Risotto should be firm, but not crunchy - I guess you can say Al-dente. It also shouldn't stick or clump together. In my recipe I use bouillon cubes to make my own chicken broth. I've made it using canned chicken broth and I didn't really care for it...it tasted to chicken-y. Anyway... It's not as hard as you think...trust me!
- 6 cups of water
- 2 1/2 Chicken flavored bouillon cubes
- 1 1/2 Cups of Arborio rice
- 1/2 Vidalia or Sweet Onion finely diced
- Butter
- Olive Oil
- 5 Quart Saute Pan
- Add bouillon cubes to 6 cups of water to make chicken broth, boil and remove from heat
- Heat 3 Tbsps. (or so) of butter and oil in saute pan
- Add chopped onion and cook till translucent
- Add Arborio rice to the pan and saute until SOME of the rice turns light brown - you don't want to brown all the rice..once you see a few pieces turning light brown move on to step 5
- Now the fun part...add 1 cup of your chicken broth to your rice and stir until the broth is absorbed, then add another cup and stir...you will repeat this process at least 5 times.
- Risotto cannot be left unattended - if the liquid gets absorbed and you aren't there to add more liquid it can easily scorch
- Now that you are about 5 cups in it's time to taste it. Your risotto should not be to thick or starchy (browning it properly will help alleviate that)
- I am usually done after 5 cups of broth - however I make 6 cups just in case it needs a little more liquid
- If you taste it and find that it's still a little crunchy and the liquid has been absorbed, add a little more broth - about 1/2 cup at a time
- I guess this is where it can get tricky - but once you get the hang of it you can eyeball it and 'just know' when it's done
- Remove your risotto from heat - you can now add a little grated Parmesan cheese if you'd like. In this recipe I do not. I have a few other variations that I make - Mushroom, Shrimp, and Cheesy Parmesan to name a few - You'll have to wait for those :-)
Everything was delicious I must say and not just because I married her :)
ReplyDeleteOK...I'm going to give it a try Patrizia! And while I'm at it I will take full credit for you starting a blog since I asked you about making risotto. ;-) Just kidding!
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