Bella Risotto! (“Rizz…zoto”!)
Quite a few years ago my husband Tim bugged me to try making risotto, the classic rice dish of Northern Italy. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Pasta is my fav carb, (now that there are better quality/texture whole wheat pastas on the market I’m using them more) but Tim’s a rice fanatic, so it was only fair to look into this luxuriously creamy, yet nutritious arborio rice dish. We both fell in love. Try it—the rewards far outweigh the effort!
In Italy risotto is considered a first course, while here in America it is usually served as an entree. Served with a salad and some crusty European bread, it is satisfying comfort food yet sophisticated enough for company.
In “research queen” mode I went to the library to find a book to teach myself the technique. There I found my go-to risotto bible, ‘Risotto: More Than 100 Recipes for the classic Rice Dish of Northern Italy’, by Judith Barrett & Norma Wasserman. It’s an oldie, (1987) yet remains my favorite.
Risotto is so easy once you get the basics down. The key is preparing your ingredients ahead of time and stirring patiently for 20 minutes as the risotto becomes the signature, flavorful combination of firm grains of rice in the velvety sauce it’s known for. Once you do this, you can vary the ingredients, improvise or allowing a recipe to inspire you.
The main components of every risotto recipe are the brodo, or broth, the condimenti, flavorings or ingredients like meats, vegetables, herbs and cheeses, and soffrito, usually a combination of butter, oil and finally minced onion. Riso refers to the rice, which is arborio. (you can also use carnaroli rice).
Here’s the basic recipe from ‘Risotto’ to which I simply added 2 inch pieces of roasted asparagus and slices of pan-grilled andouille sausage to the condimenti at the end. You can use it for your own variations-shrimp or sausage and peas is another good one.
Brodo
- 5 1/2 cups of Broth (the book has recipes for making your own but when I don’t have time, which is most of the time, I use organic chicken or veggie broth.)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
Soffritto
- 2 TBS unsalted butter
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1/3 cup finely minced onion
Riso
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
Condimenti
- 1 TBS unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 TBS chopped, fresh parsley
- 4 links of andouille sausage, pan-grilled until brown and sliced thin, set aside. (I used Aidell’s Organic, but Trader Joe’s carries some nice varieties you can substitute)
- about 3/4 lb asparagus, trimmed then roasted, pan-sauteed or steamed and cut into two inch pieces, set aside.
- Brodo : Bring the broth to a steady simmer in a 3 qt saucepan.
- Soffritto: Heat the butter and oil in a heavy 6-8 qt pasta pot (Dutch oven) over moderate heat. Add the onion and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until it begins to soften, being careful not to brown it.
- Riso: Add the rice to the soffritto, using a wooden spoon, stir for 1 minute, making sure all the grains are well coated. (If you are using the wine, add it now and stir until it is completely absorbed.) Begin to add the simmering broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until each addition of broth is completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup, reserving about 1/4 cup to add at the end. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
- Condimenti: After approximately 18 minutes, when the rice is tender but still firm (you can do a taste-test if necessary with a few grains) add the reserved broth, and the condimenti— the sausage slices, asparagus pieces, parmesan and parsley—and stir vigorously to combine with the rice until heated through.
Open the vino & Bon apetito!
Some Useful Tips I find to be true:
- Never wash the rice! Every bit of the starch is needed to make the creamy sauce that envelops the dish.
- Keep the broth at a low simmer while you add it to the rice. This helps maintain a constant cooking temperature.
- Run the spoon across the bottom of the pot to determine when each addition of broth is almost absorbed—you should be able to create a clear wake behind the spoon. The total amount of broth may vary slightly, within 1/4 cup depending on what other ingredients you add.
- Throughout the cooking process, keep the risotto at an even, lively, but low boil to ensure the proper rate of evaporation of the broth. Each addition should probably be absorbed by the rice in just under 2 minutes. If the heat is too high, it evaporates too quickly, if too low, the broth takes too long to be absorbed, the rice loses its firmness, the sauce will not be creamy. I have never had a problem with this, it is really easy to d and fairly forgiving!
- Taste frequently at the end, the total cooking time can vary within 2-3 minutes.
- You can add simmering water if you run short on broth.
- Always serve immediately so as not to let it cool or lose consistency.
- Nice idea: Serve in preheated bowls or plates.
Ideas for leftover risotto: you can make a risotto frittata, or arrancini (The Romagnoli’s call them suppli) since the risotto does not reheat the next day to its original consistency. This has not stopped me from reheating it for a quick lunch—the flavor is still really good!
