Clark I'll Have the Risotto!

50 delicious recipes for Italian rice dishes
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-78879-623-1
Verlag: Ryland Peters & Small
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 144 Seiten

Creamy, satisfying and delicious, risotto is one of the world's favourite rice dishes. This Italian comfort food is so versatile and works well made with vegetables, fish, shellfish, meat and poultry. Different regions of Italy have their own classic rice dishes, from the soupy Rice and Peas of the Veneto to the Hunter's-style Rabbit Risotto of Umbria and Tuscany, but what they all have in common is the careful cooking of the rice to perfection. For a simple but comforting dinner, there are plenty of dishes packed full of warming cheese and butter, such as Saffron Risotto, Wild Mushroom Risotto or Artichoke and Pecorino Risotto. Lighter fish and shellfish dishes include the dramatic Black Risotto, flavoured with squid ink, Seafood Risotto or Crab and Chilli Risotto. There are also many tempting meaty options, from hearty family meals to dinner party dishes. Children and adults alike will enjoy Ham and Leek Risotto, while you can impress guests with Pheasant and Red Wine Risotto. There are also a few ideas for using up leftover risotto (or for when you simply want to ring the changes), such as Arancini or Rice Croquettes with Tomato Sauce, as well as some surprising sweet delights such as Cherry and Almond Risotto Puddings or Risotto Ice Cream. With useful recipes for various stocks, easy-to-follow instructions for making a basic risotto and a guide to the different kinds of rice available, this is a complete guide to risotto for all lovers of the classic Italian dish.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Clark, Maxine

Leseproben

basic risotto

risotto in bianco

This is the method for a basic, unflavoured risotto without cheese. The important thing is not to rush making a risotto – treat it with love and respect and you will achieve perfect results. The method always remains the same, but the ingredients change slightly. Sometimes, instead of plain onion, a soffritto – a finely chopped mixture of white onion, carrot and celery – can delicately flavour the base of a risotto. Cubed pancetta is sometimes added, but must not be allowed to colour or it will become tough. Although the stated amount of stock is correct, I like to top it up to 2 litres/quarts just in case the rice becomes too thick (you could use hot water instead). Venetians believe risotto should be served all’onda (like a wave), referring to its liquid texture – so you may like to add a little more hot stock just before you serve to loosen it, but don’t let the risotto wait too long or the rice will turn mushy. This recipe gives 4 generous servings or 6 smaller servings.

about 1.5 litres/6 cups hot Vegetable Stock (page 149) or Chicken Stock (page 150)

125 g/1 stick unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

500 g/2? cups risotto rice

150 ml/? cup dry white wine (optional)

freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

SERVES 4–6

making a basic risotto step-by-step

(1) Put the stock in a saucepan and keep at a gentle simmer. Melt half of the butter in a separate large, heavy-based saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently for 10 minutes, until soft, golden and translucent but not browned.

(2) Add the rice to the onions and stir until well coated with the butter and heated through (this is called the tostatura and the rice should start to crackle slightly).

(3) Pour in the wine, if using – you should hear a sospiro (sigh) as it is added. Boil hard until it has reduced and almost disappeared. This will remove the raw taste of alcohol.

(4) Begin adding the stock, a large ladleful at a time, stirring gently until each ladleful has been almost absorbed into the rice. The risotto should be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out – add more stock as necessary. Continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains still firm. This should take 15–20 minutes, depending on the type of rice used – check the packet instructions.

(5) Taste and season well with salt and pepper and beat in the remaining butter (this process of beating is called mantecare). Sometimes grated Parmesan cheese is beaten in with the butter at this stage. Cover and let rest for a couple of minutes then serve.

pesto risotto

risotto al pesto

Stirring homemade pesto genovese into a simple risotto just before you eat it makes it taste heavenly – quite an explosion on the taste buds!

about 1.5 litres/6 cups hot Vegetable Stock (page 149) and Chicken Stock (page 150)

125 g/1 stick unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

500 g/2? cups risotto rice

150 ml/? cup dry white wine (optional)

1 quantity homemade Pesto Genovese (see page 18) or good-quality freshly prepared pesto

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

SERVES 6

To make the risotto, put the stock in a saucepan and keep at a gentle simmer. Melt half the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden and translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir until well coated with butter and heated through. Add the wine, if using, and boil hard until it has reduced and almost disappeared.

Begin adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring gently until each one has been almost absorbed into the rice. The risotto should be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out – add more stock as necessary. Continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains still firm. (This should take 15–20 minutes, depending on the type of rice used.) Season well with salt and pepper and beat in the remaining butter. Cover and let rest for a couple of minutes so the risotto can relax.

Serve in warm bowls with a large spoonful of pesto in each or spoon liquid pesto over the entire surface before serving, as preferred.

making pesto genovese step-by-step

Don’t stint on the fresh basil here – to make good pesto, you must use the right amount of very fresh basil leaves – too little basil and it will taste insipid. Adding a little softened butter at the end gives the pesto a delicious creaminess. This recipe makes a thick sauce: if you would prefer a lake of it floating over the surface of your risotto, then simply add more olive oil. Homemade pesto can be frozen successfully – some suggest leaving out the cheese and beating it in when the pesto has thawed, but I have never had any problems including it in the beginning.

2 garlic cloves

50 g/½ cup pine nuts

50 g/1¼ cups fresh basil leaves

150 ml/? cup extra virgin olive oil (or more)

50 g/4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

MAKES 250 ML/1 CUP

(1) Peel the garlic and put it in a mortar with a little salt and the pine nuts. Pound with a pestle until broken up.

(2) Add the basil leaves, a few at a time, pounding and mixing to a paste.

(3) Gradually beat in the olive oil, little by little, until the mixture is creamy and thick.

(4) Beat in the butter and season with pepper, then beat in the Parmesan.

Use immediately or spoon into a screwtop jar (with a layer of olive oil on top of the pesto to exclude the air) and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 weeks.

parmesan and butter risotto

risotto alla parmigiana

When you have nothing except risotto rice, a chunk of Parmesan (ideally real Parmigiano Reggiano) and some butter to work with, yet feel the need for comfort and luxury, this is the risotto for you. It is pale, golden, smooth and creamy and relies totally on the quality of these three ingredients. That said, if you find you also have some fresh or frozen peas and some pieces of diced pancetta (cured pork belly meat) or cubed thick ham to hand, you can stir these in at the end with the butter and Parmesan to add a little extra pep.

about 1.5 litres/6 cups hot Vegetable Stock (page 149) or Chicken Stock (page 150)

150 g/1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

500 g/2? cups risotto rice, preferably carnaroli

150 ml/? cup dry white wine

100 g/1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

SERVES 4–6

Put the stock in a saucepan and keep at a gentle simmer. Melt half the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden and translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and heated through. Pour in the wine and boil hard until it has reduced and almost disappeared. This will remove any raw alcohol taste.

Begin adding the stock, a large ladleful at a time, stirring gently until each ladle has almost been absorbed by the rice. The risotto should be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out – add more stock as necessary. Continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains still firm. (This should take 15–20 minutes depending on the type of rice used.)

Taste and season well with salt and pepper, then stir in the remaining butter and all the Parmesan. Cover and let rest for a couple of minutes so the risotto can relax and the cheese melt, then serve immediately. You may like to add a little more stock just before you serve, but don’t let the risotto wait around too long or the rice will turn mushy.

saffron risotto

risotto allo zafferano

This is not to be confused with risotto alla milanese, which accompanies the famous dish osso buco, enriched with delicious beef bone marrow. However, this recipe does the job very nicely, producing a rich, creamy risotto with the delicate taste of saffron. Saffron powder can also be used, but make sure it is real saffron and not just ground stamens of the safflower. Saffron will always be relatively expensive when bought outside its country of origin, and is a great thing to take home with you if you are visiting Italy or Spain, where it can be found at a good price.

about 1.5 litres/6 cups hot Vegetable Stock (page 149) or Chicken Stock (page 150)

125 g/1 stick unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

500 g/2? cups risotto rice

150 ml/? cup dry white wine

16 saffron threads or ½ teaspoon ground saffron

75 g/¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

SERVES 4–6

Put the stock in a saucepan and keep at a gentle simmer. Melt half the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden and translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and heated through. Pour in the...