Ris-oat-to

It worked!

So earlier, I posted about falling behind on the oats, so that we now have 25 pounds of rolled oats from Honeyville, and a decided lack of recipes to cook them in.

So then I was thinking of things to do with rolled oats. Probably J's favorite thing that I make is risotto. I make that for him when he's tired, or discouraged, or when he's done something amazing. So it's a little bit nerve-wracking to mess with a good thing.

But he's nearly speechless. He keeps saying, 'you know, it's like, rargh!' so here's what I did...

The basic risotto recipe is to soften the aromatics, add the rice and toast it, add acid to break the outer covering on the grain, and then add small amounts of fluid, one cup at a time, until the rice can't absorb any more. Because you don't know how much broth this is, you adjust the fats and seasonings at the end, to give you the mouth feel and flavor you are after.

I started with that concept, but adjusted it to suit the different grain. Because rolled oats are already 'broken', I added acid (homemade white wine and canned tomatoes) in two steps, with the oats in between, instead of adding oats at the beginning. I wasn't sure how to know when they were toasted enough, so I guessed, when they started to smell good! Then at the end of the long process of adding broth (which took less broth than normal), I added some diced sausage, to pump up the salty flavor, and adjust the salt and 'toothiness'. I added a little butter to enhance the creaminess. I could have done both of these at once by adding Parmesan cheese, but I didn't have any.

So that gives me a recipe:

Risoatto
1 onion
4 celery stalks
3 carrots
3 smallish bay leaves
6 dried sage leaves
1 t dried rosemary
1 glass dry white wine
1 pint canned tomatoes
1 pint stock, mixed with about 6 cups of water and juice from the tomatoes

Sauté the vegetables and herbs in butter over medium heat until a fond forms on the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with wine. Cook until dry. Add oats, and pan-toast until fragrant. Add tomatoes. Cook until dry.

Begin stirring constantly and adding broth mixture one ladle at a time, then cooking until, when you drag a wooden spoon along the bottom, you see the bottom for a moment before the risoatto falls in. Continue until the oats are saturated, or, when tasted, they have the consistency you would like.

Adjust fats and seasonings (add butter, cheese, sausage and/or salt and pepper to taste).

I am not aware of anyone else who has ever made this exact thing. Fun! And delicious!