June 15, 2003
Risotto
Italian creamy seasoned rice.
Recipe
A large saucepot and a big spoon
Olive oil
Pine nuts, a cup or so
Put the saucepot on high heat. Pour in a very small amount of olive oil in and swirl the pan around to lightly coat the bottom. Add the pine nuts. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. When most of the pine nuts start to turn a little bit brown on the sides, pour them into a bowl and set aside for later.Skip the pine nuts if anyone is alergic to nuts.
Yellow onion, one large or two small Mushrooms, large handful or medium carton Optionally, other vegetables, like bell peppers, scalions, etc. Finely chop the onion. Dice the mushroom, or use Cuisinart grater disk. Put the saucepot back on high heat. Pour in olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Put a couple of pieces of onion in the pot and wait for them to start sizzling to indicate that the pot is sufficiently heated. Add the onion to the pot. Cook for a minute or two, stirring often. Add the mushroom. Cook for a minute or two, stirring often. Rice, either arborio, asian short-grain, or regular white, 1 cup Add the rice to the pot. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often.Cook until both the onion and the rice begin to grow translucent.
Garlic, from half to a complete head Crush, peel, and mince the garlic. Seasonings: salt, black pepper, paprika, basil, rosemary, sage Add minced garlic and seasonings. Cook for a minute or two, stirring often.The garlic should cook just long enough to produce the “cooked garlic” smell, not long enough to turn dark, so get ready for the next step.
Red wine, 1 cup Add the wine to the pot. Cook for several minutes, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed.The way I check to see if the liquid is absorbed is to use a spoon to push the mix aside, clearing some space on the bottom: if the liquid quickly pools out of the mix to cover the space, it’s not ready, but if it’s very slow or doesn’t re-cover the space, it’s absorbed and you’re ready for the next step.
Raisins, a cup or so Add the raisins to the pot.The raisins add sweetness, but you can leave them out.
Water, 4 cups Add the water to the pot, around half a cup at a time. After each cup, cook for several minutes, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed.Taste the rice occasionally: if it’s completely cooked through and no longer crunchy, you can skip the remaining water.
Heavy cream, 1 cup Add the cream to the pot. Cook for several minutes, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Grated parmesan cheese, around 1 cup Grated cheddar and/or goat cheese, around 1 cup Add the cheese to the pot. Cook for a minute or so, stirring frequently. When the cheese has melted, turn off the heat. Stir in the pine nuts.Accompaniments
Grated parmesan cheeseSalad
Juice Red wineAbout The Author
