Faux-tto

It’s a faux risotto! It’s summer, it’s too hot outside to be babysitting a real risotto…but having a nice risotto with a glass of wine al fresco just sounds so lovely right about now. What is a hungry hobbit to do? Well…fake it! This tastes rather like a risotto but without all the babysitting and fuss. Yesterday was the hottest day we have had all summer and I found this didn’t heat up our kitchen much at all. Granted, we quickly escaped from it to devour our tasty bowls of faux-tto. Here’s the photo of our faux-tto…o.k. maybe I just like saying faux-tto. hehe.

• 3 chicken breasts
• 200g Portobello mushrooms, grilled
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pkg uncle ben’s fine herb and wild rice
• 1 1/4 cup reduced salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1. This is an optional step. For our mushrooms we use leftovers from making portobello burgers. Marinate the mushrooms in a splash of olive oil, 4 tbl balsamic vinegar, and 1 tsp rosemary. Grill to desired doneness. Slice up the leftovers for this faux-tto. You can skip this step by just cooking the mushrooms during the garlic and onion stage. I recommend the leftover method highly though.
2. Slice the chicken and slightly brown in a skillet, set aside. OR grill the chicken to get a sear, 3 minutes on each side, let sit for 5 minutes and slice. Chicken will be slightly underdone. Don’t worry we will take care of it.
3. Add garlic and onion to the pan and cook until softened.
4. Add rice and seasoning packet. Mix well and cook for 30 seconds. The rice should get a nice sheen to it. Stir in the broth and wine. Add the chicken. Bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. The rice should be tender and the liquid should be mostly absorbed.
6. Remove from heat. Stir, cover and let stand for another 10 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese and serve!

Makes four servings. Each serving contains 403 calories, 6.1 grams of fat and 1.2 grams of fiber. A very enjoyable dish for dining outside. Something different from the everyday bbq.