Risotto, five ways
I think I had risotto for the first time when we traveled to Italy with my family when we toured Northern Italy and Switzerland. When we came back, we were intent on recreating a risotto dish we had tried one night at Lago di Como (same place where my middle school aged brother ordered shrimp and was horrified when his plate arrived with heads, tentacles and shells still on it-going to try and dig up that old picture and scan it).
First here's the basic risotto recipe.
1 tbs butter or olive oil
1/2 c. finely diced onion or shallot
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
1/2 c. dry white wine, vermouth or dry sherry
5 c. warm chicken broth
parmesan cheese
Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions until soft.
Add the rice and toss to coat the rice with the butter or olive oil.
The trick to risotto is to add 1/2 c. of liquid at a time, stirring and cooking until the liquid is absorbed. Then you add more.
Add the white wine first and cook until it's absorbed.
Then add the chicken broth 1/2 c. at a time until the rice is done.
Off heat, add parmesan cheese to your liking.
Other stirs ins might be heavy cream or butter.
Here are some variations that we make quite often.
Lemon and pea-stir in blanched fresh peas, lemon zest and lemon juice at the end. Just cook to heat through.
Mexican corn risotto-stir in 1/4 tsp of cumin with the onion and cook together. Add a can of drained corn and heat through and instead of parmesan cheese use pepper jack cheese. Top with chopped cilantro.
Apple and ham risotto with green onion-this is the one we had in Italy. The menu called it speck but I don't think it's a common American ingredient. We use regular ham though rendered thick cut bacon would be good too if you wanted some more pork fat in your life. Stir in ham and cook to warm through. Off heat add in finely chopped apples and top with sliced green onion.
Spicy sausage risotto-cook a pound of spicy italian sausage removed from their casings with the onion. You won't need added olive oil in this one. You can add green peas or sliced roasted bell pepper to add some more veg to this meal.
Last version, Risotto with tomato, basil and corn (Joy of Cooking). Stay with me, it has a lot more parts but it's well worth it. Combine 1 c. chopped, seeded and peeled tomatoes with 2 tbs fresh basil strips, 1 tbs lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Puree 1 c. corn and set aside. Instead of regular onion at the beginning, cook 1/2 c. finely diced green onions (just the white and light green parts) until they are clear and tender. Cook the rice just like before. When it's almost done, add the pureed corn and the last bit of stock. Stir in another cup of corn and the tomato and basil mixture. Season with more salt and pepper and parmesan cheese.
First here's the basic risotto recipe.
1 tbs butter or olive oil
1/2 c. finely diced onion or shallot
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
1/2 c. dry white wine, vermouth or dry sherry
5 c. warm chicken broth
parmesan cheese
Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions until soft.
Add the rice and toss to coat the rice with the butter or olive oil.
The trick to risotto is to add 1/2 c. of liquid at a time, stirring and cooking until the liquid is absorbed. Then you add more.
Add the white wine first and cook until it's absorbed.
Then add the chicken broth 1/2 c. at a time until the rice is done.
Off heat, add parmesan cheese to your liking.
Other stirs ins might be heavy cream or butter.
Here are some variations that we make quite often.
Lemon and pea-stir in blanched fresh peas, lemon zest and lemon juice at the end. Just cook to heat through.
Mexican corn risotto-stir in 1/4 tsp of cumin with the onion and cook together. Add a can of drained corn and heat through and instead of parmesan cheese use pepper jack cheese. Top with chopped cilantro.
Apple and ham risotto with green onion-this is the one we had in Italy. The menu called it speck but I don't think it's a common American ingredient. We use regular ham though rendered thick cut bacon would be good too if you wanted some more pork fat in your life. Stir in ham and cook to warm through. Off heat add in finely chopped apples and top with sliced green onion.
Spicy sausage risotto-cook a pound of spicy italian sausage removed from their casings with the onion. You won't need added olive oil in this one. You can add green peas or sliced roasted bell pepper to add some more veg to this meal.
Last version, Risotto with tomato, basil and corn (Joy of Cooking). Stay with me, it has a lot more parts but it's well worth it. Combine 1 c. chopped, seeded and peeled tomatoes with 2 tbs fresh basil strips, 1 tbs lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Puree 1 c. corn and set aside. Instead of regular onion at the beginning, cook 1/2 c. finely diced green onions (just the white and light green parts) until they are clear and tender. Cook the rice just like before. When it's almost done, add the pureed corn and the last bit of stock. Stir in another cup of corn and the tomato and basil mixture. Season with more salt and pepper and parmesan cheese.
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