Risotto

What exactly is risotto?

Risotto is a primo, an alternative to pasta or soup.

The origin of the dish is the flat Posletta in northern Italy. On the western part of Posletta, you will find the largest areas for rice cultivation in Europe.

It is common to add vegetables, such as artichokes, mushrooms, squash and asparagus, etc., but also meat, fish and shellfish.

To get a good risotto, you have to follow some strict risotto rules.

What is a perfect risotto?

What you want to achieve is a rich, creamy consistency on the rice, while the risotto should have good chewing resistance. In order to achieve a perfect result on the risotto, there are a number of considerations that must be taken into account. Once you master the technique, it's easy.

Equipment

You need a thick-bottomed pot. It is important that the boiler distributes the heat evenly. You also need a wooden spoon to stir the risotto.

Ingredients

The very best thing is, as always, to use seasonal vegetables. It can be anything from asparagus in spring to mushrooms in autumn.

Good extra virgin olive oil.

White wine. It is common to use white wine in the risotto, but we also use red wine in special risotto recipes.

Parmesan. It is perfect for achieving a creamy consistency and good taste.

What kind of rice do we use?

In Italy it is most common to use Carnaroli. Other varieties that can be used to make risotto are Vialone Nano and Arborio,

This rice is short and thick and releases large amounts of starch during cooking.

You can NOT make risotto from regular rice (eg basmati rice).

Soffritto

A soffritto is the aromatic starting point for a risotto (and many other dishes). In its simplest form, soffritto consists of finely chopped onions or shallots that are fried in oil. It is also common to fry some finely chopped (or crushed) garlic together with the onion.

In other variants, finely chopped celery and carrot are also used.

It is important that none of the ingredients burn. The vegetables should only be blanched.

Tostare (the toasting)

When making risotto, it is important that you "toast" the rice in the frying pan without oil. The shaking of the rice will affect the final result of the risotto. Place the rice in a dry pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. The rice should feel warm when you touch it. The risotto rice must not turn dark, it should still be pearly white. The shaking must be quick, because the rice must not be cooked inside the core. 1-2 minutes is more than enough.

The point of shaking is that starch is released more slowly, so that it creates creaminess.

The difference between boiled rice and risotto is the toasting. (la tostatura).

We can also shake the rice 1-2 hours before making the risotto.

kraft

It may be unnecessary to mention it, but: use vegetable stock if you are going to make vegetable risotto. If you make risotto with meat, use meat or chicken stock. This is the general rule, but e.g. in risotto with porcini mushrooms we use chicken stock. It's not a crisis if you don't have the right power, but the risotto will be best if you use the right type KRAFT.

The best thing is to make the power yourself, but of course it takes a lot of time.

When making risotto, it is important that the stock you use is hot. If the stock is cold, the rice will not be cooked through and will remain hard in the middle. Use a lot of force at first and less as you go. That way you have more control over the risotto. If you use too much power, the rice will be overcooked and the risotto will not have the right consistency. You must not stir all the time, only when you add the power.

Otherwise, use medium or medium-high heat.

Mantecatura

The super important ending.

Pull the risotto off the plate and mix in cold butter and Parmesan.

The stirring binds the butter and cheese to the risotto and creates the magical, creamy consistency that a good risotto should have.

Cover the risotto with a damp towel and let it rest for a few minutes.

Properly prepared risotto should be creamy and viscous. And should slide easily over the plate. The rice should provide some resistance to chewing. You can start tasting the risotto after approx. 12-13 minutes.

Important to know:

The rice continues to cook as long as there is water (liquid) left.

After the rice has absorbed all the water, it will have doubled in volume and will stop cooking even if the hob is on. On the other hand, if there is still water left, the rice will continue to cook even if the hotplate is off. If we pour more water, the rice continues to cook.