Creamy Chicken (mock) Risotto and White Truffle Oil

Everyone loves the creamy heart-warming taste of risotto, and normally I love staring into a pot of steam slowly mixing in hot broth, mindlessly stirring for 20 minutes. I find it a sort of culinary meditation, and in this Zen state I forget about the day and the stresses that came with it. I can instead focus on the simple things in life that bring joy. However, sometimes, you don’t have the time, patience, or inclination to make risotto. For those days I offer my mock-risotto trick.

I use a rice cooker to cook regular plain old rice, then I make a low-fat big-taste cream sauce, add the flavors, voila creamy risotto in no time.

Ingredients

2 cups of rice
3 cups of water
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of flour
1 cup of milk any kind (I had skim, so I used skim)
About a cup of leftover chicken chunks
About ½ a cup of parmesan cheese
A pinch of cayenne (about a 1/8 of a teaspoon)
A grating of nutmeg (about a ¼ of a teaspoon)
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup of white truffle oil or another flavored oil
Chives, parsley, or basil to garnish.

Method

1. In your rice cooker or pot of choice cook rice as you normally would adding the rice and the water, pressing the on button. It cooks it to perfection everytime.

2. In a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter and then add the
flour to become a heavy paste. Cook for a minute or two until the raw flour taste cooks off but it is not burned.

3. Add the milk and whisk for about a minute and allow the mixture to happily bubble and become thicker over the stove. Stir occasionally, when the mixture is thick about 3 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients and turn the burner off. Allow the sauce and ingredients to stay warm by covering with the pot lid or some foil. It is ok if it cools off a bit you will be adding hot rice at the end.

4. When the rice is cooked add the rice to the sauce and chicken mixture.

5. Plate by mounding the creamy delicious base on to each plate. Generously dust with more parmesan, any fresh herbs you have on hand creating a beautiful white mountain. Anoint the mont blanc with a small amount of white truffle oil, about 2 Tablespoons per person.

Enjoy with a happy heart and warm tummy.

As always, much love, many blessings, and happy cooking.