Authors: Giada De Laurentiis
Everyday Italian (19 page)
RISOTTO
When we think of Italian cuisine, the first starch that comes to mind is pasta. But in Italy, risotto is just as popular. Like pasta, it’s something of a neutral canvas and can be flavored in many different ways. The key to a good risotto is the rice. Arborio, a short-grain variety, is my choice for a creamy, velvety risotto.
Another key to a successful risotto is the gradual addition of the cooking liquid. Unlike many rice dishes, for risotto you don’t combine a set amount of rice with a set amount of liquid and cook it all together. With risotto, you add the liquid in small increments, stirring all the while and allowing the rice to absorb the liquid, for about 20 minutes. So risotto isn’t the thing to serve if your other dishes involve last-minute preparations; you don’t want to be stirring the risotto with one hand while trying to sauté chicken breasts with the other. For that reason, I like to serve risotto with something that comes out of the oven: a slow-braised stew, for example, or any roast.
This is the most basic risotto. But just because it’s basic doesn’t mean it’s not great: This dish is all about the crunchy yet creamy rice combined with the nuttiness of Parmesan. I serve this basic version as a side to main dishes that have strong, flavored sauces, using the simplicity of the rice to offset the complexity of the entrée.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| 4 | cups reduced-sodium chicken broth |
| 3 | tablespoons butter |
| ¾ | cup finely chopped onion (from 1 onion) |
| 1½ | cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice |
| ½ | cup dry white wine |
| ½ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| ½ | teaspoon salt |
| ¼ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
In a Medium Saucepan,
bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add ½ cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the salt and pepper. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
You can add
just about anything you want to basic risotto: prosciutto, vegetables such as peas, seafood such as shrimp, or herbs and other seasonings such as saffron. (The recipe that follows is for one of my favorite variations of the basic risotto, with wild mushrooms and peas.) But you usually don’t want these ingredients to cook for 30 minutes with the rice, or they’d become overcooked—tough, dry, and flavorless. So instead of cooking these other ingredients
with
your rice, cook them separately. To save dirtying another pan, you can cook the other ingredients before you start with the basic risotto recipe, in the same pan that you’ll use for the rice. On the other hand, to save time, you can use another pan, and cook them
while
you’re making the risotto.
with Peas
The secret to the intense mushroom flavor in this recipe is that not only are mushrooms themselves part of the mix, but the risotto is cooked with mushroom-flavored broth. In order to use dried porcini mushrooms—or any dried mushrooms for that matter—you have to reconstitute them by allowing them to sit in hot water for a few minutes, absorbing that water and plumping up. Then the mushrooms are ready to cook with, and you have all this flavorful liquid as a byproduct. By all means, take advantage of it: Here, it works as a flavor booster to the chicken stock; but you can also use it as the base of a wonderful soup or sauce.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| 5¾ | cups canned low-sodium chicken broth |
| ½ | ounce dried porcini mushrooms |
| ¼ | cup (½ stick) unsalted butter |
| 2 | cups finely chopped onion |
| 10 | ounces white mushrooms, finely chopped |
| 2 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 1½ | cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice |
| ⅔ | cup dry white wine |
| ½ | cup frozen peas, thawed |
| ⅔ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Bring the Broth
to a simmer in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Add the porcini mushrooms. Cover and set aside until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms and finely chop. Cover the broth and keep warm over very low heat.
Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the white mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, and garlic; sauté until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice. Add the wine; cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, adding more broth by cupfuls and stirring often, about 28 minutes. Stir in the peas. Mix in the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
(Rice Cake)
Another fantastic use for leftover risotto, and a
great
afternoon snack.
4 APPETIZER SERVINGS
| 2 | cups Wild Mushroom Risotto with Peas , cold |
| ¼ | cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| 1 | tablespoon unsalted butter |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
In a Medium Bowl,
stir the risotto and ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese to blend. In a heavy, large skillet, melt the butter and oil over medium-low heat. Add the risotto to the skillet and press into a 7-inch-diameter disc. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese over the risotto cake. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, then uncover and continue to cook until the risotto cake is golden brown on the bottom and set around the edges, about 5 minutes longer. Using a large metal spatula, loosen the risotto cake from the pan and slide it onto a plate. Cut the risotto cake into wedges and serve.
Arancini di Riso
means “little orange rice balls”—orange, because the risotto was traditionally made with saffron (the version called Risotto Milanese), which gives the rice an orange tint. This recipe is one of the many brilliant ways that Italians have for using up leftovers.
MAKES ABOUT 20
| 2 | cups Basic Risotto , cooled |
| 1½ | cups dried Italian-style bread crumbs |
| ½ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| 2 | large eggs, beaten to blend |
| 2 | ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes |
| Vegetable oil (for deep-frying) |
In a Large Bowl,
stir the risotto, ½ cup of the bread crumbs, the Parmesan cheese, and the eggs to combine. In a medium bowl, place the remaining cup of bread crumbs. Using about 2 tablespoons of the risotto mixture for each cube of mozzarella cheese, form the risotto mixture around the cheese cubes to enclose completely and form into 1¾-inch-diameter balls. Roll the balls in the remaining bread crumbs to coat.
In a large, heavy saucepan, add enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches and heat over a medium flame to 350 degrees F. Working in batches, add the rice balls and cook until brown and heated through, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rice balls to paper towels to drain. Let rest for 2 minutes. Serve hot.
Grilled Jumbo ShrimpScampi on CouscousGrilled Seafood SaladGrilled Tuna SteaksSeared Rib-Eye Steak with Arugula-Roasted Pepper SaladSteak FlorentineGrilled Lamb Chops
Chicken ParmesanChicken PiccataChicken SaltimboccaVeal MarsalaPork MilaneseBraciola
Roasted Red Snapper with RosemarySalmon Baked in FoilRoasted Pork Loin with Fig SauceRoasted Chicken with Balsamic VinaigretteTurkey TonnatoAunt Raffy’s Turkey Stuffing