Oh, baby I get happy just typing those words.  That’s right, this household ate well tonight.  I ought to charge for this recipe…but it’s ok.  I love you guys.  (NOTE:  I should let it be known that unless I give credit to another person, the recipes given on this site are my own [products of my own adorable noggin] and if you plan to use them, please be sure to give me credit.)

First thing first, preheat your oven to 315 degrees F.

Dice 1 large onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 2 stalks of celery.  Put a dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 Tblsp. of extra virgin olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add the onions first and cook until tender.  Add the garlic and celery and stir for 2 minutes.  Now we go back to our pantry staple, canned tomato sauce.  You’ll need two 15oz. cans.  Just dump them in.  When the mixture is hot, add 3 cups of chicken stock.  Now it’s time for spices….and this braising liquid has a LOT of spices.

1 Tblsp. dark brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 Tblsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground coriander, 1/2 Tblsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.  Put all of these in the braising liquid,  and stir.  Now it’s time for the meat that is to be braised.

Today I happened to have a hankering for braised lamb, but I have used this braising liquid to braise everything.  One of my favorites is pork chops.  When you go to the store, those bulk packages of pork chops are always on sale, but I get so sick of pan fried pork chops that I can’t see straight.  So I braise them and they taste fabulous.

Depending on the size of the meat I am braising and if it contains a center bone, I may or may not sear the meat first.  Pork chops I don’t sear.  Turkey legs I do sear.  I tried to sear the lamb shanks but I don’t have a pan big enough to make them sit flat…so that’s ok.  Just season the meat with salt and pepper and add it right to the liquid.  Set the heat under your dutch oven to medium-high and bring to a boil.  When the liquid is boiling, cover with a lid and put the entire pot in your oven.  But wait!  Did you make sure that your pot is oven safe?

I know it looks like a spaceship now, but that is an oven safe pot!  It has plastic handles and a plastic button on the lid so I simply added two layers of aluminum foil to these surfaces and this pot can survive a lifetime in my oven.  On this occasion, though, the pot only needs to stay in the oven for 2 hours.

We need a side dish, and I always like sauteed baby spinach or a light salad but today I wanted some risotto.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE risotto.  When I was pregnant with my son, I used to make big pots of risotto and stand in the kitchen and eat it all while dinner was cooking.  Ok, I do that when I’m not pregnant too.

Now some people will tell you that you need to use only arboreal rice for risotto, but I have made it with the more economical long-grained white rice and it was perfect.  The trick to risotto is the way in which you cook it.  I warn you, your stirring arm is going to get tired.

If you have a second dutch oven, get it out along with a sauce pan.  In your sauce pan, heat 3-4 cups of chicken stock.  You want this to be stock or broth and not water because of the richness it adds to the overall dish.  Try not to boil the stock, just get it nice and hot.

In your dutch oven (over medium heat) melt 2 Tblsp. of butter.  Now add 1-1/2 cups of a white, starchy rice and stir for 5 minutes.  The rice needs to become translucent and have a nutty flavor.  When this happens, add 1 cup of white wine.  Use a real wine…a wine that you would drink.  Most recipes would only use 1/2 cup of wine, but I like using an entire cup because it adds a really fresh and fruity flavor.  Stir constantly until absorbed.  Now start adding the hot stock to the rice one cup at a time.  Wait until the previous cup is absorbed until you add the next, stirring constantly.

The mixture will start to resemble a thick, creamy rice pudding.  This is because the slow incorporation of the liquids and the constant stirring encourages the development of the starches in the rice.  When the liquid is all absorbed, add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.

You’re not going to put that canned stuff in this gorgeous risotto are you?  ARE YOU?!?  No, no, no, no!  Spend a little bit more on a wedge of Parmesan cheese from your grocer’s cheese case.  You can splurge and get Parmigiano Reggiano (the best) or any other, as long as it is not pre-shredded.  It loses taste and freshness and you want this to be good because it’s a large part of this risotto’s flavoring.  (A note on Parmigiano Reggiano:  There are a lot of impostor Reggiano’s out there.  The easiest way to tell if it is authentic;  don’t read the label.  Read the rind.  Only authentic Reggiano has a rind stamped with it’s name like below.)

And now for the finished product:

You see how the meat is pulling away from the bone like that?  That’s gorgeous.  This meat was tender, juicy, and perfectly flavored.  I like to serve some of the hot braising liquid on the table in a gravy boat  so that you can soak the meat even more in the flavorful liquid.  I know you’re going to love this one.  The next time you are having company over for dinner and you are short on money, use this trick with some pork chops.  Won’t you look like the clever one.