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Thing Three: Risotto
May. 14th, 2012 09:49 amRisotto. It wasn't something that I had growing up. Even though I firmly believe all Rhode Islanders are, in a way, honorary Italian-Americans, it just wasn't part of my home-cooked or restaurant food experiences. Pasta, sure. Lasagna, of course. Pizza, well, duh. But risotto just was never on my menu. I didn't even eat it until I was in my late 20s, I think. It had always seemed like something painstaking and time-consuming, and even my father (generally one hell of a cook) admitted that he'd never had one turn out well. Eventually, though, I gave it a whirl. My early attempts took hours. It seemed to take ages for each ladleful of hot broth to be absorbed by the stubborn arborio rice, and the constant stirring over that long period of time became wearisome even for someone who actually loves slaving over a hot stove. I started ordering it more often in restaurants, and stopped cooking it, rolling my eyes when I read recipes that said it took maybe 30-40 minutes to prepare a risotto. Bull, said I.
What turned the tide, for me, was watching a friend cook risotto one evening. He did two things differently than I had done. First, he used a skillet instead of a tall pot. That surprised the hell out of me. "Won't that make the liquid evaporate too quickly to be absorbed?" I asked him. He assured me that was not the case. Also, he only stirred once in a while, instead of all the time. Still, nothing stuck to the bottom of the pan. And...much to my amazement, the risotto was ready in about 30-40 minutes. There was no denying it, since I'd been standing there and watching as it cooked. That evening, I knew that I would be cooking risotto again.
Since then, I think I've only made it a couple of times, but that's mostly because I tend to prefer eating whole grains most of the time, and really, I don't even want to think about what it would take to make a brown rice risotto. Still, I'm starting to think it's time to make another one soon. I've done a bunch of seafood risottos, and I've also tried a few others. One particularly nice one involved some rehydrated dried mushrooms (morels, chanterelles, and shiitakes), leftover roast chicken, and herbs. I tend to make risottos as main-course dishes with a salad to accompany them, rather than just having them as a side.
Here's my general method for risotto:
Bring a saucepan of stock (maybe 4-6 cups) to a simmer, and leave it covered over low heat. I've used chicken stock and seafood stock. You can also use veal stock for a classic risotto milanese, and I bet a nice ham stock would be amazing with some fresh peas and onions. In a nice wide skillet over medium heat, heat some butter or olive oil. I've found that really, only a very little is actually needed. I've given the pan a spritz of olive oil from a mister, and that's been enough. If you want more, though, by all means go ahead. Then, add your rice. Arborio. Not some other kind. Arborio is best for risotto. Stir it for a minute or so, coating it in the oil or butter. Then, add about a half cup of wine. I like a nice dry white. I've used dry vermouth in a pinch. Stir a bit. When it gets absorbed most of the way, add in a ladleful of the hot stock. Stir a bit. When it gets absorbed most of the way, add more. Keep doing this. In about half an hour or so, your rice should be getting to the point of being al dente--that is, done, but with some tooth to it. Not mushy. I often start testing a couple grains every few minutes after the 20 minute mark. When it's done, you can gild the lily by adding some finely grated parmesan cheese.
If you want a more complicated risotto (i.e., a risotto with stuff in it), I find it best to prep stuff in advance so I don't need to take my attention away from the rice for too long. I'll cook onions in with the rice from the beginning, but for stuff that I don't want to cook for quite that long, I'll add it in when the rice is a bit closer to done. This is especially true of seafood, which can get really tough and unappetizing if overcooked. Mushrooms can be in for longer, but asparagus and peas should be cooked more lightly. Use your best judgment.
It's a warm-ish day today, but a rainy one. Might be a good evening for risotto for dinner...
What turned the tide, for me, was watching a friend cook risotto one evening. He did two things differently than I had done. First, he used a skillet instead of a tall pot. That surprised the hell out of me. "Won't that make the liquid evaporate too quickly to be absorbed?" I asked him. He assured me that was not the case. Also, he only stirred once in a while, instead of all the time. Still, nothing stuck to the bottom of the pan. And...much to my amazement, the risotto was ready in about 30-40 minutes. There was no denying it, since I'd been standing there and watching as it cooked. That evening, I knew that I would be cooking risotto again.
Since then, I think I've only made it a couple of times, but that's mostly because I tend to prefer eating whole grains most of the time, and really, I don't even want to think about what it would take to make a brown rice risotto. Still, I'm starting to think it's time to make another one soon. I've done a bunch of seafood risottos, and I've also tried a few others. One particularly nice one involved some rehydrated dried mushrooms (morels, chanterelles, and shiitakes), leftover roast chicken, and herbs. I tend to make risottos as main-course dishes with a salad to accompany them, rather than just having them as a side.
Here's my general method for risotto:
Bring a saucepan of stock (maybe 4-6 cups) to a simmer, and leave it covered over low heat. I've used chicken stock and seafood stock. You can also use veal stock for a classic risotto milanese, and I bet a nice ham stock would be amazing with some fresh peas and onions. In a nice wide skillet over medium heat, heat some butter or olive oil. I've found that really, only a very little is actually needed. I've given the pan a spritz of olive oil from a mister, and that's been enough. If you want more, though, by all means go ahead. Then, add your rice. Arborio. Not some other kind. Arborio is best for risotto. Stir it for a minute or so, coating it in the oil or butter. Then, add about a half cup of wine. I like a nice dry white. I've used dry vermouth in a pinch. Stir a bit. When it gets absorbed most of the way, add in a ladleful of the hot stock. Stir a bit. When it gets absorbed most of the way, add more. Keep doing this. In about half an hour or so, your rice should be getting to the point of being al dente--that is, done, but with some tooth to it. Not mushy. I often start testing a couple grains every few minutes after the 20 minute mark. When it's done, you can gild the lily by adding some finely grated parmesan cheese.
If you want a more complicated risotto (i.e., a risotto with stuff in it), I find it best to prep stuff in advance so I don't need to take my attention away from the rice for too long. I'll cook onions in with the rice from the beginning, but for stuff that I don't want to cook for quite that long, I'll add it in when the rice is a bit closer to done. This is especially true of seafood, which can get really tough and unappetizing if overcooked. Mushrooms can be in for longer, but asparagus and peas should be cooked more lightly. Use your best judgment.
It's a warm-ish day today, but a rainy one. Might be a good evening for risotto for dinner...
