'Southern' Caramelized Garlic Vegetable Risotto

Wash and trim okra, removing any remaining stem. Cross-slice to 1/2 inch. set aside 2. Wash the Arborio rice, drain.

Place the caramelized garlic along with a tablespoon of the oil from the garlic into an iron skillet. Turn heat on high. Add the rice and sauté for about a minute until the water has dried, stirring constantly. Add 2 cups broth or water. Cover and turn heat to low.

Microwave the vegetables 5 minutes - can be done at same time as the next step.

Place 1 tbsp olive oil in large iron skillet or Dutch oven, heat to hot.

Pour okra into skillet and stir (wooden spoon best) for about a minute on high.

Add mixed vegetables and all of the seasonings. Stir and cook on high for about 3 minutes, continuously stirring. Cover and turn heat to low.

Rice takes about 15 minutes, check the rice. If soft, fluff with a fork, remove from heat as you check for done-ness of the vegetables. Vegetables will be slightly crunchy, not soggy. If you want softer vegetables, turn heat to medium for a couple more minutes after stirring .

Dump the cooked rice into the cooked vegetables and stir just to mix. optionally stir in cheese.

. Serve immediately Servings : 6 Yield: about 6 servings Nutrition Facts Nutrition (per serving): 251 calories, 8.8g total fat, 5.4g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 2g saturated fat, 4.9mg cholesterol, 223.3mg sodium, 286mg potassium, 37.8g carbohydrates, 4.1g fiber, 33.7g net carbohydrates, <1g starch, <1g sugar, 6.6g protein, 1.1mg iron. Tips How to caramelize garlic - simple Peel garlic and remove skins from cloves. Heat oven to 350F. Spray the cloves with olive oil or at least dip them in olive oil. Bake on a large baking sheet until starting to turn golden brown in color. Do not burn. After completely cooled, store in olive oil in a glass, sealed jar in refrigerator. I do about 2 pounds at a time, refrigerate it and never run out of garlic.