Sweet Corn and Leek Risotto

Tonight I got the urge to cook. I wasn't necessarily hungry, or craving a specific food, but just really wanted to cook. So I did! I first decided to make some risotto.

I searched the internet for a decent recipe, but ended up just winging it. I knew I wanted to put corn in it, and I had leeks that were on their last leg. The corn inspiration came from my lunch at Chevy's today. You know how they always serve a little blob of sweet cornmeal with your meal? Well I don't really care for it, but Adam loves it. So I thought he might eat risotto if there was sweet corn in it. But then I was afraid it would end up too sweet, so I added in the red chile peppers for a little spice. Here's my made-up recipe along with a few pictures of my creation.

Sweet Corn and Leek Risotto

1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter

1 tiny Onion, diced

1 Leek, white portion chopped (discard the green tops)

2 small Red Chile Peppers (each about half the size of a bell pepper)

4 cloves Garlic, diced

5 cups chicken broth

1 cup Arborio Rice (risotto)

1 15 oz can Sweet Corn

Red Pepper Flake

Parmesan Cheese

Heat the olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion. Stir for about 2 minutes, then add chile peppers and garlic. Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth in a separate pot on the stove until at a low boil. Once the vegetables soften, stir in the 1 cup of arborio rice. Saute for a few minutes, but don't let the rice burn or stick to the bottom. Add the can of drained corn, and a sprinkle of red pepper flake. Next, add 1 ladle-full of the hot broth, and stir the risotto constantly.

Over the next 25 minutes, you should continue to gradually add the broth and stir. At the end, your risotto will be creamy and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste, and a very generous handful of parmesan.

The risotto wasn't as sweet as I was expecting, but I still really liked it. I would estimate that this serves 4 very hungry people. Risotto is very filling! I served it with salmon fillets. Yum!