Risotto

Serves 6 as a side dish

This recipe does not employ the traditional risotto method; the rice is mainly stirred for 3 minutes toward the end of cooking instead of constantly throughout. This more hands-off method does require precise timing, so we strongly recommend using a timer. The consistency of risotto is largely a matter of personal taste; if you prefer a looser texture, add extra broth in step 4.

INGREDIENTS

• • 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth

  • 1 1/2 cups water

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 large onion , chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)

  • Table salt

  • 1 medium garlic clove , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

  • 2 cups Arborio rice

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

  • 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

  • Ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Bring broth and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain gentle simmer.

  2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. When butter has melted, add onion and ¾ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened but not browned, 4 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes.

  3. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir 5 cups hot broth mixture into rice; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until almost all liquid has been absorbed and rice is just al dente, 16 to 19 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.

  4. Add ¾ cup hot broth mixture and stir gently and constantly until risotto becomes creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lemon juice, parsley, and chives; season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add up to ½ cup remaining broth mixture to loosen texture of risotto. Serve immediately.

TECHNIQUE

SECRETS TO ALMOST HANDS-FREE RISOTTO

In the traditional approach to risotto, near-constant stirring for 25 minutes accomplishes two things: It maximizes the release of starch from the rice, for a creamier sauce, and it ensures that the whole pot cooks evenly. Here’s how we achieved the same goals, with just a few minutes of stirring.

• 1. ADD LOTS OF LIQUID. Once it starts bubbling, a full 5 cups of liquid added at the start of cooking agitates the rice grains much like stirring, accelerating the release of creamy starch.

  2. PUT A LID ON IT. A lid, coupled with the heavy-bottomed Dutch oven and low heat, helps to distribute the heat as evenly as stirring, so every grain is as tender as the next.

  3. STIR, THEN REST. A brief stir followed by a five-minute rest provides additional insurance that the rice will be perfectly al dente, from the top of the pot to the bottom.

Asparagus Lemon Mint Risotto - Jamie Oliver

• • 1 litre/1¾ pints vegetable or chicken stock

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

  • 4-5 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped

  • 600g risotto rice

  • 250ml vermouth or dry white wine

  • 2 bunches of asparagus, woody ends removed and discarded

  • 700ml hot vegetable or chicken stock

  • 100g butter

  • 1-2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus a block for grating

  • a bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and finely chopped

  • zest and juice of 2 lemons

  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • extra virgin olive oil

This is such a simple, clean and delicious risotto. When buying asparagus, have a look around because there are lots of varieties available now - purple-tipped, white, thin straggly Japanese, wild Spanish and dozens of good locally grown English. In this recipe, the stalks are finely sliced to an inch below the tips - this will give you lots of flavour from the stalks and you'll then have those whole beautiful tips as a bit of a prize! There are variations on this risotto that I love to do, like sprinkling in a little picked crab or lobstermeat or fresh, peeled prawns or sliced scallops - all of these work particularly well with asparagus if you fancy a little upgrade. (If you do decide to add any of these seafood suggestions, then reduce your Parmesan by half.)

• 1. Finely chop your asparagus stalks into tiny discs, keeping the tips whole. Then start making your basic risotto recipe. 

  2. Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

  3. Put the olive oil and butter in a separate large pan, add the onion and celery and cook very gently for about 15 minutes, without colouring, until soft.

  4. Add the rice (it will sizzle) and turn up the heat. Don't let the rice or veg catch on the bottom of the pan, so keep it moving.

  5. Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine. You will smell the alcohol immediately, so keep stirring all the time until it has evaporated, leaving the rice with a lovely perfume.

  6. Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next.

  7. Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesn't cook too quickly, otherwise the outside of each grain will be stodgy and the inside hard and nutty (you don't want to cook it too slowly either, or it will turn into rice pudding!) and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed. This should take about 14 to 15 minutes and give you rice that is beginning to soften but is still a little al dente. Put to one side.

  8. Now put a large saucepan on a medium to high heat and pour in half the stock, followed by all your risotto base and the finely sliced asparagus stalks and the tips.

  9. Stirring all the time, gently bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until almost all the stock has been absorbed.

  10. Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time until the rice and asparagus are cooked. You might not need all your stock.

  11. Be careful not to overcook the rice - check it throughout cooking to make sure it's a pleasure to eat. It should hold its shape but be soft, creamy and oozy, and the overall texture should be slightly looser than you think you want it.

  12. Turn off the heat, beat in your butter and Parmesan, mint, almost all the lemon zest and all the juice.

  13. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

  14. Put a lid on the pan and leave the risotto to rest for a minute.

  15. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a scattering of lemon zest and a block of Parmesan on the table.

http://www.ming.com/foodandwine/recipes/season-6/shiitake-sushi-rice-risotto.htm

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/risotto/basic-risotto-recipe

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/risotto/asparagus-mint-lemon-risotto?rr=uk&rr_rem=y&rr_red=asparagus-mint-lemon-risotto_1

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/risotto/grilled-mushroom-risotto

http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2010/12/6-minute-risotto.html

http://www.redactedrecipes.com/2008/06/heatwave-cookin.html

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/taste/takehome/stories/DN-greer_0215gd.ART.State.Edition1.9e7265.html

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/slow-cooker-sausage-and-vegetable-risotto

http://londoneats.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/mushroom-risotto/

http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-lab-the-science-of-risotto.html