So, risotto. Whenever I am asked for a risotto recipe my usual response is, risotto is not so much a recipe as a technique. To be sure, there are a few essentials you need to know about the process but ultimately it is just a matter of slowly adding a hot liquid to rice until the rice is cooked. For flavorings you are limited only by your imagination; from a simple cheese risotto to something more elaborate with exotic ingredients such as truffles or saffron and the like. Keeping in mind that the fewer the ingredients the more they need to be the very best you can find.
Let’s talk a little bit about the basic ingredients, starting with the rice; it is after all the star of the show.
The most commonly available rice for risotto is Arborio. It is widely available and makes a fine risotto. It is not the only one though. Many aficionados claim that Carnaroli rice is better for risotto because throughout cooking it retains its “heart”. Properly cooked risotto should be ever so slightly al dente; that is, it should offer a little resistance as you bite on it. Arborio will cook to very soft but Carnaroli will always have that little resistance at its heart. There are a few other risotto rices but not generally available to us.
The liquid most commonly used is chicken stock, although vegetable stock or even plain water can be used. Home made stock is undoubtedly the best (especially if you are doing a simple risotto with only a few ingredients) but a good store bought stock will work as well. Just be careful with the salt. Store bought, even so called, ‘low sodium’, has quite a bit of salt so you may not need all that is called for in the recipe. Taste it and see before you add extra.
Whatever liquid you use needs to be kept just barely simmering as you gradually add it to the rice. You don’t want to have it boiling because it will evaporate too quickly. Nor do you want it too cool. As the rice gently bubbles away in the pot, it should not be allowed to cool down with each addition of stock. If it does, the starches in the rice, now soft (gelatinized) in the hot liquid, may cool down too much and retrograde. That is to say, the starches will solidify and ruin the creamy texture you are striving for in the final dish.
The first liquid added to the rice, before the stock, is dry white wine. If you have a bottle open in the fridge by all means use it. If you want to open a bottle and add a little to the pot and a little to a glass to enjoy while you stir the pot, that’s always a good idea too. We don’t drink much white wine so I use dry vermouth. Vermouth, in my opinion, has three advantages over white wine; first, being a fortified wine it keeps a long time after opening the bottle, and second, it is cheap! (Save the good stuff for your martini.) Thirdly, the properties of vermouth are constant; it doesn’t change with different vintages or different grapes as does white wine.
Parmigiano Reggiano is considered by Italians to be the king of cheeses and it is the cheese of choice for many risottos, although Pecorino Romano is an excellent choice too. Depending on the type of risotto you are making, a little bleu cheese adds a delicious flavor component. By the way, if you are using Parmigiano, get a piece of genuine imported cheese and whatever you do, do not buy that pre-grated stuff in a cardboard tub. The only positive thing to be said about that is, when the tub is empty you can grind it up and use it instead; it tastes about the same!
One last thing…
Normally, when you cook plain white rice you measure 2 parts liquid to 1 part rice by volume, cover the pot/rice cooker and let it go for 20 minutes or so. With risotto we use between 4 and 5 parts liquid to 1 part rice. There are two reasons for this; one is that the pot for risotto is open and some of the liquid will evaporate. The other is that the finished risotto is much looser than simple steamed white rice. In fact, Italians will tell you the risotto should flow on to the plate un’onda, like a wave.
OK, I lied, this is the last thing, honest…
When I make this and most other things I don’t measure out the ingredients (with some notable exceptions) but I recognize that whoever is reading this may need a starting point so I have to quantify the ingredients. Don’t get too hung up on measuring exactly; ‘about that much’ is usually good enough. The exceptions in this case being the rice and the liquid.
OK, now to the recipe demo video…
My sister Helen and brother-in-law Paul were visiting recently from England. Paul is a videographer who films events, personalities and regular folks across the country. His speciality is recording for posterity the life stories of the older generation. Many of his short films can be seen on his Vimeo channel.
Risotto is a perennial favorite in our house and especially mushroom risotto. Having decided on that for dinner one night, Paul asked if he could film the process. As a naturally shy person I agreed but had some reservations about how it might turn out. With his filming techniques and clever editing Paul produced this video. You would almost think I knew what I was doing (said with a smile).
A few words about the film…
In the interest of keeping the film to a reasonable time frame some details are are missing. For example, how long does it take the rice to cook? About 18 minutes or so. When you make ordinary white rice it takes that long to cook. The rice in risotto is no exception. From the time you start adding the liquid it will take about 25 minutes or so before the risotto is ready to serve. At about the 15 minute mark, taste a few grains to see how crunchy it is in the center. It will be decidedly al dente but with experience it will give you a good clue as to how much longer it will take.
Do you have to use dried porcini mushrooms? No. Plain old white button mushrooms will work quite well, as do the crimini (chestnut) I use here. Shiitake mushrooms are good too but a bit on the expensive side. In short, almost any mushroom or combination of mushrooms will work. I like to add the porcini ‘shrooms because of their intense flavor and the soaking liquid is choc full of mushroom flavor as well, which is why I add it to the broth.
Truffle oil? Really? Now I’m not suggesting you run out and buy truffle oil just to make this risotto. I just happened to have some in the fridge so I added it at the end for an extra boost of flavor. Truffles go really well with mushrooms, both being fungi and all. They also compliment eggs. A few drops of truffle oil over scrambled eggs elevates a mundane breakfast into something almost otherworldly. Omelets too. For a flavor home run, how about truffles with a mushroom omelet? (Excuse me a moment while I go and wipe the drool from my chin!) Next time you make mashed spuds, add a tablespoon or so of truffle oil for a special treat. So no, you don’t need to buy truffle oil for this risotto but if you do, there is so much more you can do with it.
One important ingredient for risotto you won’t find in any written recipe is patience! Once your mise-en-place (all the prep work) is done you can expect to spend the next half hour at the stove. That’s were the glass of wine comes in handy!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this demo.
Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 oz (30g) dried porcini mushrooms – (optional)
- 3-4 cups (750ml-1 L) of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth – *See note below
- 4 TBS extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 TBS unsalted butter divided
- 12 oz (350g) mushrooms of your choice – roughly chopped
- 1 TBS fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste – **See note below
- 1 cup finely chopped onion – about 1 medium onion
- 1-2 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 1 cup (7 oz/200g) Arborio or Carnaroli rice
- 1 cup (250ml) of dry white wine or dry vermouth
- 2 oz 56g (or more to taste) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese – grated
- 1 Tsp truffle oil optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the optional porcini mushrooms and cover with 1 1/2 cups (350ml) of hot water. Set aside for 20-30 minutes until the mushrooms are soft. With your finger tips, carefully pick the soft mushrooms out of the soaking liquid and gently squeeze out excess water. Roughly chop the mushrooms.
- If using porcini, pour the soaking liquid into a small saucepan along with the chicken broth. Take great care not to get any of the grit in the bottom of the bowl into the pot. (If you want to be very sure, pour the soaking liquid through a coffee filter.) You should have about 4 cups of liquid total. Bring the broth to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to very low and keep the broth at a bare simmer as you add it to the rice later on. Check the broth for seasoning and add a little salt if necessary.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 TBS of oil and 1 TBS butter over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms along with a good pinch of salt. Sauté 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are cooked. Add the thyme and a few grinds of pepper, stir to combine and set aside.
- In a 3-4 quart (3-4L) pot, heat the remaining 3 TBS oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the chopped onion and porcini mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. The onion should not have any color on it. Add the minced garlic and cook 30-60 seconds until the garlic becomes very fragrant. Take care not to overcook or burn the garlic. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with oil. Continue stirring about 2 minutes to "toast" the rice. That does not mean the rice will change color; you will know when it is ready to receive the broth when the outer edges of the rice grains become translucent, the rice will feel heavy as you stir it in the pot and the grains will make a tinkling sound as they hit the sides of the pot.
- Add the wine and stir constantly until the alcohol evaporates and the pot is almost dry. Add about half a cup of the barely simmering broth and stir until it has been absorbed by the rice and the pot is almost dry. Add another half cup of broth and repeat this process until the rice is cooked. The process should take about 18 minutes from the time you begin adding the broth. At the 15 minute mark taste a few grains of rice to see how far it needs to go. It will be quite definitely undercooked but it will let you know how close you are.
- At this point add about 1/4 cup of broth to the mushrooms and rewarm over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the mushrooms to the rice along with the next addition of broth. Continue cooking another 2-3 minutes, adding broth as needed until the rice is cooked but still very slightly al dente. Stir in a final scoop of broth and immediately remove the pot from the heat, cover and set aside 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cheese and the remaining tablespoon of butter. For a special flavor boost, stir in about a teaspoon of truffle oil. Serve the risotto immediately in warm bowls.
Notes
