Pot Roast Risotto *Recipe #4 - Page 112*

Several years ago I attended my first cooking class at our local Williams-Sonoma. It was a class all about risotto. I had never ate it before, much less attempted to make it. It was a well $40 spent on that class. The chef made three different types of risotto and by the time I left I really felt confident on how to make it. I learned that risotto was not a recipe it was more of a concept. Since then we have always ate risotto with chicken and were happy to do so. Imagine my surprise when I received my copy of Stirring the Pot and noticed that Tyler makes risotto with pot roast.....What a concept, can it get any better than that. Furthermore, why hadn't I thought of this before?

So, what do you do when it is below zero outside? Stay in and eat, right? I can't think of a better dish to make when it is frigid and below zero outside. This risotto was a 10+. It was by far my favorite recipe of Tyler's so far. My husband and I loved it and will make it again. We won't wait until it gets this cold though. (It hasn't been this cold in Kentucky for 4 years).

I started with a beef shoulder and seared it in a hot pan until brown and crusty on all sides. I don't have a dutch oven so I had to deglaze the pan I seared in with the 1 cup of red wine and then transfer to a baking dish large enough to hold the roast, the wine, the 2 large onions, and 2 quarts of beef broth. This roasted in the oven at 350 for about 4 hours. When it was finished roasting I set aside and covered with foil to keep warm.

I then strained all the liquid from the roasting pan and removed any fat. You use this brasing liquid to make your risotto. For the risotto, you saute an onion for 5 minutes and then add the 2 cups of risotto and stir to coat with oil. Once risotto is coated in oil, Tyler adds 1 cup of white wine. I did not do this, I simply added 1 cup of water. (I already had open an entire bottle of red wine and did not want to open another bottle of wine.....I'm the only one who drinks the wine in my house....bad idea). I continued to stir in the brasing liquid until it was almost gone and the risotto was tender but had some bite left to it. This took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Right before you finish the risotto you stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and almost 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.

I plated the risotto and then topped it with the pot roast, chopped fresh parsley, and more parmesan cheese. Delicious!!