Risotto side for one

I like risotto, but I rarely make it because it's kind of pain and it's basically impossible to reheat.

But today I made a delicious lunch of Swiss chard with pancetta and risotto. It takes about a half hour and a few pans, but it's not really that much work, so I think I'll start making it more often.

• 1.7 oz. arborio rice (1/4 cup)
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 oz. white wine (1/4 cup)
• 12 oz. stock (chicken, mushroom or vegetable)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese, grated

For the stock I used More than gourmet chicken stock concentrate. At 40:1 ratio with 12 oz. of water, it takes 0.3 oz., about a tablespoon. Just bring a small saucepan with 12 oz. of water to a simmer and add the concentrate and dissolve.

Heat the butter in a small sauté pan until melted over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened.

Add the rice and stir.

Add the 1/4 cup of white wine and cook until absorbed.

Add about 1/4 cup of hot stock to the rice. Stir every few minutes. When almost fully absorbed, repeat. I lost count, but it should be about 6 iterations.

When the last of the stock is almost full absorbed, taste the risotto. If not fully cooked, add a little hot water or more stock if you have it. Season with salt and pepper.

Add a little grated Parmesan cheese, stir and serve.

If making the chard at the same time, cook the pancetta in a separate sauté pan and when done, turn off the heat. After adding the last of the stock to the risotto, turn the heat back on. When the stock is almost absorbed, add the chard.

I also have a recipe for mushroom risotto that's roughly twice this size which makes a dinner-sized serving, or a side for two.

Update 7/26/2013: This is also excellent as green bean risotto! I used fresh green beans that have been blanched for 2:30 and chilled, then French-cut, though this would probably work great with frozen French-cut green beans.

I added them on the final addition of stock.

It was delicious!