By Iron Chef Leftovers
Making risotto seems like a daunting task for someone who has never done it before and there is always the potential for doing something incorrectly and ending up with a big pile of mushy rice. I was lucky growing up in an Italian household – risotto was a staple for special meals and from a very early age, I was lucky enough to watch my dad make it, so I was able to lean by doing it without ever having to use a recipe. Over the years, I have had a number of people ask me for the “recipe”, and they have always been disappointed that there isn’t one. My standard response has always been, come over and I will show you how to make it. Over the years, as I have increased my knowledge of the science of cooking, I have made changes to the way that I make my risotto. I learned that you don’t need to constantly stir it and with a little tweaking, risotto went from something that I made only on weekends to something that I can make for a weeknight dinner. Below is an attempt to put together a repeatable recipe. While I did measure everything out, so much of this is by feel, that it may take you a couple of tries to get it right. Of course, you can always come over and I can show you how to make it…
The Software
3/4 cup Arborio Rice
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup grated parmegiano reggiano
2 tablespoons butter
1 pinch of saffron, steeped in 1/4 cup hot water
salt
pepper
The Recipe
Steep the saffron in hot water for 10 minutes
Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan. You are looking for it to be warm before you use it (around 120 degrees), so bring it up to temperature and hold on the stove over low heat to keep warm. Add the saffron and water to the pot.
In a saucier or sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften and become translucent (about 7 minutes), stirring occasionally. You are not looking to brown the onions; so if they start to brown, lower the heat.
Add the rice to the onions (yes, you read this right). Toast the rice in the pan for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP; IT IS CRITICAL TO THE RICE TURNING OUT PROPERLY.
Add the white wine to the pan to deglaze and stir.
Once the liquid is absorbed lower the heat slightly and add 1/4 of the chicken stock to the rice. Stir. It doesn’t have to be 1/4 exactly, so don’t worry about measuring it, just guess. It won’t hurt you to put more or less in. Cook for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Repeat this process with the remaining liquid, adding it in 3 more times and stirring after the liquid is added. If the rice is sticking to the bottom of the pot badly, lower the heat.
Once you have added the last batch of stock to the rice, add the water to the pot that contained the stock and heat it. This is necessary in case more liquid needs to be added to the rice.
After MOST of the last addition of stock is added, you are going to check for doneness. The only way to check is by tasting it. The rice should be soft with just a hint of toothiness – if it is at all crunchy, it is not done. If you are at that stage, add 1/3 of the water and continue cooking the same way as with the stock until you are done.
When the rice is fully cooked and there is still a small amount of liquid in the rice, reduce heat to medium low and add the cheese and butter, stirring constantly until both are incorporated. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.
Notes
There are several critical components to this dish. The rice you use is important – you need to use Arborio rice that mentions superfino on the package. If you don’t use Arborio rice, you will not get the creamy texture that is the trademark of risotto and superfino indicated that the rice is a high grade. Using rice that is not superfino grade can lead to a mushy meal. Chicken or veggie stock are my recommendations, but you can use any stock you would like (or even just water) – just be warned beef stock will impart a very strong flavor to the rice. The saffron really is optional, but it does impart a golden color and earthiness to the rice. This recipe will feed 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entrée with some leftovers for seconds. This is really a base recipe. I will be posting a few of my favorite variations, but once you get this one down, feel free to experiment to your hearts content.
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