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Risotto


untateve
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It may be a bit labor intensive what with all the stirring, but it is so fn good. I made one last night with mushrooms (mushrooms had been cooked in olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley, and thyme), garlic, and shallots in it and finished it off with butter and parmesan reggiano. It was so good a I cried a little.

 

What are some variations I should consider in the future?

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It may be a bit labor intensive what with all the stirring, but it is so fn good. I made one last night with mushrooms (mushrooms had been cooked in olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley, and thyme), garlic, and shallots in it and finished it off with butter and parmesan reggiano. It was so good a I cried a little.

 

What are some variations I should consider in the future?

Wow, where to begin. I'll give a long list when I get a chance.

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pesto, rock shrimp

 

tomato, basil, garlic

 

crab, artichoke

 

i am a big fan of mushrooms... so you can play with different variations

 

use of bacon, or prosciutto.

 

use of different cheeses

 

don't forget to use white wine in there

 

cajun: cajun spices, peppers, onions, celery, shrimp, andouille, shreaded chicken

 

lobster goes well in risotto

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Whoa. . .so strange. I made a portabella and shrimp risotto last night. Came out :wacko:.

 

 

One thing I'm noticing: Some places serve it pretty thick, so much so that it can stand in a mound on the plate. Other places serve it much looser and soupy. So much so it has to be served in a bowl. Is there a right answer to this?

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Whoa. . .so strange. I made a portabella and shrimp risotto last night. Came out :wacko:.

 

 

One thing I'm noticing: Some places serve it pretty thick, so much so that it can stand in a mound on the plate. Other places serve it much looser and soupy. So much so it has to be served in a bowl. Is there a right answer to this?

 

 

really preferencial.. i have been to great italian restaurants that have served it both ways.... i like it somewhere in between. i like using molds when i plate, so firm enough to hold a shape, but not so much that it's a nuisance to the palatte.

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Whoa. . .so strange. I made a portabella and shrimp risotto last night. Came out :wacko:.

 

 

One thing I'm noticing: Some places serve it pretty thick, so much so that it can stand in a mound on the plate. Other places serve it much looser and soupy. So much so it has to be served in a bowl. Is there a right answer to this?

IMO, it should neither be soupy or totally firm. I think it is ideal when you plate it and, after a count of 10 or so, it settles just slightly and a 1/8th to 1/4 inch ring of very thick liquid appears around the edge of the mound of rice.

 

The place I learned risotto at was hyper specific about many aspects and anyone who was to work the pasta/risotto station had to train for a pretty long time. By the time I left, I was the guy in charge of training new people on risotto.

 

The good news is that it's not difficult, just very specific. Of course, as with most others who learn it as a line cook, I learned how to make a risotto base, then cool it, then finish batches to order. In learning this, you become sort of dependent on always doing it that way especially with regard to how and when you incorporate whatever special ingredients you're adding.

 

If you all are interested, I'll put together a complete run down on the dish. Though, if memory serves me, I've done that here before.

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IMO, it should neither be soupy or totally firm. I think it is ideal when you plate it and, after a count of 10 or so, it settles just slightly and a 1/8th to 1/4 inch ring of very thick liquid appears around the edge of the mound of rice.

 

The place I learned risotto at was hyper specific about many aspects and anyone who was to work the pasta/risotto station had to train for a pretty long time. By the time I left, I was the guy in charge of training new people on risotto.

 

The good news is that it's not difficult, just very specific. Of course, as with most others who learn it as a line cook, I learned how to make a risotto base, then cool it, then finish batches to order. In learning this, you become sort of dependent on always doing it that way especially with regard to how and when you incorporate whatever special ingredients you're adding.

 

If you all are interested, I'll put together a complete run down on the dish. Though, if memory serves me, I've done that here before.

 

How do you make a "risotto base" and then cool it to cook it to order?

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edit: sweat your diced onions and coat your rice... then start adding your stock

 

cook your risotto to about 75-80% then lay it out on a cookie sheet(s) and let it cool in the fridge. as det was saying... we then finish to order with whatever flavor combo we use for the misc dishes.

Edited by Bier Meister
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So here's the deal, at least according to the place I learned it.

 

First off, there are basically 3 versions of mirepoix to use. Carrot, Celery, Onion...Onion and/or leek only...Celery, onion, and/or leek.

 

We used the first one unless there was a good reason to avoid the carrots. That might be due to color or wanting a simple and clean flavor, for instance if we were doing a seafood or green risotto.

 

Now, in terms of how much veg to rice, keep in mind that the veggies will shrink while the rice will expand. So, you're going to start with what seems to be a disproportionally large amount of veggies. At least as much by volume as rice.

 

Also, you're going to want to have your stock simmering before you begin. It is important that you not cool the dish off every time you add stock.

 

When you start the veggies, you want to use more oil than you'd typically need to cook that amount of vegetable because, once the veggies have absorbed whatever oil they're going to, there needs to be residual to saute the rice. So, start the veggies and cook them until they've softened and sweat but avoid color. Now add the rice and cook without adding liquid for about a minute. If it really seems to be sticking badly, first add a touch more oil, stir that in, and then a splash of wine. What you're going to want to see is strands of glue like substance on the bottom of the pan each time you stir. After a minute, add your wine. We always did the wine first because, unlike the stock, it was room temp and the pan was hot enough that it wouldn't cool off too much. This, btw, is where I add a bit of salt and pepper.

 

It is important at this point to turn the pan down low enough that the liquid is being absorbed faster than it can evaporate. So, now you stir somewhat constantly, adding stock each time the rice becomes nearly dry. If you are looking to make the base I spoke of, do as Bier mentioned and pull it off about 70-70% done. Keep in mind that it will continue cooking after you pull it off, so err on the side of undercooked. Also, when you spread it out on a sheet pan, be sure that it is a large enough pan to allow you to make one layer. If it is too thickly spread, the rice grains on the bottom will continue to cook and absorb liquid so you'll have uneven doneness.

 

If you don't have fridge space, don't worry, just pull it off a bit sooner and rest in the coolest part of your kitchen on a rack or something to allow air to get underneath. Once it is completely cool, you can scoop it off into a container. One nice thing about this system is that, if you're entertaining, it means that it will only take a few minutes to finish the risotto off when that course comes up. The other advantage is that it is easier to incorporate other ingredients into the dish as most may want to be sauteed prior to addition but only need a few minutes to finish off. Cooking the rice this way allows you to start the finishing ingredients in the pan, adding the rice and a bit of stock back in, and then finishing everything off together.

 

We'd finish with parm, butter, and parsley in most cases and, again, look for it to hold it's shape for a 10 count before setting a bit and allowing a thin ring of thick liquid to ooze our around the edges. Obviously you want to taste just after the cheese and butter for salt and pepper.

 

Variations that are out of the ordinary...

 

Beet risotto with gorganzola and arugula- Use a basic onion or leek base and add cooked/peeled/diced red beets at the same time as the rice. Proceed as normal, folding in arugula and gorganzola cheese at the end.

 

Risotto verde (I really like this one)- Use the celery, leek base. To order, cook finely diced zucchini, add the base back in, finish with lemon juice, a big, big handful of parsley, and garnish with locatelli romano. This is great with seafood.

 

Pancetta and fresh peas- Celery and leek base. To order start already rendered pancetta and blanched english peas. Finish as usual with parm, butter, and parsley.

 

Butternut squash- Basic base. You can finish this one of two ways. Either stir in squash puree at the end or chunks of roasted squash. Both are great, especially with bacon or chicken liver.

 

The thing about chicken livers. You want to do it one of two ways. Either dice them up small enough so they completely break down into the rice in the few minutes it takes to finish the dish or leave them whole, sear them, and garnish the dish with them. If you leave them in large pieces and cook them in with the rice, they'll overcook and be sort of nasty. Needless to say, livers along with some sort of bacon are a good thing.

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