Arborio Rice

Simple, yet delicious.  Arborio Rice is a high starch food, is a good source of carbohydrates.  The above nutritional information is just the rice with water, but you can increase the health value by which liquids you choose to cook it in.

(NOTE:   In my original post, I listed nutritional facts from a few sources that, because of a good friend correcting my information, I discovered were not true.  The rest is accurate to my knowledge.  Thanks Tom!)

Here's what I mean.  To cook it to the right, you will need 4 1/2 Cups of liquid to 1 Cup of the rice.

It starts by boiling one cup rice and 1 1/2 cups water, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed in the rice, then you add 3 additional cups of liquid.  You add the liquid 1 cup at a time and continuously stir until the liquid is absorbed into the rice (this requires some patience and and creative use of the stove top), after the first cup, you add the second and repeat the same process.  Once all the liquid is in and absorbed you will notice that the rice will have a thick, almost gravy-like consistency.  You can add any spices, vegetables, meat or cheeses to the rice as you wish.

In what I cooked the other night, I used 3 cups of homemade chicken stock.  Homemade chicken stock already has many nutrients, protein and fat which increased the nutritional value.  However, liquid is a relative term.  You can add chicken/vegetable/beef stock, white or red wine, more water, milk or anything that sounds interesting to you.  It's a great opportunity for some creativity that just adds to the flavor or nutritional value of the dish.

In my recipe, I added chopped onions, chopped garlic, and diced tomatoes which I sauteed in a skillet and put on top of the rice.  I finished it with shredded, smoked Gouda cheese.

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