Broken Spaghetti Risotto

Back in November, Brooke and I and a few of her friends went to New York City to see a taping of the Rachael Ray show. One of the recipes that Rach cooked up was this Broken Spaghetti Risotto.

I've been waiting months to get around to making this, but I gotta say - I was very disappointed. Sure, it tasted good and all, but I found it was not as yummy as a regular risotto OR regular spaghetti/meatballs. In fact, I think the leftovers are still in my fridge and probably should be tossed by now...

I did alter the original recipe, so click the link above if you want her version.


Ingredients

• 1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus a drizzle
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound spaghetti, broken into small pieces
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, (a few handfuls)
• 1 cup (more or less depending on preference) frozen peas
  

Place stock and water in a sauce pot and heat; keep warm on low. Take the peas out of the freezer so they can start to thaw.

Heat a medium sauté pan or risotto pan with 3 tablespoons EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic to pan, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and sauté until tender 4-5 minutes. Add pasta and toast until deeply golden in color and very nutty in fragrance, 6-7 minutes. Stir in wine and let it cook away, 1 minute. Ladle in stock every few minutes, stirring for a good minute with each addition of stock to develop starches. Evaporate almost all of the liquid before each addition of stock. Pasta will cook up quicker then rice. Start tasting after about 8-9 minutes of cooking time once you begin to add stock.

When pasta is cooked to al dente, stir butter into the pan then stir in the cheese and peas.