Artichoke & Brown Rice Baked Risotto

Preparation

1. Rinse the rice and place in a pot with the stock, the parsley sprig and a drizzle of olive oil. Bring to a boil, cover then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Set aside. Do not uncover.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Heat the olive oil over a medium high heat, in Dutch oven, preferably with a lid. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to take color.

4. Add the artichokes and onion, stirring well to coat them with oil. Cook until the onions begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped parsley, salt and pepper and mix well.

5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine (or stock) and cook over a high heat to cook away the alcohol.

6. Add the brown rice and any cooking liquid left in the pan. Mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is no longer soupy.

7. Stir in the Parmesan, butter and peas . Cook covered in the oven for about 20 minutes until the rice is almost “al dente”.

8. Let the rice sit covered for 10 minutes to steam. Serve with a crisp green salad.

Ann's Tips and Tricks

If using frozen, cut them into quarters if necessary and go to step 5.

If using fresh artichokes prepare them as follows:

1. Pour juice form ½ a lemon into a large bowl of water. As you trim each artichoke, put them in this lemon water to stop it discoloring – the cut sides will turn black in he air! Trim the baby artichokes as follows:

2. Pull off one or two layers of the tough outer leaves. Cut off ½-inch from the tops, trim the stalks and cut in half. Drop the artichokes into the lemon water as you go along. If the artichokes are small there should not be any hairy choke, but check anyway. If there is some choke, scrape it out with a teaspoon.

3. Cut the cleaned artichokes halves into quarters, returning them to the lemon water as you go. Set to one side until you are ready to cook them.