Kiwisizzler

I LOVE a great risotto!

My beliefs of what makes a great risotto have been evolving since I cooked my first ‘proper’ restaurant dish on a quiet Sunday night at Bay66 in the summer of 1996. The dish was ‘Seared Lamb Fillets, Roasted Vegetable Risotto & Roast Pepper Vinaigrette’ and came from a book called ‘The Cafe Cookbook’, which showcases some of NZ’s top cafes.

It took me over two hours to make and tasted delicious. Since that moment, I’ve realised that like most Italian dishes, there is a difference of opinion around every corner and, whether you are right or wrong, it is the taste of the beholder that is the judge.

History

Risotto was probably invented around the fourteenth century AD when rice was first introduced to northern Italy, probably from Spain. It is known that rice was introduced to Spain and Sicily by the Arabs. The earliest recordings of the risotto method talk about a rice porridge made with milk and sugar.

Risotto originates from northern Italy, where the fertile Po Valley and the marshlands of the Veneto provide ideal growing conditions for rice. As a result, risotto has become the staple dish of the northern city of Milan.

While risotto is usually served as a ‘primo’ or first dish, ‘Risotto alla Milanese’ is served as a main course accompanying ‘Osso Bucco’ (braised veal shin) and is fragranced with saffron. Apparently this paricular dish was invented in 1574. The Duomo di Milano was being built and Valerius, an apprentice, was in charge of staining the windows and it appeared to all that he had used saffron in the pigments to obtain a brighter colour. He grew tired of the teasing and decided to return the joke by adding saffron to the rice to be served at his masters wedding. It turned out delicious and spread throughout the town, becoming the famous dish we know today.

The plague of 1345-1352 resulted in widespread devastation throughout Europe, resulting in the need for a reliable crop to help rebuild the recovery of the nation. Rice achieved this over the next 500 years, especially once irrigation and canals were introduced to the Po Valley, which is fed an abundance of water from the Alps. Today, Italy uses around 400,000 hectares and produces around 60 percent of the European crop.

The basics of risotto

There are three main types of rice used for risotto: arborio, carnaroli and vialoni nano. These are in the ‘superfine’ catagory. Arborio is the most common used outside of Italy but ideally carnaroli or vialoni nano should be used. Carnaroli is easier to cook and gives a firmer result but vialone nano gives a creamier texture and often absorbs other flavours better. The characteristic that unites these types of rice is that they are all very starchy, they are large grain, and they absorb a great deal of liquid while remaining firm.

One of the keys to a good risotto is obtaining a creaminess to the dish overall but retaining a firmness (‘al dente‘) to the rice.

Heat some butter or olive oil over a low heat in a heavy-based pan. Add some diced shallot or onion and sweat without colour until it smells nice and sweet. This is called a ‘soffrito‘. Add your rice (unwashed to retain the starch) and saute until the rice turns translucent and is well coated in the butter or oil – approximately 3-4 minutes. Add white wine, increase the heat to medium and reduce. Add ladles of very hot stock (chicken generally works the best), stirring continuously until the rice is al dente. It should be quite wet with separated grains. Add freshly-grated parmesan cheese (ideally grana-padano or parmigiano-reggiano) and a knob of butter to thicken and obtain the creaminess. Season and serve immediately.

Variations and Tips

When choosing your rice, use arborio for meat, carnaroli for vegetable risottos and vialone nano for seafood. If you only want to keep one type in your pantry, I recommend vialone nano as the best overall rice.

If making a seafood risotto, try replacing the white wine with vermouth and finishing with a squeeze of lemon.

Some chefs finish risottos with marscapone, cream or other dairy products. This is a bit of a cheat’s method to make the risotto creamy but hey, if you like it…….

You can flavour a risotto with practically anything and finish with different cheeses and use different wines. Start with the basics such as mushroom, roasted squash, roasted veges, etc and go from there. Before you know it you’ll be making ‘Risotto al Nero’ with cuttlefish ink and garnished with baby squid tubes stuffed with seasoned pork mince!

If you have any left-over risotto, try making arancini, orange-shaped balls of rice that are crumbed and deep-fried. Take a small handful of cold risotto (either plain or flavoured) and roll into a ball. If using plain risotto, you can fill it with ragu, mozzarella, basil, etc. Toss the ball in seasoned flour, then egg-wash and finally breadcrumbs. Deep-fry at around 175 degrees C until nice and golden. Arancini translates as orange and is a traditional dish of Sicily. When touring Sicily 2 years ago, we stumbled into a narrow lane in Palermo while searching for some ‘real’ food and found a tiny shop selling all manner of pastas, oils and fried delights. We bought two arancini con ragu, paid and were then beckoned to return by the owner who took great delight in giving us a feast of crispy fried vegetables in batter to sample. This is the true spirit of Italy!