Tried making risotto for the first time this weekend. If you've done it before you know the deal, but I was surprised at the amount of mundane work/time it takes. Though it was delicious.

Quick layout of ingredients (2 cups arborio rice, 1 medium yellow onion diced, 5 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup dry white wine, a head of broccoli, big handful of fresh peas, 1 chopped scallion, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley and 1 cup grated parmasean cheese):

I sauteed the onion for 3-4 minutes in some olive oil, and then added the rice and strirred around for a few minutes:

I then added a half cup of the white wine, and stirred it around untill it cooked off entirely. From this point on, I added half cup increments of warmed chicken broth to the pan and stirred constantly untill it cooked off. I did this 10 times, which took 25-30 minutes. Here's the rice about 15 minutes into the stirring process:

I then added the cooked broccoli (steamed for 5 minutes over white wine), raw peas, scallion, and parsley, and stirred this around for a minute or two. Then I added the grated parmasean and stirred to coat:

I think I added another 1/2 cup of chicken broth to get the consistancy. Here's the final plate :

This was unlike anything I ever made. no meat, no sides, just the one thing. It was really rich and nicely salty. I think I actaully preferred it as a side to my grilled cheese lunch the next day, but I'm excited I can now make risotto. Mushroom version needs to be next. Maybe with some crispy shallot rings.