Risotto
Risotto is a traditional Italian dish made with rice. It represents one of the noblest and at the same time one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. It originated in Northwestern Italy, specifically Eastern Piedmont and Western Lombardy, where rice paddies are abundant. It is one of the pillars of Torinese and Milanese cuisine.
When risotto is cooked, the dry rice is always fried briefly in oil before the broth is added. Other dishes exist that are similar, but they should not be called "risotto" if the rice is not toasted. Recipes include "Risotto alla Milanese," made with beef stock and saffron, which is traditionally served with osso buco (a stew made from veal bones) and "Risotto al Barolo," made with fine red wine, but thousands of variations exist, both with vegetables and meat, as well as risottos made with various other wines, cheeses, or even fruits. Risotto Negro is a specialty of the Veneto region, made with cuttlefish cooked with their ink-sacs.
Typical risotto procedure
This recipe for Risotto with celery illustrates a typical risotto procedure. Of course the ingredients may vary indefinitely, as there are thousands of types of risotto, but the procedure will remain more or less the same.
Ingredients
100 g of rice per person, a red or green celery, onions (or scallion), garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, butter, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, vegetable broth, good quality white wine.
Note: the rice for risotto should be risotto rice from Italian cultivated varieties such as Baldo, Carnaroli, Vialone, Superfino Arborio or Roma; using other sorts of rice will yield a poor result. Avoid Basmati and above all avoid parboiled rice.
Procedure
Finely dice your onion (or even better, the scallion) and the thinnest parts of the celery. In a large and flat frying pan make a soffritto with them, using the extra-virgin olive oil. A soffritto ("sub-frying") is a long frying procedure with a low flame, so that the vegetables will give flavour to the oil but will not get burnt. When the soffritto is ready, throw the rice in the pan. The rice will start to soak the oil and get dry, starting to get burnt a little and turning reddish. This is the toasting procedure.
Before the rice is burnt, that is, when it is golden and dry but not brown, put the wine in the pan (one glass for each 100g of rice). The wine will quickly evaporate and in its turn soak the rice, imparting its flavour. Finally, add the biggest ends of the celery, sliced into little bits. The celery's juices will soak the rice too. Before the celery bits start to get burnt too, begin to add the salted vegetable broth that you have prepared previously and are keeping in a pan at a near-boiling temperature.
Adding the broth little by little while the rice is cooking is the other key to cooking risotto. The broth must cover the rice surface by no more than a thin 1-2 centimetres. When it is almost completely absorbed , add more. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer. The rice should be stirred continuously but gently, always stir with a wooden spoon. Always keep the surface of the rice flat on the top.
The rice will cook, soaking all the juices and fats you will add and keeping all its starch, which will give risotto its characteristic smoothness. To complete the procedure, just before the risotto is ready, when the broth has been almost completely absorbed, add a good slice of unsalted butter, a few spoonfuls of grated Parmigiano Reggiano (to taste). Alternatively, you can add one of your favorite cheeses (Gorgonzola is a popular choice) about a minute or so before the supply of broth is exhausted--this action is called "mantecatura." Once the broth is finished the stove should be turned off (if using an electric stove, move the pot to an unused element) and the pot with the rice should be covered with a damp cloth for 3-4 minutes; this helps maintain the flavour and texture of the rice. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste.
How long risotto should be cooked is a matter of personal opinion (normally between 16 and 18 minutes, depending on the rice used), although it is generally felt that over-cooked risotto is like gruel, and that well cooked grains still have shape and give a little resistance to the teeth. In Italian the rice should be "al dente" or firm "to the tooth". Another saying is that risotto should be "all'onda" ("to the wave") meaning that the rice should be dense enough to keep a wave shape.
References
- Barrett, Judith, and Norma Wasserman (1987). Risotto. New York: Scribner. ISBN 0684186918.