Work Text:
Curt pulled his big, beautiful stainless steel saute pan from the cupboard. He spun it once in his large handpaws, just for fun, before setting it on the big burner on the stove, turning the knob to “5.” While the pan warmed, he finely diced an onion, and then some garlic and parsley. He splashed some olive oil into the pan, following it with a healthy knob of butter. He hummed quietly to himself as he began to sweat the onions and garlic. After a few minutes, the apartment smelled divine, and Curt’s little cat husband was roused from his nap. He padded into the kitchen and playfully mussed Curt’s hair from behind while the large dog stirred his alliums.
“Hmm what smells so good?” asked the still-sleepy feline.
“Onions and garlic, your favorite!” chuckled Curt.
“Mmm what do these onions and garlic aspire to be, pray tell?”
“Risotto!”
“Isn’t it “ruh-SAA-tow?”
“Oh! I guess I’m not sure!” the dog replied good-naturedly “I’ve always said “rizz-OH-tow.”
“Bobby Flay says “ruh-SAA-tow.”
“If you love Bobby Flay so much, why don’t you marry him!?”
“Because you asked me first.” Shelby got up on the tips of his pawpads to give Curt a gentle kiss on the back of his neck before the cat pulled up a stool at the pseudo-bar that separated the kitchen from the dining room. “When will this dinner - whatever you call it - be ready, my sweet husband?”
“It is impossible to say, I’m afraid.”
“Expand on that” inquired the cat.
“Well, sometimes the rice absorbs the broth more or less quickly. There’s just no way to predict it.” Curt added some white wine to the pan as he said this, then took a long drink himself. “One for dad,” he mumbled to himself, smiling.
“Is that because you have the heat too high, or too low, or… what?”
“Nah, I do it basically the same every time.”
“But the rice behaves differently, despite this.”
“Correct!” the dog happily replied, enjoying his husband’s confusion. “Cooking is 10% science and the rest is art!”
“Restaurants make risotto.”
“True!”
“How do they do it in a timely manner?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea!” Curt grinned as he ladled more broth into the simmering pan.
Shelby got up, satisfied enough with Curt’s mysterious temperamental rice, and poured himself a mug of coffee. Cradling the hot mug in his handpaws, he returned to his barstool. Curt was humming to himself, stirring and ladling, stirring and ladling, occasionally stopping to take another slug of the white wine. Shelby enjoyed watching him work. He had a joyfulness in the kitchen. He had - quite frankly - a joyfulness all of the time. Shelby watched his tail wag beneath the knot of his apron, watched him stirring vigorously, but never so violently that a single grain went overboard. He took a sip of his coffee and couldn’t help needling his adorable husband one more time.
“So… when will dinner be ready?”
Curt’s Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients:
1.5 Cups Arborio Rice
4-8 Cups of broth. You can use any kind of broth you like. Shelby prefers his vegetarian, so Curt uses vegetable stock.
Half an onion
4ish cloves of garlic
1 package sliced white mushrooms, cleaned
Bottle of white wine, preferably delicious.
Handful of Italian Parsley
Parmesan cheese
Olive Oil
Butter
Salt
Directions:
In a saucepan, heat up 4 cups of broth on low. You don’t need it to simmer, you just need it to not be cold.
Dice up the onion, garlic, and parsley.
Heat up a big, beautiful stainless steel pan with high sides on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a splash of olive oil and a big knob of butter. Let this warm up, and then add the onions and garlic. Add some salt. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
Add the rice. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
Add the mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
Add a healthy splash of wine and stir. The rice will absorb the liquid. Do this 2-3 times. Have some wine for yourself, you deserve it.
Add half a cup of the warm broth, stirring often. The rice will absorb the broth as you stir. Do this as many times as needed. If you start to get low on broth, add the other 4 cups to the saucepan to warm.
Just keep stirring and adding broth until the rice gets soft. Once you have added around 4 cups, you can start tasting. If the rice is too toothsome, add more liquid. If the rice is not flavorful enough, add more salt.
Once the rice is soft and salty and wonderful, take it off the heat. Add a bunch of parmesan cheese and the parsley you chopped earlier. Stir until the parmesan is incorporated. Serve.