Risotto Molto
Photo © Rob Jones
It is a truth largely respected that AMM doesn’t like Risotto - mainly I think because you need a LOT of patience to make it. But for that very reason, it’s a perfect act of mindfulness. You cannot make it quickly.
It’s also incredibly flexible - unless you are a purist that is.
My Risotto in easy steps:
Sautee some garlic, onions, mushrooms and a bit of left over diced aubergine, and some chopped Artichoke in a little butter and olive oil. Set aside but keep the juices.
Add your rice - Orzo Rice is my particular favourite - and fry the raw rice.
Gradually feed the rice with a small bottle of White Wine. Don’t put it in all at once. Add the wine gradually. The wine must be absorbed or evaporated before moving onto the next step.
Add Miso Stock - again gradually. You want the rice to soak up the juices before adding the next batch of stock. If you drag a wooden spoon through the rice, it should be slow to take up the space you’ve made.
Add a knob of butter. Grate in some Parmesan cheese, and then a large spoonful of Single Cream.
Right at the last moment before serving, add the Garlic/Onion/Mushroom, Aubergine and Artichoke mix to the rice and fold it in. This is so the vegetables keep their flavour separate from the creamy rice.
Serve immediately. You can freeze it if you want, but the pleasure comes in eating it straight away.
Perfect for a Christmas Day Breakfast, Feels festive in a strange sort of way. Maybe because it’s a distant cousin to Kedgeree.
For purists, the regional variatios are:
Risotto alla milanese - from Milan, made with beef stock, bone marrow, lard, cheese and coloured with saffron.
Risotto al Barolo - from Piedmont, made with red wine, sausage meat or borlotti beans.
Risotto al nero di seppia - from Veneto, using cuttlefish their ink.
Risi e bisi - Again from Veneto, with green peas, pea stock and pancetta. It’s more of a soup.
Risotto alla zucca - with pumpkin, nutmeg and cheese.
Risotto alla pilota - Found in Mantua, and using sausage, pork, parmesan/
Risotto ai funghi - with a variety of mushrooms.
Risotto ai frutti di mare - with Seafood.
Risotto al tartufo nero - made with black truffle.
And it doesn’t need to be savoury. See my recipe for Risotto al Cafe, which is perfect as a pudding.
R
