Risotto rice is short and round with a nutty core, deriving from the same cultivar as Japonica rice, similar to sushi rice. A good risotto rice has a white ‘pearl’ in each grain, which resists over-cooking, while the rest provides the melting creaminess of a slow cooked risotto.
A couple of years ago I visited the risotto hub; the villages of Vercelli and Novara and the rice farm Principato de Lucedio in Piedmont and Lombardy in Northern Italy. This is the largest rice growing region in Europe, an area of rice paddies sometimes known as ‘Little China’. Here the locals eat risotto rather than pasta, eating 12 to 18 kilos a head per annum compared to one or two kilos in the rest of Italy.
Arguably risotto is better for your health being gluten-free, providing more satiety, meaning you eat less, while containing B vitamins. There are several different kinds of rice: the basic breeds are Baldo, Carnaroli, Vialone Nano. For several years, we were all told that Arborio was the risotto rice. However in Piedmont, they suggest you use Arborio in soups.
As well as different cultivars, you can get black rice (I suggest soaking it overnight), red husk rice, wholewheat rice and Gigante from Vercelli which produced the creamiest risotto of all of my testing.
Looking at the risotto fields was a shock, having never seen rice growing close-up before. Rice is a semi-aquatic sub-tropical grass seed. The majority of human diet consists of cooked dried grass seed, including wheat and corn. There is a ‘rice belt’ around the globe, ranging from 50º in the northern hemisphere to 30º in the South. Growing it in Europe, in Northern Italy at 45º of latitude is probably the extreme north of where it is possible to grow.
This is not a quick dish. Be prepared to hunker down and stand by the stove, stirring constantly, for up to 45 minutes. If the weather is hot, put a fan next to the hob. Here is a previous post with a few more risotto tips and a recipe for hazelnut risotto.
Risotto with garlic scapes, Mexican tarragon and artichokes
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- handful garlic scapes, chopped.
- 320 g risotto rice
- glass Noilly Prat or white wine
- 1.2 litres vegetable stock
- 4 small young artichoke hearts, sliced in half
- bunch Mexican tarragon, chopped
- knob butter
Instructions
- Use the green stalks from the garlic scapes and fry in a deep frying pan in the olive oil.
- Add the risotto rice and fry for a few minutes
- Add the Noilly Prat or white wine, stir
- Gradually, bit by bit, add the hot vegetable stock. Wait until each bit is absorbed, stirring all the while, until adding more.
- I add the halved artichoke hearts at this point to steam them. Once they are cooked, remove them to garnish. If using jarred artichoke hearts, add at the end.
- Add the chopped tarragon.
- Towards the end add a generous knob of butter, this gives the risotto a wonderful glossy feel.
Black risotto with courgettes, goats cheese, herbs and edible flowers
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 courgettes, sliced finely
- 320 g black risotto rice
- glass white wine
- 1.2 litres of hot vegetable stock
- bunch herb of your choice
- knob butter
- 150 g soft goats cheese, sliced
- 5 edible flowers such as wild fennel to decorate
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil and fry the courgettes
- Add the risotto rice, then the white wine
- Gradually add the hot stock until each spoonful is absorbed. Keep stirring.
- Add a herb of your choice such as parsley, coriander, thyme, marjoram, tarragon, basil
- Stir in a big knob of butter
- Decorate with sliced goats cheese, edible flowers and black pepper
Smoked Tomato Risotto
Ingredients
For the passata sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion, sliced
- 500 g passata
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- bunch basil, fresh
For the risotto
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 320 g risotto rice
- glass wine, red or white
- 1 litre tomato or vegetable stock
- knob butter
- tub smoked tomatoes
Instructions
Passata sauce
- Make the tomato passata sauce by frying the onions on a low heat, adding the passata, salt, garlic and basil. Simmer for half an hour or so. This is a basic tomato sauce that can be used for pasta, or in an aubergine bake or anything. It's even better the day after.
Risotto
- Heat up the olive oil and add the risotto
- Add the wine
- Add the passata
- Add the stock gradually. Keep stirring for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Add the butter, take off the heat and dot the top with the smoked tomatoes and some fresh basil.
Red rice risotto
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red pepper, deseeded, sliced
- 1 yellow or orange pepper, deseeded, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 320 g red whole rice, soaked overnight
- glass red wine
- 1.2 litres tomato herb stock (from cubes), https://www.kallo.com/things-we-make/products/6-organic-tomato-and-herb-stock-cubes/
- knob of butter
- bunch fresh basil
- 60 g parmesan, freshly grated
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a deep frying pan/sauteuse, heat up the olive oil and fry the peppers.
- Add the garlic
- Then add the rice, stirring for a few minutes.
- Add the wine
- Slowly add the hot stock, stirring all the time, waiting for each addition to be absorbed.
- Add a knob of butter, stir it in.
- Add fresh basil and parmesan and pepper.
Saffron Risotto
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 320 g white risotto rice (I used Baldo)
- 12 strands saffron, ground with sea salt in a pestle and mortar
- glass white wine
- 1.2 litres vegetable stock
- knob butter
- 100 g parmesan or gran padano
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- In a deep pan heat up the olive oil and add the risotto rice, stirring briefly.
- Add the saffron and white wine.
- Slowly add the vegetable stock over the course of approximately half an hour, stirring.
- If you want a deeper yellow, add a few drops of yellow food colouring.
- Stir in a knob of butter
- Remove from the stove and add freshy grated parmesan and ground pepper
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