Risotto

I'm sure that Risotto is probably one of those dishes that every food blogger starting out does a feature on. It's largely considered to be a must-know for any foodie, and with good reason: it's elegant, beautiful, and has a perfect flavor balance and excellent mouth-feel, when done properly. It is rich, creamy, and satisfying. And, it takes forever. Risotto is a fussy baby. It must be soothed and coddled, constantly watched, never let out of sight. Still, I think that everyone should learn to make Risotto. It really does take a long time, about half an hour of uninterrupted stirring, but it's worth it. Putting all other things aside, it cost me about three dollars to make four very American-sized portions. You can use leftover vegetables in it too. It is important for any miser to have a repertoire of dishes they can make cheaply. It just so happens that I am cheapskate and a gourmand. It makes my life truly miserable sometimes, but Risotto is one of those shining examples of cuisine that allows me to experience the best of both worlds.

This particular risotto started out as a simple Parmesan one, but I discovered a handful of sliced mushrooms unused by a previous dinner in the back of my refrigerator. Behold, the mise-en-place - a whole diced red onion, a handful of sliced button mushrooms, and a wee pile of minced garlic (about four cloves):


Now, I know this is supposed to be the abstemious epicure, but for risotto to turn out properly, you must sweat the aromatics in a fairly liberal amount of fat. I will explain more about this later, but the important part is that the garlic and onion went in with two tablespoons of butter.



After the onions and garlic have softened, you add two cups of rice to this buttery melange. The type of rice is important. It needs to be a starchy, medium-grain one. I used arborio, which seems to be the most popular one for American risotto-making. Two very important things need to happen here. Firstly, the rice needs to become coated with butter. Secondly, the rice needs to become somewhat toasted. Mostly, you can tell this has been achieved when the grains of rice become translucent around the edges. The fragrant aroma of toasted rice is another good indicator, although one must be very careful about this, otherwise the rice may burn.


The next step is to incorporate a small amount of white wine to the rice. I added about a half cup of a dry Gewurztraminer. The bulk of the risotto process is adding small amounts of liquid and stirring until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Once the wine has been absorbed, you incorporate six cups of stock, one ladle at a time. Once a ladle of stock is added to the rice mixture, you must stir the risotto constantly until the liquid is absorbed. This process is repeated until the stock has all been used. Oddly, this process fairly universally takes exactly 20 minutes from the time of wine absorption.


You will know the risotto is ready when a the rice appears to be coated in a creamy "sauce." Once the stock has been entirely incorporated and creaminess becomes apparent, a taste test of the risotto should reveal rice that is ever so slightly "al-dente." It shouldn't be hard, but it should be toothsome and offer slight resistance when you bite into it.


At this point, you dice in a bit more cold butter, and finish with some grated Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. This adds to the creaminess of the rice and honestly, how can you go wrong with extra butter and cheese?


Tada! You're done. I serve risotto as a main course, but it would be just as wonderful as an accompaniment to meat or fish. The best thing about risotto is that the only limit is your own imagination, provided that you follow the basic process.


P.S. - The meal actually cost 3.25, as the squash was $.50