Risotto Recipe from a recent Class

Ingredients:

¼ Cup     White onion, finely diced

2 Tbls.      Olive oil

¼ Cup     White or red wine

1 Cup       Arborio rice

3 Cups     Vegetable, chicken, mushroom or beef stock

¼ Cup     Butter

¼ Cup     Cheese (Parmesan/Fiddlehead Tomme/Aged Cheddar)

Technique:

        In a saucepot, combine and cook the onions in the oil until translucent. Add the rice and stir to evenly to coat the rice with the oil. Cook for about a minute in the oil. Add the wine and cook on medium heat until completely absorbed. Add 1 cup of stock slowly, stirring constantly until liquid is completely absorbed. Repeat process two more times, until all the stock is used. It’s important that you stir as much as possible with a wooden spoon, so that you extract the starch from the rice, which helps to create the creamy rich consistency of a good risotto. After the third addition of stock has been completely absorbed, taste for seasoning, then remove from heat and fold in butter and cheese. The addition of the cheese must be the final step, just before serving.  If you continue to heat or cook the risotto after the addition of the cheese and/or butter, there is a good chance that the dairy will de-emulsify resulting in a loose, oily end-product.

Servings:

6 Five ounce portions

Notes:

   There are all kinds of delicious versions that you can create with this basic recipe/technique. Here are some of our favorites:

Roasted Beet Risotto topped with Goat cheese and Buttery Bread Crumbs

   

Simmer one bunch of whole beets with orange, fennel and onion until tender. Peel and puree beets in a blender. Strain the cooking liquid off, season with salt, and use for the first two additions of stock. Finish with one cup of the beet puree. Garnish the bowl with any remaining beets, spoon the risotto over the beets, and top with goat cheese and buttery bread crumbs.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Take one pound of fresh wild mushrooms, break the stems from the caps and use the stems to make a flavorful mushroom vegetable stock. Rough chop the caps, and sear at high heat with olive oil. Make the risotto with the mushroom stock and fold in seared mushrooms after the first addition of stock. This risotto goes well with roasted chicken. For an even better risotto, fold roasted beef bone marrow in at the end instead of butter and serve with a poached egg