If you want a terrific meal in 30 minutes, give risotto a go. True, the creamy rice dish demands your constant attention at the stove for some 20 of those minutes. But as you stand, stirring, you can inhale the aromatics mingling in the pot and anticipate the savory meal ahead.
Step one: Sauté the aromatics — the onions, leeks, garlic, etc. — in olive oil or butter, until translucent.
Step two: Add the rice and toast it for a minute until golden — but not brown. This prepares the grains for soaking up the liquids.
Step three: Add a warmed white or red wine, and let the alcohol cook out first, leaving the flavor.
Step four: Keep the pot at a constant moderate heat and begin adding the stock (meat, chicken or vegetable), a ladle or 1/2 cup at a time. Make sure the stock has been heated — keep it at a low simmer in a separate pan as you cook. Using cold stock or cold wine will compromise the creamy texture. As the liquid is absorbed, add more. Add more at first, decreasing liquid amounts as you go, so as not to overcook the rice.
? Make risotto not more than 30 to 40 minutes before you are ready to sit down to eat. The longer it sits, the more thick and gloppy it becomes. It is best eaten fresh from the cooking pot. If you can’t eat it right away, cover it and take it off the heat immediately.
? Use a flat, heavy-bottomed pan so risotto heats evenly. Also be aware the starchy rice will triple in size during the cooking process.
? Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir the rice. Don’t use a metal spoon, or you will break up the grains.
? Begin tasting the rice after 15 minutes, so as not to overcook it. When the sauce is creamy and rice is al dente, remove from the heat and then add the final ingredients.
Stovetop to tabletop in less than 30 minutes
If you want to get risotto to the table in less than 30 minutes, try this restaurant trick. This method assumes the risotto recipe uses 5 cups liquid (wine, broth, water, etc.) to 1-1/2 cups arborio rice.
Prepare your risotto according to your recipe, but use only 3-1/4 cups liquid (reserving the remaining 1-3/4 cups for when you are ready to finish the risotto). Cook on medium-low heat for only 16 minutes, according to your recipe.
After 16 minutes, remove the rice from the heat. If you are going to use it within the hour, slide it to the back of the stove, no heat, and let it sit. If you are making risotto well in advance, place the 16-minute rice in a shallow baking pan and cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The rice can be prepared to this point as many as three days in advance.
When you are ready to reheat and serve, remove chilled rice from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Place the remaining 1-3/4 cups liquid in a wide pot or sauté pan; heat to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the partially cooked risotto. Stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done cooking, approximately four to five minutes or until rice is tender but still firm (the rice is done when it is tender, but firm to the bite). Turn off the heat and immediately add the Parmesan cheese, stirring vigorously to combine with the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer risotto to warmed serving bowls and serve immediately with additional
freshly grated parmesan cheese on the side.
Note: To test the risotto for proper consistency, spoon a little into a bowl and shake it lightly from side to side. The risotto should spread out very gently of its own accord. If the rice just stands still, it’s too dry, so add a little more stock. If a puddle of liquid forms around the rice, you’ve added too much stock. Spoon some liquid off, or just let the risotto sit for a few more seconds off the heat to absorb the excess stock.
— whatscookingamerica.net
Risotto is a natural for the home cook. Like pasta, it can be custom-made to suit the family. It also is a gentle way to get children to try vegetables they might not try as solo side dishes. Add sausage or shrimp, scallops, pumpkin, leftover vegetables or fresh greens. Make a lemon risotto by adding some lemon juice and lemon zest to go with grilled fish and a salad. Try an earthy mushroom and leek risotto or a savory shrimp and toasted pine nut risotto with caramelized fennel bulb as a garnish. If you want variety, change up the cheese, using Parmesan, pecorino, Asiago, or even cheddar.
In Italy, risotto is made with arborio, Carnaroli or Veneto rices because of the high starch content of these grains. The Po valley in the Piedmont region of Italy has been growing the rice on a large scale since the 19th century. However, rice was introduced to the area by Cistercian monks in the 15th century, according to “Culinaria Italy,” edited by Claudia Pira and Eugenio Medagliani (Konemann, 2000).
Today, according to “Culinaria,” the process of harvesting in Italy is “largely mechanized, but still challenging work. …The fields require a slow but constant flow of water, so they have to slope at a particular angle in order to prevent the water from running away too fast or standing too long, either of which would damage the plants.”
Arborio also is grown in America and easy to find in grocery stores here. Carnaroli, a slightly longer, more stout grain, is favored by some chefs — particularly in Italy — because it tends to hold more liquid while retaining the desired al dente texture. Carnaroli is not as readily available as arborio. I found one brand — a product of Argentina — at Gerbes for about $5 a pound. Italian-grown Carnaroli costs as much as $7 a pound if you buy it online. Look for online discounts for purchasing multiple packages.
After experimenting with both arborio and Carnaroli at my house, we found the Carnaroli grain held up a little better in the cooking and even after it sat covered on the stove for 15 minutes after cooking.
Either way, the risotto will be good. If you have some left over and don’t enjoy eating it cold from the refrigerator, make arancini, or “little oranges.” The decadent cheese-filled risotto croquettes would be a hit at a Super Bowl party.
MUSHROOM AND LEEK RISOTTO
4 cups chicken broth or mushroom broth, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 shallot, diced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or arugula
1 teaspoon white truffle oil, optional
1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese
In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat. Meanwhile, warm one tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about three minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid and set aside.
Add one tablespoon olive oil to a wide, heavy saucepan and stir in shallots. Sauté for one minute. Add the rice, stirring to coat with oil, about two minutes. When the rice takes on a pale, golden color, add the wine, stirring constantly until wine is absorbed. Begin adding the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently at medium heat, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more. Cook and stir until the rice is al dente or creamy and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mushrooms and cheese. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Garnish the dish with the chopped chives or chopped arugula.
Servings: 6 first-course servings or side-dish servings
SHRIMP RISOTTO WITH PINE NUTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound raw, peeled, deveined shrimp
4 cups shrimp stock or chicken stock
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pine nuts toasted in 1 tablespoon butter
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and cook until translucent, three to four minutes. Stir in rice until coated with oil and beginning to brown. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes.
Add white wine and stir until wine is absorbed into the rice. Add 1/3 of the stock and stir for about eight minutes as the stock is absorbed. Add half the remaining stock and repeat, stirring constantly for another eight minutes. Add the toasted pine nuts and remaining broth, stirring until nearly absorbed, about four minutes; then, add the raw shrimp and stir for another four minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for two minutes before serving.
Garnish with Italian parsley, fennel fronds, slices of roasted red pepper and/or caramelized fennel bulb. Serve with a grinding of black pepper.
Servings: 4 as a main course
RISOTTO WITH BEET GREENS AND ROASTED BEETS
3/4 pound beets (1 bunch small), roasted
1 bunch beet greens, stemmed and washed
6 to 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock, as needed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1-1/2 cups arborio or Carnaroli rice
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 cup red, rose or dry white wine
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 to 1/2 cup, to taste)
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Season well and turn the heat to low. Stack the stemmed, washed greens and cut crosswise into 1-inch wide strips.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick frying pan or wide, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about three minutes, and add the rice and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle, about three minutes.
Stir in the wine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The wine should bubble, but not too quickly. You want some of the flavor to cook into the rice before it evaporates. When the wine has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock — about 1/2 cup — enough to just cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly, so adjust heat accordingly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, for 10 minutes.
Stir in the greens and the diced beets, and continue adding more stock, enough to barely cover the rice, and stirring often, for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Taste a bit of the rice. Is it cooked through? It should taste chewy but not hard in the middle — definitely not soft like steamed rice. If it is still hard in the middle, you need to continue adding stock and stirring for another five minutes or so. Now is the time to ascertain whether there is enough salt. Add if necessary.
When the rice is cooked through, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper and stir in another half cup of stock, the Parmesan and the parsley.
Remove from the heat. The rice should be creamy; if it isn’t, add a little more stock. Stir once, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.
Variation: Blanch greens when you bring them home from the market so that they won’t wilt or rot in the refrigerator if you don’t get around to cooking them right away. If you do this for this risotto, chop the blanched greens and set aside. Add them to the risotto during the last few minutes of cooking, just to heat them through and amalgamate into the dish.
Advance preparation: The roasted beets will keep for five days in the refrigerator.
Yield: Serves 4 to 5 generously as a main dish
Approximate nutritional information: 585 calories per serving; 114 calories from fat; total fat: 12.6 grams; saturated fat 3.3 grams; cholesterol 134 milligrams; sodium 282 milligrams; total carbohydrates 53.6 grams; dietary fiber: 2.4 grams; sugars 6.2 grams; protein 56.2 grams.
— Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman, The New York Times, August 2008
ARANCINI
Cheese-filled risotto croquettes with tomato sauce
3 cups leftover cooked risotto
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, chives, oregano or basil
1 large egg yolk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 oz mozzarella or fontina cheese
All-purpose flour for dredging
Egg wash:
1 large egg whisked with 2 tablespoons cold milk or water
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 cups Italian tomato sauce
In a large bowl, combine the risotto with the Parmesan, cream, herbs and egg yolk. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut the cheese into 16 cubes. Scoop up about 3 tablespoons of the risotto mixture and pack it around a cube of cheese to make a croquette, a ball the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Repeat to form 16 croquettes.
Put the flour, egg wash and bread crumbs in three separate bowls. Dredge the croquettes in the flour, dip in the egg wash and roll in the bread crumbs. Chill thoroughly, two to 24 hours.
Pour oil into a tall pot to a depth of 5 inches. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer. Deep-fry the croquettes in batches, without crowding, until they are evenly browned, four to five minutes. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Serve on a pool of warmed tomato sauce.
— Epicurious, from The Culinary Institute of America
