I'm a professional cook, and have a special fondness for classic Italian and American foods. Here's one recipe i've had some particular success.
1 cup arborio rice
32 ounces chicken or beef stock
8 ounces EP mushrooms. Shiitake and cremini work well. The mushrooms should be coarsely chopped or sliced.
Shallots, finely chopped
Onions, finely chopped
Unsalted butter
Olive oil
Dry white wine
Parmesan cheese
Risotto, for those of you who never studied the orgasmic properties of a good grain dish, is an Italian rice dish made from a unique medium grain rice that can absorb an absurd amount of liquid. Though this is best if made with fresh stock, it's passable if you use stock from a carton. However, if you're getting your stock from a base or using a broth, try to use a mellow product as too much salt can throw off the flavor.
Make sure you've got two decent sized pans, both of them capable of holding the 32 ounces of stock with room to spare. Now how much stock you need to achieve the texture you want varies depending on the rice, chances are good you won't actually use the full amount of stock, though make sure you have a back-up carton just in case you run out.
Pour the stock into one of the pans and set it over medium heat to slowly bring it to temperature while you work on the other ingredients. Start with the mushrooms. Preheat the other pan over medium heat and add a thin layer of olive oil to it. Toss in the mushrooms along with a pinch of kosher salt and saute until he mushrooms darken in color and have released a lot of their moisture. As soon as the mushrooms are almost done, kill the heat and toss in approximately 1/2 tablespoon of butter to add some extra flavor. Don't do the full saute job in butter as the heat needed to brown the mushrooms can go past the smoke point of butter.
Once the mushrooms are done, transfer them to a plate or bowl and set it aside. You'll reheat them in the risotto later on. If enough fat is still in the pan, add the onions and shallots. If not, add a little more olive oil to the pan, along with one more pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low and slowly sweat the aromatics. When they begin to change color, add the arborio and stir, try to get the grains coated with the fat so the arborio can develop a lightly toasty flavor. Continue to cook on low until the aromatics turn translucent and the outer hull of he arborio begins to turn transparent as well, and then address the stock. If the stock hasn't come to a simmer yet, boost the heat to high until it does. Once you have the arborio toasted, the aromatics sweated, and the stock at least simmering, it's time to begin building the risotto. Start by adding a small amount of white wine to the pan, just enough to coat, and cook until the liquid is almost completely gone. Don't worry about the alcohol, it will cook out.
Next, pour enough stock over the rice to cover the grains, and let the stock over the rice come to a simmer. You'll know it's time to add more stock when the rice has absorbed enough of it for you to see the bottom of the pan come up dry as you stir. When it does, add more stock and cook more until the rice absorbs the stock. Do this one more time, and then do a taste test. The rice of the risotto should be almost done, and it should be time to season. If the rice isn't al dente yet, as in it's still crisp or hard to bite into, add more stock and keep cooking until the rice is almost at a consistency you want. When the rice is almost done, add in the mushrooms and stir them in, letting the mushrooms absorb some of the liquid in the pan. Once the mushrooms are reheated and the rice is at a nice consistency, kill the heat and add in around one tablespoon of butter and, if desired, roughly half a cup of Parmesan cheese, and stir them in, letting the residual heat melt the dairy products. Stir them in, and give it one more taste, seasoning with salt if needed or adding a little more stock if you got overzealous with the dairy products. Serve immediately.
You can use other vegetables or pair it with a variety of meats.
32 ounces chicken or beef stock
8 ounces EP mushrooms. Shiitake and cremini work well. The mushrooms should be coarsely chopped or sliced.
Shallots, finely chopped
Onions, finely chopped
Unsalted butter
Olive oil
Dry white wine
Parmesan cheese
Risotto, for those of you who never studied the orgasmic properties of a good grain dish, is an Italian rice dish made from a unique medium grain rice that can absorb an absurd amount of liquid. Though this is best if made with fresh stock, it's passable if you use stock from a carton. However, if you're getting your stock from a base or using a broth, try to use a mellow product as too much salt can throw off the flavor.
Make sure you've got two decent sized pans, both of them capable of holding the 32 ounces of stock with room to spare. Now how much stock you need to achieve the texture you want varies depending on the rice, chances are good you won't actually use the full amount of stock, though make sure you have a back-up carton just in case you run out.
Pour the stock into one of the pans and set it over medium heat to slowly bring it to temperature while you work on the other ingredients. Start with the mushrooms. Preheat the other pan over medium heat and add a thin layer of olive oil to it. Toss in the mushrooms along with a pinch of kosher salt and saute until he mushrooms darken in color and have released a lot of their moisture. As soon as the mushrooms are almost done, kill the heat and toss in approximately 1/2 tablespoon of butter to add some extra flavor. Don't do the full saute job in butter as the heat needed to brown the mushrooms can go past the smoke point of butter.
Once the mushrooms are done, transfer them to a plate or bowl and set it aside. You'll reheat them in the risotto later on. If enough fat is still in the pan, add the onions and shallots. If not, add a little more olive oil to the pan, along with one more pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low and slowly sweat the aromatics. When they begin to change color, add the arborio and stir, try to get the grains coated with the fat so the arborio can develop a lightly toasty flavor. Continue to cook on low until the aromatics turn translucent and the outer hull of he arborio begins to turn transparent as well, and then address the stock. If the stock hasn't come to a simmer yet, boost the heat to high until it does. Once you have the arborio toasted, the aromatics sweated, and the stock at least simmering, it's time to begin building the risotto. Start by adding a small amount of white wine to the pan, just enough to coat, and cook until the liquid is almost completely gone. Don't worry about the alcohol, it will cook out.
Next, pour enough stock over the rice to cover the grains, and let the stock over the rice come to a simmer. You'll know it's time to add more stock when the rice has absorbed enough of it for you to see the bottom of the pan come up dry as you stir. When it does, add more stock and cook more until the rice absorbs the stock. Do this one more time, and then do a taste test. The rice of the risotto should be almost done, and it should be time to season. If the rice isn't al dente yet, as in it's still crisp or hard to bite into, add more stock and keep cooking until the rice is almost at a consistency you want. When the rice is almost done, add in the mushrooms and stir them in, letting the mushrooms absorb some of the liquid in the pan. Once the mushrooms are reheated and the rice is at a nice consistency, kill the heat and add in around one tablespoon of butter and, if desired, roughly half a cup of Parmesan cheese, and stir them in, letting the residual heat melt the dairy products. Stir them in, and give it one more taste, seasoning with salt if needed or adding a little more stock if you got overzealous with the dairy products. Serve immediately.
You can use other vegetables or pair it with a variety of meats.