Junglefrog Cooking

Your risotto looks gorgeous. Excellent pic. I love risotto. We eat roast chicken a lot so I always have chicken stock in the freezer. I think the stock is nicer from roasted bones but that’s just me. You did a great job

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Interesting to use a cinnamon stick for chicken stock! I am surprised it wasn’t as flavourful as you would expect but nevertheless – it looks delicious (and adding a cube of chicken flavour always helps! )

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Simone, I love your photos. Who else could take a great photo of risotto? BRAVA. We often have roasted chicken. It’s easy to do and we get several meals out of it! After a couple of meals, I put the carcass in a pan with carrots and celery and whatever else I feel like to make stock. The roasted bones give more flavor to the stock, I think. Then the last meal is often risotto. YUM! Thanks for the tip about the bacon!

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Oh! what a gorgeous dish! I am surprised the broth wasn’t as flavorful but that besides! Agree with you. it’s definitely so easy to make again…

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Love your kitchen picture! Makes me feel okay about the mass of stuff I seem to gather when cooking. Well done!

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I love this combination of ingredients. And the photographs are beautiful, as always! Wonderful job!

We had problems of blandness the first time we made chicken stock, too. In the end, we just let it simmer for longer, and added a lot more spices, especially salt. I know, too much sodium is bad for us, but… you gotta have flavour!

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Risotto is my second favourite meal just after pasta I cook it quite often, never tried to make my own stock though. It’s still on my list I think you did a great job here, even if the stock wasn’t as flavourful.

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I second Kate – whenever I make broth I always use the carcass of a roasted chicken, which makes a night-and-day difference to the flavour. I also usually remove the bulk of the meat from the cooled roasted chicken before I boil it, which saves having to attack the boiling hot carcass later. (I’m aware I could let it cool but usually after a couple hours of simmering I’m so ravenous for the soup that I can’t wait.)

Another sneaky trick I use is to save the drippings from the roasted chicken. I let them cool while sitting undisturbed – the fat rises above the juices, which will start to thicken and turn into a jelly before the fat solidifies. Then I pour off all the fat, and save the jelly and the browned bits to add to the stock with the carcass. Makes a huge difference, I promise you! I never use any spices, nor do I have to use Oxo cubes.

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i love love risotto – it’s easy and so satisfying. Homemade chicken stock is the best so i can seriously imagine the intense flavors here.

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Discovered your site through your comment on Nina’s site and glad I did! Your risotto looks very more-ish.

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Great pictures as usual! I love the final picture of your risotto!

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Love that you made your own stock Simone. Love the detailed platter too. Gorgeous pictures & beautiful risotto!

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Home made stock is key to a good risotto. I have actually come to realise that risotto is one of the best comfort foods ever. Creamy, warm, and filling!

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your risotto looks gorgeous!

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