This year has marked a culinary excursion for yours truly. In the span of two months, I’ve done more kitchen experimentation than I have in the preceding decade.

The jumping-off point for this domestic adventure occurred when I was given a choice of corporate gifts for my 2nd anniversary at my job. I chose a set of pots and pans, to replace the rather depressing set I’ve been relying on for the past five years. I was told that the pots were put on the list as a last-minute choice, and that they expected almost no one to be interested; as it turned out, my anniversary was one of the first ones of the year. So, I showed them otherwise, I guess. Anyway, I ended up with the rather impressive collection seen here:

In 2009, one of my wife’s favourite meals was a risotto-from-a-box that we would get at Superstore. Of course, such a meal is rather unhealthy, containing relatively high levels of sodium and other potentially bad things (including preservatives, I’m sure). The last time we purchased one of these risotto solutions, I made a mental note of the kind of rice it used: Superfino Arborio. After receiving the pots and pans from work, I decided that I would try to track down that rice at the local grocery store. And, I was surprised to find it almost immediately. Even more helpful, the package itself had a recipe for a simple risotto.

After picking out all the ingredients I needed (an onion, and a carton of chicken broth), I took it all home and commenced the experiment.

I realized that I would need to halve the provided recipe, otherwise I wouldn’t have enough room for everything in my sauté pan. Six cups of chicken broth is a bit excessive. As a result, I came up with the following recipe:

• 375 grams Superfino Arborio rice
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 an onion, chopped very finely
• 3 cups chicken broth
• Parmesan cheese

Add the oil and onions to the pan, and sauté until the onions have browned. While doing this, heat the chicken broth in a separate saucepan; the heating will help the rice absorb the broth. Once onions are browned and broth is heated, add the rice to the onions. Stir it in, coating the rice with as much of the oil as possible. Then slowly begin adding the chicken broth, maintaining a slow boil in the sauté pan. As it is absorbed into the rice, add more, until it’s all in. At this point, cover the sauté pan with a lid and simmer for 16-20 minutes (until deliciousness has set in).

Then, add Parmesan to taste. Other flavours, such as black pepper, are also recommended.

I’ve now made this a few times, and it has turned out deliciously each time. The two most recent times I’ve made it, I’ve added another ingredient: Mushrooms. Thinly sliced mushrooms, added during the sautéeing process, turned out to be an excellent complement to the dish.

This newfound delicious discovery, coupled with home-made chili, spaghetti sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, and other delicious home-cooked food adventures, have made my weekends very interesting this year.

I hope to keep it up for some time to come – and I can’t wait for BBQ season!

Well, I guess I should do a blog update. I’ve been pretty busy this year so far, but I’ve decided not to do a photo-a-day project for 2010. Instead, I’ve been making an effort to cook on at least one day a week (typically on Sundays). Work gives employees a choice of anniversary gift each year, and this year I chose a great set of stainless steel pots.

Anyway, something I came across this evening caught my eye – it’s a contest hosted by CBS for people to submit their best impersonation of CSI Miami’s Horatio Cane (David Caruso). I have a few ideas I wanted to write down, so I thought – what better place to put them than on my blog, which is starving for attention?

Cold Open One:

Scene: A deep freezer has been opened. Wisps of cold air are emanating from its cold interior. A body (or body parts, in a nod to Dexter Season 1) can be seen, lit by a cold blue light.

Random Crimelab Lackey: “H, we won’t be able to get an accurate time of death from the body. It’s been frozen for too long. We’ll have to look through our cold cases to see if anything fits.”

Horatio: “Do that, Officer Lackey. And let me know what you find, because this is what I call …”

*Horatio puts on his sunglasses, despite being inside*

Horatio: “A cold open.”

YEEEEOWW!

Okay, that one might not be all that great. But the next one isn’t any better, I promise!

Cold Open Two:

Scene: A gently flowing river. Fall. Leaves on the shoreline. Shallow focus on a cat licking something out of a plastic bag, a police cruiser’s lights flashing in the blurred depths of the frame. A dark silhouette moves toward the camera.

* Horatio approaches the cat, crouches, shoos it out of the way, revealing a limb protruding from the bag *

Horatio: The cat’s in the bag.

*takes off sunglasses, stands up, notices another bag floating in the stream*

Horatio: And the bag’s in the river.

MEEEEEOWWWW!

Okay, that’s all I got. Heh. Here are a few that are a bit more creative than mine.