Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

Yummy baked risotto. It ain’t traditional, but it’s quick and easy and infinitely variable.

Traditional risotto calls for standing at the stove stirring for at least half an hour.

Which is the last thing a consignment or resale shopkeeper wants to do after a long day.

So here’s my take on Baked mushroom/ bacon/ spinach risotto. (Or it can be mushroom/ ham or turkey/ kale… the recipe is very attuned to whatever’s in the fridge.)

Saute in olive oil 8 oz mushrooms & 3-6 slices bacon chopped (It’s just for flavoring, so 3’s better if you’re watching your calories/ fat intake; 6 is better if you subscribe to the what-the-hell philosophy) 10 min or so, adding some chopped garlic in the last few minutes. (Yes, I know, olive oil AND bacon?!? But the dish needs the fats to become creamy like risotto.)

Meanwhile grab a casserole, about 2-1/2 or 3 qt size, with a tight-fitting lid. Oh, and turn the oven on to 355 degrees (I know, isn’t it always boring to use 350 or 375? Live it up!)

In the casserole, put 1 c arborio rice. (This is one of the only ingredients you really need to measure.) I greased the dish with a little butter, since Kenny hates to scrub dishes.

When the mushroom mixture’s looking nice & brown (bacon won’t be totally crispy) put it in the casserole with the raw rice. Swish out the brown bits in the pan with a 14-oz can chicken broth (a bit less than 1-3/4 c, the only other ingredient you need to measure) , add it to casserole, stir, cover, and stick it in the oven 30 minutes while you regale your family with tales of Resale Life.

At 30 minutes, stir in lots of fresh baby spinach (you could use thawed frozen, but the fresh adds a unique taste to every bite.)  Let the spinach wilt (I needed another 2-3 minutes in the oven to accomplish this and added the spinach in two batches as it cooked down.)

Then stir in lots of good grated Parmesan, at least 1/2 cup, more is better. And a dollop or two of butter to make it all creamy. The original recipe added S&P at this point, but I didn’t and it was still very tasty. Stir it up, pour the wine, and enjoy.

Serves 2 for dinner with leftovers for Kenny’s lunch.

I adapted this recipe from here, since hers is full of grams and milliliters and rashers.