Apricot & Craisin Risotto

When Becky and I discussed starting to do the revamp recipes, I thought this would be a good one.  All of the ingredients were good, it just lacked overall flavor. The post I worked from was our first post ever so I think that it is fitting to redo the recipe right before our two year blog-iversary.

To remake the pilaf recipe, I turned this into a risotto which helped to bring all of the ingredients together. The vegetable broth also added additional flavor to the risotto, the pilaf recipe had been pretty bland.

Ingredients:
-2 Tablespoons of Butter
-1 medium shallot, diced
-1.5 cups arborio rice
-4 cups of vegetable broth
-1/2 cup + a splash of white wine
-6 oz of dried apricots
-2 tablespoons craisins
-Handful of shredded parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
-2 ounces slivered almonds
-Salt & pepper, to taste
-Cayenne, to taste

Heat the butter in a large skillet.
Saute the shallots until golden.

Add the rice and stir to coat in the butter.

Add in the 1/2 cup of white wine.
Stir until the wine is almost absorbed.

Ladle in about 3/4 of a cup of vegetable broth, stir until almost absorbed.
Continue to do this until all of the broth is used.
I add the craisins and apricots the second time I ladled in broth.
This will give the fruits a chance to get warm throughout.

When you add in the last ladle of vegetable broth, add your seasoning, and stir in about a handful of parmesan cheese. 

Stir in the almonds before serving.

Top with additional parmesan before serving.

I was really happy with this revamp recipe overall. Turning this into a risotto added great flavor to the rice overall, the craisins and apricots added sweetness, but it wasn't overwhelming. The cayenne didn't add too much to this, if you'd like some heat add a little more, but I don't think that the risotto was missing anything.