Risotto

[sadistick]

Ok, I made a thread about salad dressings, and it seemed to be a real flop, so before i start another long post, i wanted to hear what all your interests in Risotto's are, how fluent you are in this category, and if people want to hear some recipe's, and/or share some!

Risotto's are one of mine, and my families favourite dishes, as you can make so many varieties, and if you do it right, the flavours can be extremely bold, and delicious.

So lets see what the interest level is before I pour my heart and soul out

Cheers

-Justin

[wattacetti]

I'm pretty straightforward for risottos since I typically use them as the bed that I serve other things on.

Basically Arborio rice or pearl barley, minced échalottes, duck fat, chicken broth (chicken and water, no aromatics), white wine, ground pepper, butter and either pecorino or parmigiano to finish. I've taken to using Viognier for the wine, but it'll depend on what whites I have on hand.

I have made slight variations of this by also adding:

- fresh peas and prosciutto

- sautéed wild mushrooms (with Patagonian Toothfish and port reduction)

- chives (KISS bison filet)

I did try Nick Nairn's razor clam risotto recipe from his "Island Harvest" series and cookbook, but the reception was lukewarm.

[Viola da gamba]

This may get me shot - but we make risotto all the time - it's a favourite way to use up leftovers (should I duck now).

Arborio rice, sweet/Mayan onions, chicken stock, vermouth (if we have any), white wine/sherry (depending on subsequent ingredients) and then we let rip. A popular one was with swiss chard & leftover roast chicken. We always finish it with either parmesan or pecorino, we NEVER add cream. We also have never even thought of using pomegranate seeds ...

[wattacetti]

Arborio rice, sweet/Mayan onions, chicken stock, vermouth (if we have any), white wine/sherry (depending on subsequent ingredients) and then we let rip.  A popular one was with swiss chard & leftover roast chicken.  We always finish it with either parmesan or pecorino, we NEVER add cream.  We also have never even thought of using pomegranate seeds ...

←

Ah! someone knows about the surprise at The Glass House, but cream?

[Elizabeth Clauser]

We're a big fan of risottos in my house. The most common one I do is a mushroom one, with a touch of lemon. After that, pea and prosciutto, followed by crab and lemon. I recently began trying variations of butternut squash risotto (I think I'll be doing a version with the squash, bacon, and blue cheese this week to help chase away the cold weather blues).

The only thing is, I never feel like my risottos, which taste very good, are quite creamy enough. I don't know if I'm not adding enough liquid or if I've cooked it too fast - it's really very close to what I'd get in a restaurant, but one little thing seems to be slightly off. Anybody else have/had that problem and hopefully have some pointers?

[snowangel]

Be sure and check out Craig Camp's ECI class on Risotto.

It's been ages since I made risotto. Make note to get the rice.

Keep the ideas coming!

[zeitoun]

I almost worship Alain Ducasse's risotto recipes. One trick he commonly uses in all of them is, in addition to grated parmiggiano and butter, to add whipped cream as a finishing touch to create a light and airy risotto.

The best recipe i have come across so far is Ducasse's tomato risotto which calls for a heavy ladle of "tomato compote" to be added just before the rice is cooked. Zucchini slices sauteed in butter with roasted tomato quarters or "petals" are also folded in the rice as garnish.

[Elizabeth Clauser]

Be sure and check out Craig Camp's ECI class on Risotto.

It's been ages since I made risotto.  Make note to get the rice.

Keep the ideas coming!

←

Thanks so much for pointing the way to this! As a fairly new member, I'm still digging around in the archives. It's such a treasure trove of information!

[sadistick]

Ok, I will share one of our favourite risotto recipies, and see how you folks like it, if there is interest I will post more, I have many in my brain

We actually will have risotto as a course, not just a starch on a plate....that being said, if you have it as a course, it has to have some great flavour, and be able to stand on its own.

Cherry Tomatoe rissoto w/young peccorino cheese

My beliefe that all good risotto's start with a well flavoured liquid, which is used to slowly cook the rice. What I will do for a cherry tomatoe risotto, is from all the saved fresh and/or frozen cherry tomatoes from the summer, make a sauce out of it, and then add a strong veg stock, which turns it in to a well flavoured soup - the only thing you want to leave out is too much salt, because as you use all this liquid, it will reduce, and it may become too salty after reduction.

My Risotto process:

Finely chop 1-2 shallots

Finely chop 1 clove of garlic

Finely chop 3 parsley stems (great flavour)

Add all this to EVOO/Butter - sautee till slightly golden or translucent.

The next step is crucial, you must toast your rice - add the arborio rice (the only rice IMO for risotto) while the pot is on HIGH heat, constantly stirring, until the rice becomes almost translucent, then deglaze with white wine...

After the alchohol has evaporated, you will need to slowly add the tomatoe stock (which should also be at a low simmer) until the rice is covered -

Repeat this process until the rice is tender, or to your desired cookness -

I then like to add a FRESH tomatoe flavour - I will then put in some oven dried, or if i have, wood oven smoked cherry tomatoes, and possibly some sun dried tomatoes - add a good chunk of peccorino cheese, and some parmegiano regiano, salt, pepper, put the lid on, let it 'rest' for 5 minutes, and serve!

Always a favourite of anyone who has it, such intense flavours, if you like tomatoes, you HAVE to try this one!

Cheers

-Justin

ps - If anyone has any risotto questions, please feel free, i would be happy to help!

Edited January 18, 2005 by sadistick (log)

[MsMelkor]

We're a big fan of risottos in my house.  The most common one I do is a mushroom one, with a touch of lemon.  After that, pea and prosciutto, followed by crab and lemon.  I recently began trying variations of butternut squash risotto (I think I'll be doing a version with the squash, bacon, and blue cheese this week to help chase away the cold weather blues).

The only thing is, I never feel like my risottos, which taste very good, are quite creamy enough.  I don't know if I'm not adding enough liquid or if I've cooked it too fast - it's really very close to what I'd get in a restaurant, but one little thing seems to be slightly off.  Anybody else have/had that problem and hopefully have some pointers?

←

We generally use vialone nano. It's not as easy to find as arborio, but I think it results in a creamier final product. Someone (sadistick...?) should do a side-by-side to see if there is a noticeable difference. You could include carnaroli too.

[pam claughton]

I LOVE risotto. Everything about it, actually. It's total comfort food, even making it, is a calming relaxing process, stir and taste...mmmm.

There's a great little cookbook, simply called Risotto, that has loads of great recipes. My copy is stained and well used, though I usually just make the basic recipe, and add whatever I feel like at the time.

Chicken and mushrooms are always at the top of the list, Butternut squash, sage and parmesan too.

I like to make pan fried risotto cakes with the leftovers. Quickly sauteed in butter until they are golden and crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy in the middle. They remind me of hash browns.

Pam

[Elizabeth Clauser]

Ok, I will share one of our favourite risotto recipies, and see how you folks like it, if there is interest I will post more, I have many in my brain 

We actually will have risotto as a course, not just a starch on a plate....that being said, if you have it as a course, it has to have some great flavour, and be able to stand on its own.

Cherry Tomatoe rissoto w/young peccorino cheese

My beliefe that all good risotto's start with a well flavoured liquid, which is used to slowly cook the rice.  What I will do for a cherry tomatoe risotto, is from all the saved fresh and/or frozen cherry tomatoes from the summer, make a sauce out of it, and then add a strong veg stock, which turns it in to a well flavoured soup - the only thing you want to leave out is too much salt, because as you use all this liquid, it will reduce, and it may become too salty after reduction.

My Risotto process:

Finely chop 1-2 shallots

Finely chop 1 clove of garlic

Finely chop 3 parsley stems (great flavour)

Add all this to EVOO/Butter - sautee till slightly golden or translucent.

The next step is crucial, you must toast your rice - add the arborio rice (the only rice IMO for risotto) while the pot is on HIGH heat, constantly stirring, until the rice becomes almost translucent, then deglaze with white wine...

After the alchohol has evaporated, you will need to slowly add the tomatoe stock (which should also be at a low simmer) until the rice is covered -

Repeat this process until the rice is tender, or to your desired cookness -

I then like to add a FRESH tomatoe flavour - I will then put in some oven dried, or if i have, wood oven smoked cherry tomatoes, and possibly some sun dried tomatoes - add a good chunk of peccorino cheese, and some parmegiano regiano, salt, pepper, put the lid on, let it 'rest' for 5 minutes, and serve!

Always a favourite of anyone who has it, such intense flavours, if you like tomatoes, you HAVE to try this one!

Cheers

-Justin

ps - If anyone has any risotto questions, please feel free, i would be happy to help!

←

That sounds fantastic! I'm definitely going to give that a go when I start to be overwhelmed by my garden's cherry tomato production this year!

[pattimw]

What kind of rice do you use, and more importantly, where do you get it?

I have made risotto many times, but find varying outcomes with the different rices I use. This one brand (can't remember what it is) I get from the supermarket does not produce good risotto and I am on the hunt for a new kind.

[zeitoun]

We generally use vialone nano. It's not as easy to find as arborio, but I think it results in a creamier final product. Someone (sadistick...?) should do a side-by-side to see if there is a noticeable difference. You could include carnaroli too.

←

It is interesting to also note the different schools of thought with risotto. Some may prefer reaching a certain level of creaminess by using the actual starch of the rice, some not. In this case, the type of rice used as you are suggesting will make a tremendous difference. I have seen people use a different approach by washing the rice thoroughly in cold water before cooking it and not stirring it often so that the rice grains release less starch. Creaminess in this case can be introduced with cream, butter and/or grated cheese (as in the Ducasse method I spoke about earlier). This method was also adopted by Thomas Keller. His risottos are just as extraordinary, they do retain some bite but the "cream" actually connecting the rice together is as light as air and not starchy at all.

I also generally tend to use vialone nano or carnaloni as opposed to arborio for those reasons.

[Viola da gamba]

We're a big fan of risottos in my house.  The most common one I do is a mushroom one, with a touch of lemon.  After that, pea and prosciutto, followed by crab and lemon.  I recently began trying variations of butternut squash risotto (I think I'll be doing a version with the squash, bacon, and blue cheese this week to help chase away the cold weather blues).

The only thing is, I never feel like my risottos, which taste very good, are quite creamy enough.  I don't know if I'm not adding enough liquid or if I've cooked it too fast - it's really very close to what I'd get in a restaurant, but one little thing seems to be slightly off.  Anybody else have/had that problem and hopefully have some pointers?

←

Aah, butternut squash. I occasionally do roast butternut squash, subsequently mashed with garlic (roasted with the squash) parmesan, nutmeg, toasted almonds & PEPPER just for the joy of putting the leftovers in a risotto 2 days later. Don't really need to add much else to it. Does anyone else try to stick to the "no more than three ingredients" (apart from the cheese, stock, etc.) rule I read (I think) in Marcella Hazan?

How fast are you cooking your risotto? I usually figure it's going to take about an hour from start to finish. That means literally from starting to cut up the sweet onions to stirring in the parmesan 5 minutes before it's ready. We're a little stuck for choices in terms of rice up here, but I've never had a risotto go dry - too wet once, but I know how I did that ... And as to the cream - it shows up in some recipes - go figure.

Edited January 19, 2005 by Viola da gamba (log)

[sadistick]

What kind of rice do you use, and more importantly, where do you get it?

I have made risotto many times, but find varying outcomes with the different rices I use. This one brand (can't remember what it is) I get from the supermarket does not produce good risotto and I am on the hunt for a new kind.

←

To all regarding rice -

I use strictly Arborio (SP?) rice - I believe this is the TRUE rice to make risotto with, I buy mine from a local italian grocery store, but I have seen it at the large supermarkets as well.

I did a quick google, and would like to give you all some sources, because I feel the rice type is very important, granted you can make risotto with any short grain rice, which contains higher amounts of starch, but this is the real deal:

http://www.bacchuscellars.com/food/rice/arborio_rice.htm

http://www.martinrice.com/arborio_rice.html

Again, ask your local grocery store if they stock, or if they can get it, its quite cheap, and becoming very popuparl.

Keep the questions coming - Next I think i will post my recipe for artichoke risotto...yummy

edit* - - Washing the rice, IMO, is ludacris, that takes away the KEY component to a risotto, the starch...again, IMO, putting cream in a risotto is sacralige, and pointless. Risotto by definition should be creamy on its own.

As well, in terms of cooking time, from the tiime i put my rice in the pot, till when its ready, with constant stirring, on high heat, adding liquid as needed, is about 14-18 minutes or so...

You guys have some great ideas, never tried roasted squash, i may have to make a soup out of that and use it as my liquid base...I find making a STRONG liquid base allows for a most flavourfull risotto. On the other hand, for my artichoke risotto, i use a veg stock for the liquid, and make a reduced artichoke sauce to add at the end, and thats where the flavour comes in.

All different ways, but saying cream in a risotto makes me cringe

Edited January 18, 2005 by sadistick (log)

[little ms foodie]

I make risotto all the time, it's also a leftover user in my house. Personally I think my risotto kicks butt! I serve it as a main. I always toast the rice, use white wine and finish with parm and butter. no cream here either!

[snowangel]

So, back to the rice. I notice arborio at the coop from Italy as well as some from California. Is one better than the other, or should one look for the rice that has the highest turnover in the market?

[chef koo]

What kind of rice do you use, and more importantly, where do you get it?

I have made risotto many times, but find varying outcomes with the different rices I use. This one brand (can't remember what it is) I get from the supermarket does not produce good risotto and I am on the hunt for a new kind.

←

technically you can use any grain, wehter it be wheat, barley rice or whatever. but i think to make it an actualy "risotto" you must, and i mean must use risotto. the term risotto hasbeen bastardized in north america as a marketing ploy. risotto is no longer a recipe. it's a method. on menus every whee you see barley risotto, wheat risotto, yam risotto, jasmine risotto. the one true risotto demands arborio

[pattimw]

What kind of rice do you use, and more importantly, where do you get it?

I have made risotto many times, but find varying outcomes with the different rices I use. This one brand (can't remember what it is) I get from the supermarket does not produce good risotto and I am on the hunt for a new kind.

←

technically you can use any grain, wehter it be wheat, barley rice or whatever. but i think to make it an actualy "risotto" you must, and i mean must use risotto. the term risotto hasbeen bastardized in north america as a marketing ploy. risotto is no longer a recipe. it's a method. on menus every whee you see barley risotto, wheat risotto, yam risotto, jasmine risotto. the one true risotto demands arborio

←

Sorry, I probably should have been more clear - I meant what kind of risotto rice - arborio, carnaroli, etc.

[sadistick]

Definetly Arborio rice...its what the italians use, I also use 'superfino' arborio, but thats not required.

I was sent a message asking to elaborate on my veg stock...so here goes.

It all depends on my mood, sometimes I will roast my veggies prior to making stock, if i want a darker, more caramel stock, otherwise, just plop em in the pot...

Ingredients:

2-3 Onions, roughly chopped

2-3 fennel stalks chopped

3-5 carrots chopped

3-5 cellery sticks chopped

1 big bunch of parsley

2-3 bay leaves

leftover mushroom stalks

pepper corns

few cloves of garlic

white wine

I like to sautee all veggies till they get a tiny bit of color, then deglaze with wine, and add COLD water - cold is key - -

I will simmer with it UNCOVERED for anywhere up to 4-5 hours...

season at the end

Thats basically it...

Later today I will post my artichoke risotto recipe, thats a good one too!

Cheers

-Justin

[laniloa]

I prefer to let the creaminess come from the rice itself. Sometimes, I even skip the parm. I know, crazy. I look forward to trying your tomato recipe. It sounds wonderfully fresh. I'm into roasted squash, roasted asparagus and lemon, and pesto as add-ins these days. Not all once. I also like to toast the rice a little longer then typical to give a nutty flavor to it. That works really well with squash. I typically use arborio.

[ludja]

I make risotto all the time, it's also a leftover user in my house. Personally I think my risotto kicks butt! I serve it as a main. I always toast the rice, use white wine and finish with parm and butter. no cream here either!

←

That's my basic method as well. ie. toast the rice, first liquid added is wine (white or red)-- finish with parm and butter at the end. I almost always include finely diced onions as well.

Tomato risottos are one my favorites. They are great to have on their own; also great as a side dish and also good for coating leftovers w/breadcrumbs the next day and frying up in patties. Great flavors to add to tomato risottos:

fennel (also good on its own)

basil

shrimp

pancetta

hot pepper

green olives

I've always used arborio rice so far. It would be fun to compare side by side with other Italian short grained rices also used in Italy for risotto as Ms. Melkor mentions-- carnaroli and vialone.

[ludja]

Here's a little article on arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano and a rice I haven't heard of, baldo:

Italian short grained rice .

Though Italy grows about fifty different varieties of rice, there are four main types of Italian rice for risotto making.

[ludja]

The only thing is, I never feel like my risottos, which taste very good, are quite creamy enough.  I don't know if I'm not adding enough liquid or if I've cooked it too fast - it's really very close to what I'd get in a restaurant, but one little thing seems to be slightly off.  Anybody else have/had that problem and hopefully have some pointers?

←

I always add a knob of butter and perhaps a little more stock into the risotto right after I take it off the heat... (per reading Marcella Hazan). When I was looking up the link to different risotto rices I came across this link--there's actually an Italian phrase for adding butter in at the end!

link

A Trio of Tips on Finishing Your Risotto

When the risotto seems done and ready to remove from the stove, add one last ladelful of broth. This gives the risotto something to "sip on" as it sits in the bowl for a minute or two before you eat, leaves it with a fine creamy texture, and keeps it from getting too dry.

In addition you may want to add a spoonful of butter at the last minute. This is known in Italian as the "mantecatura." As the butter melts it coats each grain of rice, yielding a richer, creamier risotto.

Finally, some folks recommend that you let the risotto rest for just a minute or two between its departure from the stove and the actual eating in order to let the flavors meld fully. But don't wait too long. This isn't a dish you can prepare in advance and then have sitting around. It's meant to be eaten right after it's cooked. Risotto rules the roost best when it's still steaming hot from the stove.