Pork Risotto

Most risotto involves a lot of stirring. A. Lot. As in I-think-my-arm's-about-to-fall-off a lot. Technically, this is a rice casserole. But it's tasty, so who cares.

PORK RISOTTO
2 lb. lean fresh pork shoulder, cut in 1" cubes
4 large onions, chopped
2 1 lb. cans tomatoes
2 cups celery, chopped
1 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, undrained
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in large frying pan. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, brown onions until soft. Stir in tomatoes, meat, celery, mushrooms, sugar, salt and pepper and heat to a boil. Layer about ⅓ of the meat mixture into a 12-cup baking dish. Top with half the uncooked rice and half the cheese. Repeat, making a second layer of each. Spoon remaining meat mixture over the top and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 2 hours until pork is tender and liquid is absorbed, adding water as needed to keep moist.

Variation: You can make Beef Risotto by using beef cubes instead of the pork.

Makes 8 generous servings.

Contributor: Norma Eriksson

Spanish Rice

It's a skillet-to-oven rice casserole. It's pretty tasty. And it's Grandma Eriksson's. Good for serving carbs to crowds.

SPANISH RICE
2 large onions, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
a few stalks celery, chopped
bacon grease for cooking
1 lb. ground beef
1 large can tomatoes
1 can hot sauce
½ cup uncooked rice, washed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, sauté onions, pepper and celery in bacon grease. Add ground beef and brown well, draining fat. Add tomatoes and hot sauce, stirring to mix, and heat until mixture boils. Add rice and stir again. Turn contents into 9x13" casserole dish and bake for about 1 hour. Probably makes 8 servings.

Contributor: Norma Eriksson