It has been a long winter… Cold crispy nights still linger across the Kalahari savannas and silently cover the landscape with frost. The evenings call for a blazing fireplace and special family dinners with candles burning deep into the night. Deep conversations about the times we live in, the challenges we are all facing and the unknown of a ‘new normal’. This is the time to warm our hearts with love and hope and live expectantly.

In winter, the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the moon achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear a look of a more exalted simplicity.

John Burroughs

Few things spell out COMFORT like a bowl of risotto. It is my favorite one-dish meal. Risotto is a northern Italian rice dish that’s as warm, comforting, and rustic as it is elegant and complex. While it is a simple and classic preparation, do not be fooled, as it requires utmost attention and care to perfect. When done correctly, risotto is creamy and decadent with a bite, and its layers of flavors meld together perfectly.

This recipe can be modified to your linking. Substitute mushrooms with asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, butternut or any vegetables you have on hand. And it’s also an amazing dish to embrace leftovers: fresh herbs, leftover meat, fish and cheese, or anything in the kitchen that inspires you to be innovative!

Lastly, be patient with your risotto and you will be rewarded tenfold.

It soothes the soul. It is warm. It is creamy. It is comfort.

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