Follow these tips, try this recipe … and dinner’s made. Enjoy!
Tips
- One of the first steps to a great risotto is using the right rice, and with Riso Gallo, the Italian rice now available in South Africa from Italian Deli Online, that first step is taken care of.
- Your stock must be hot – keep it just simmering on the ring next to your risotto pot.
- Cook the rice in hot butter or oil for one minute before adding liquid.
- Get the temperature right – the rice should cook at a constant medium bubble.
- Stir every 30 seconds or so, keep the rice moving so it doesn’t stick to the pot.
- Allow the cooked risotto to sit off the heat for two minutes before stirring in extra butter and parmesan for the finishing touch.
Basic risotto recipe
You’ll need: 1 medium onion, chopped fine; 40g butter; 320g Riso Gallo Sustainable Arborio or Carnaroli Rice; 125ml dry white wine; 1 litre good quality chicken or vegetable stock, at simmering point, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
How to:
Use a wide, heavy bottomed pan. Melt the butter and gently sauté the onion until soft and translucent.
Over a medium heat, stir the rice into the hot butter and cook for one minute until it becomes translucent.
Pour in the wine and stir until it has all been absorbed or evaporated.
Add a ladleful of the hot stock and stir. As soon as that has been absorbed, add stock one ladle at a time. Stir at least every 30 seconds or as often as is needed to avoid the rice sticking. The rice should cook at a medium bubble in this way for 16 to 18 minutes until all the stock is absorbed. The rice grains should be soft and tender to the bite, but slightly firm (not chalky) in the middle. Cook for longer, adding hot water if needed.
Remove rice from the heat and let sit covered for two minutes before stirring in the grated parmesan and an extra knob of butter. Check for seasoning and serve.
Suggested flavourings to add to the basic risotto recipe
- Fresh mushrooms, cooked with the onions, before adding rice. Add chopped flat leaf parsley at the final cooking stage.
- Fresh or defrosted frozen peas added to the onions once they have softened and cooked until tender before adding the rice. A few chopped mint leaves go nicely with this.
- Butternut, roasted and then pureed, added to the risotto halfway through cooking.
- Gorgonzola cheese stirred into the risotto at the end of the heat, with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Find the whole Riso Gallo range at Italian Deli Online www.italiandelionline.co.za
