but couldn't bring myself to do a drive-thru dinner. I was feeling domestic and wanted to stand in front of the stove for an hour thus, risotto. I usually make this fantastic rice dish about once a week just because a) I love rice and b) it's a fun-to-make crowd pleaser. You can put just about anything in it and have a winner on your hands.

And so, after a quick trip to Freddie's (that would be Fred Meyer... What's up PNW lingo?!) (Oh, PNW here meaning "PacificNorthWest"... Aren't we crafty?) I arrived home, threw on my yoga pants (no, I don't do yoga, I just like the clothes) and poured myself a glass of our pinot gris. Time to get to work!

Dice up one small onion (I used a Mayan Sweet Onion)

The aforementioned glass o' gris... This is a necessary step in the cooking process

Slowly caramelize the onions. This, though time consuming, creates the perfect caramelizing to occur rather than just turning them brown by cooking them too quickly.

See?

Next, brown the meat. I decided to indulge myself and used ground buffalo (it's leaner and tastes better than beef)

Secret Weapon ingredient. Actually an impulse buy in the spice packet isle but it turned out to be a great addition to the overall flavor. 

Yes. That would be ketchup and mustard. IT'S A BURGER! Add this just before the meat is done and let it absorb into the swirl of flavor. It added just the right amount of sweetness/tanginess to that classic "burger" flavor.

OK. Get ready for the rice. It's best to use Arborio rice because it's a plump, short-grain that will puff up nicely as you add liquid (plus, it's traditional). Melt a pad of butter in a pot to start. 

This is when I added to onions. Let the juices from the onions and the butter meld for a second or two.

Add your rice. Lightly "toast" it in the butter/onions. The key to risotto is to stir almost constantly (it releases the starches and makes the rice creamy).

I always add a little wine to my rice so I sacrificed the rest of this glass to the food gods (and quickly refilled).

Add broth. I ended up using two cans of reduced sodium beef broth. Add only about 1/2-1 cup at a time, stir and allow to absorb almost completely before adding next cup. After the two cans were gone I used a bit more water until my rice was nice and soft. No, I do not use precise measurements. Ha. Who does that?

While the rice was going, I spit my attention momentarily to quickly sauté the grape tomatoes I had cut in half for a second, just ot break them down a little. I added a pinch of seasoning to them, but not a lot. 

Eventually, your rice might look something like this. As the last of the liquid is absorbing, give it one more good stir before turning off the heat and adding in all the other goodies. 

In goes the buffalo. 

And the diced up Velveeta. 

And those pretty little 'maters. 

Though iceberg or romaine are the usual burger-toppers, I opted for spinach. Again, it's healthier and I love it. Win-win. 

One final stir to get all those yummy ingredients to play nice and make friends and then serve! And yes, finish off that glass of wine, the pairing is delightful. 

So there you have it! A totally unnecessary rendition of a burger (I mean, why mess with perfection?) but totally delicious. I was thrilled with the results and urge you to play around with the rice in your pantry. 

The possibilities are endless.