First Risotto
Gert and I do not have the same tastes; I suppose it is a case of opposites attract. Long ago, in an effort to forge a common activity, she introduced me to American Idol. What a crappy show. Nevertheless, it has become our show and I root along with the rest of the country for my favorite. That opened up the genre of reality television to our household, even though I had watched a little bit of The Real World years ago.
Anyhow, while Gert and I have watched some of these shows over the years, none of them were shows I would have watched on my own, I suspect. That changed last year when Top Chef first aired. It wasn’t long before my betrothed joined me. We quickly picked up The Next Food Network Star and Hell’s Kitchen. More recently we have added Kitchen Nightmares.
Anyhow, one of the things we have noticed about these food shows: risotto is a respected dish. Time after time, particularly on Hell’s Kitchen where it is a staple, risotto is spoken about highly. It is evident that a chef who can prepare risotto properly is respected.
Why then have we never had it? That may be a bit unfair; I suspect I have had it with osso buco. For certain, risotto is not something we normally have and I have never made it. Considering it is merely rice, that seems odd.
But it’s not just rice. I decided to tackle this dish. I have been reading lots about it and have a recipe for a version of that promises to be the best ever, but it requires some high-end ingredients. I looked for a basic risotto to start with so I could learn how to properly make it.
Part of my research took me to YouTube where I found some good videos. Risotto is a time-consuming dish and while I thought I knew the process, the videos I found really helped me see this done. The following is the Olive Garden’s Shrimp and Asparagus risotto. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?
Anyhow, I felt comfortable and went out and picked up the needed ingredients. Then I created an oven issue when, while cooking something else, I dropped the plastic sheath to a thermometer into, and subsequently beneath, the oven. It took me a while to disassemble the stove and get things in working order. Being a homeowner has certainly expanded my repertoire. Anyhow, that delayed me a few days.
Today, with Gert off to work, I began the process of making my first risotto. Everything I have read speaks of using your own stock. I think they all assume chicken stock; I planned on just a vegetable stock as I had no carcass sitting around. I roasted the veggies this morning, then added them to the stock pot, added water, and spices and waited. The house smelled wonderful all day (even now) with the stock supplying the pleasant aroma.
Our strainer seems to have run away from home, as neither of us could find it, despite having seen it just the other day. I had used dried thyme, so I was unable to filter it. I figure that was okay. I kept the stock on the stove throughout the day until I was ready to begin dinner.
Gert went shopping so I had the two children while I was to make this. I do not recommend this situation. Risotto requires constant attention and babies who need to be held disrupt the flow.
I had settled on a basic risotto that seemed to get some attention over at Chowhound. It looked rather straightforward.
Risotto is a creamy dish, despite not having any cream added. The shorter grain of rice used is packed with starch. As it is cooked in the pan, it releases the starch. Combined with the stock, over time, the rice becomes quite a dish. Watching it happen because of what you do is very satisfying.
I sautéed the onions and leek. Then I added the two cups of Carnaroli rice. I am one who sticks to recipes the first time I make something as I want to not mess it up due to a change I make until I know what it is supposed to be like. It didn’t occur to me that two cups of rice was going to make far more risotto than we needed. Nevertheless . . .
Soon enough I added the wine and seasoned the rice. It was now time to begin ladling the stock into the pan. My ladle is a half cup, which seemed to be the right amount to add each time. Once added, one stirs until the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Then more stock is ladled. About six ladles into the process, I tasted the rice. While it looked very creamy at that point, the rice was still hard. It didn’t look like the rice was ever going to soften enough to eat.
I kept going. I then added a full cup, thinking a little more liquid might help to cook the rice a bit. That did the trick, or it was just time. I ended up using five cups of stock altogether.
I added the butter and the cheese and plated the risotto with our baked chicken.
Boy was this rich! Really rich. I loved the flavor, but was unprepared for how rich this was. I had loaded our plates with healthy portions since we had so much. I only had one piece of chicken because the risotto filled me so much. Wow!
Gert liked it, but I think was put off by how rich (I cannot think of another word to describe it) it was.
The other day I shared with my mother that I like “kitchen sink” dishes that can have lots of different ingredients in them depending on how the chef decides to prepare it. Soups, jambalaya, and stews come to mind. Risotto is another one. While I thoroughly enjoyed this, as a side, it was too much. Next time I will add something to it and have it as a complete meal. Asparagus and shrimp sound good.
All my research stated that risotto is a technique more than a recipe. I certainly see that now having made this. There’s a “feel” for when to add the stock. I also read that this a dish that one can taste the use of better ingredients. I used cheap Parmesan and not a great wine. I suspect that better cheese would have been detectable in this. That is something I will keep in mind if risotto becomes a regular thing in our house. The Carnaroli rice is very available, but is expensive. There are even better risotto rices available online.
Now all I have to do is add veal shanks to the rotation . . .
Lidia Bastianich’s Basic Risotto
Recipe By :Lidia Bastianich
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Rice
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
4 1/2 cups chicken stock — hot
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion — minced; about 3/4 cup
1 leek — white parts only, trimmed, cleaned, and chopped
6 scallions — trimmed, white and green parts chopped separately
2 cups Arborio rice — or Carnaroli rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
salt — to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — cut into 4 pieces
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese — freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
freshly ground black pepper — to taste
Pour stock into a 2-quart saucepan and keep it over low heat. Heat olive oil in a wide 3- to 4-quart braising pan over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in leek and white parts of the scallions and cook, stirring, until the onion is golden, about 6 minutes. Adjust the heat under the pan as the onion browns so that it cooks slowly, with gentle bubbling.
Stir in rice; continue stirring until grains are coated with oil and “toasted” — the edges become translucent — 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour in the wine and let it boil, stirring the rice, until evaporated. (Since the rice kernel is 8 percent starch, the acidity in the wine balances and imparts flavor to the rice kernel.) Season rice lightly with salt, and ladle enough of the hot stock into the pan to barely cover the rice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the stock is at a lively simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until all the stock has been absorbed and you can see the bottom of the pan when you stir. Continue cooking, pouring in the remaining hot stock in small batches — each addition should be just enough to completely moisten the rice — and cook until each batch of stock has been absorbed. Stir constantly until rice mixture is creamy but al dente; this will take 16 to 20 minutes from the time the wine has been added. When in doubt, undercook — risotto continues to cook even after it is removed from the heat. Adjust the level of heat throughout cooking so the rice is simmering very gently. The total amount of stock you use may vary for several reasons: the type of rice you are using, the shape and size of the pan, and the desired texture of the finished risotto, which can be quite dense or soft and runny, depending on your personal taste.
Remove the pan from the heat; stir in the butter and green parts of the scallion until the butter is completely melted. Stir in half the grated cheese, taste the risotto, and add salt, if necessary, and pepper. Always ladle risotto into warm, shallow bowls and serve immediately after finishing. Either top each serving with some of the remaining grated cheese, or pass the cheese separately.
Cuisine:
“Italian”
S(Internet Address):
“http://www.yankeemagazine.com/recipes/search/onerecipe.php?number=771″
Copyright:
“©2007, Yankee Publishing Inc.”
Start to Finish Time:
“0:45″
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 385 Calories; 12g Fat (30.3% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 55g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 14mg Cholesterol; 1711mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 2 Fat.
NOTES : RDO
First Made: 29 August 2007
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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