A few years ago I wrote a great informative post on How to Make Perfect Risotto, including the mistakes to avoid.  That post is worth reading through, as I did a lot of research with the Italians I trust.

Italians take their risotto very seriously. There are strong arguments on how much broth to rice ratio, as well as whether to add in heavy cream at the end, which authentic risotto should never ever have. I solve some of that debate, but then tell you, you must be the judge of the broth. I will give you a guideline that has been tested many times, but your own eyes will tell you when it’s done.

A good risotto can also make good leftovers.

A Funny/Not Funny Story about Risotto while Dining Out

I have a funny story about risotto. Last September we were at a very expensive Nashville restaurant. There was a dish on the menu, pumpkin seed risotto. One would think it was a dish that had rice and pumpkin seeds. However, in today’s super trendy world of celebrity chefism,  it was just a dish of pumpkin seeds.

We had to sit through what felt like a full 20 minute description of the chef’s food and this “risotto.

When the pumpkin seed risotto was served, it was a bowl of seeds. We asked where the rice was and we were told it’s a riff on risotto.

That’s not what we thought or we wouldn’t have ordered it. When I said “that’s not really risotto,” I was told by the server “risotto has changed through the ages.”  Another food blogger was with us, who is also Italian. It was actually her dish.

I said, “no, risotto is risotto. If you say risotto, you need to serve risotto. It hasn’t changed through the ages. You should tell people you’re giving them a bowl of pumpkin seeds and call it stewed pumpkin seeds but please don’t call it risotto.

By the way, Google defines risotto as an Italian dish of rice cooked in stock with other ingredients such as meat and vegetables.

It is NOT seeds! I actually take offense to wonder bread chefs messing with Italian food.  Too harsh? It was my birthday!

We left hungry, went to Fido’s Coffee House and had cake and coffee for dinner. It’s a night we will never forget.

We gave it an honest review on open table and the chef wrote to me and was nearly raging,  claiming I was one-sided and unfair to him. He talked down to me as if I wasn’t “foodie hipster” enough to get it. Sorry/not sorry.

If you know me around here for the past nine years, I do not get into arguments with chefs, nor do I post anything negative. This was my exception,

You don’t need to be foodie hipster coolness to understand Italian food.  Risotto is classic Italian  comfort food, made with care and finesse.  A few months later, he was not longer working there.

This stirred me up so much, I had to come home and make authentic risotto, which led to risotto cakes.

This is risotto.

That’s when my risotto cakes were born.

I made the risotto cakes from the above risotto the next day!

The crispiness on the outside and the gooeyness on the inside makes this the perfect comfort food bite.

These risotto cakes are so easy, and quite versatile. You can eat them for lunch as a stand alone. You can enjoy them  as a side or appetizer for dinner. You can make them small and serve them at a party.

This is made with my basic risotto recipe, but it would be stellar with this caramelized vidalia onion  and corn risotto.

My favorite way to eat Italian Risotto Cakes  is to top one with an egg and have it for breakfast.

I oven bake my fried eggs and you can find that recipe here.

I added in a little bit of grated mozzarella to the mix and very lightly applied some tapioca flour. I think you could honestly skip the flour because you’re going to make this with cold risotto.

I thought back and forth if I would want a sauce for these and I decided no, but I’m not opposed. I would love to know what you think?

Here are a few ideas from some of my fellow bloggers.

The Original Risotto 101 Post

More Italian Recipes from Spinach Tiger

How to Make Aoili from House of Nash

Easy Allioli – Catalan Garlic Sauce from Fuss Free Flavours

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Italian Risotto Cakes

Risotto Cakes can be a side dish or an appetizer. Cheesy and easy made from left over risotto.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups risotto recipe here
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 2 to 4 tablespoons avocado oil for frying
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour or all purpose flour
• chopped parsley for garnish
• parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

• Add shredded mozzarella to risotto cakes.
• Season with salt and pepper if necessary.Heat oil in frying pan to medium high.
• Form into patties, Dredge lightly in tapioca flour. (I didn't use flour).
• Once placed in pan, turn heat to medium. Turn when golden brown, about 4 minutes each side.
• Garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese.

Disclosure: Spinach Tiger is an Amazon affiliate, which means we earn a small commission that does not affect price. We only recommend products we believe in and use or are on our wish list.



The post How to Make Italian Risotto Cakes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

One of the ways I’m inspired in the kitchen is to focus on one ingredient. I’ve done that often here which is why you’ll find multiple recipes on caulifllower, kale, blueberries and biscuits.

This week I’ve been focusing on two of the sweetest summer vegetables. Vidalia onions and sweet corn.

It’s remarkable how much they compliment each other. You might remember my most recent summer pizza which I did for the Vidalia Onion Committee.  I married these with blackberries and peaches. It was a wow!

Caramelized onion risotto with sweet corn may even be more wow!

Two things happen to me when I’m thinking about recipes. I think what could I do that I haven’t done before, and how could I make it approachable enough for you to take a shot at. After all, I want you to make this good food.

While I love my slow food and fancy cooking, truly my approach to food is still to take excellent ingredients and make simple dishes that taste good.

If you’re worried about risotto, this post gives you all my tips for making perfect risotto and worth a read. It will tell you what three mistakes to avoid.

Caramelized onion risotto with sweet corn is one such dish.

You do have to take some time out to caramelize the onions. This will take about 35 minutes, but so worth it. Put a knob of butter in a large frying pan. Slice onion thin, but not too thin. Spread them out, allow them to turn golden before turning. You will turn frequently, and watch them caramelize resulting in an amazing depth of flavor and sweetness.

You do have to take some time out to stir your risotto, but still, this is an easy dish that served as a lunch for us and side for a dinner.

I was surprised how many rave reviews I got from my husband who normally does not care for risotto. He says this is one of those dishes you find in a restaurant and go back for the next week.

Can we please connect? I’d love to see you on instagram.

More Vidalia Onion Recipes

Caramelized Vidalia Onion Savory Cheesecake

Pennsylvania Dutch Caramelized Onion Quiche

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Caramelized Onion Risotto with Sweet Corn

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 large vidalia onions thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine or 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of arborio rice
• corn from two ears
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup parmigiana reggiano cheese or pecorino romano grated fresh
• salt

Instructions

• Heat chicken broth in separate pot. Once hot, turn to simmer.
• Melt butter and In a 10 inch stainless steel frying pan or an enameled cast iron small dutch oven. Add olive oil.
• Add chopped onion and cook on low until caramelized.
• Add in dry arborio rice and toast for four minutes, stirring.
• Have a lid ready to immediately cover when you put the first ladle of broth.
• Add 1/2 cup broth. Cover for a few seconds to avoid any reaction from hot broth hitting the hot fat. Uncover.
• Add corn.
• Stir until the broth is nearly all absorbed in the rice.
• Add another 1/2 cup broth and repeat until there is only 1/2 cup broth left to add.
• Add in cider vinegar. Continue to stir.
• Add in broth 1/4 cup at a time at the end, so as to not overcook the rice.
• At the end of about 18 minutes, you should be at the end of the broth. Taste the rice. If it gives yet still has a bite, take it off. If it crunches, then cook another minute, stirring constantly. If you run out of broth and you're sure the rice is not done, add a small amount of water, (tablespoon or so).
• Remove from stove, Stir in grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped parsley.
• This will serve 2 big servings.

How to Make Perfect Risotto

Melted Tuscan Kale Risotto

Sweet Potato Risotto

The post Caramelized Onion Risotto with Sweet Corn appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Sweet Potato Risotto is one of those dishes that makes sense to me, living in Nashville, as it’s a beloved item here. Although it’s a blending of two starches still works, and sweet potatoes love onions (in this case shallots) and butter.

This is part of the continuing series on risotto. In this previous article, I wrote a rather lengthy tutorial on the ins and outs of risotto. I took it upon myself to make three different risottos all at one time and learned quite a bit.  I used three different ingredients, and approached each differently. I made red beet with goat cheese risotto and kale risotto, and I couldn’t decide on which of any three I liked best.

For the sweet potato risotto, I cooked the potato first, mashed it up quickly with some butter, but not so much that it was a puree. I left it with some chunky pieces so it could bring some texture to the dish. I finished it with freshly grated parmigiana reggiano, and had I been thinking, I would have topped it with some fresh sage, although that is not really necessary to its success. For picture purposes, I molded each risotto dish, but trust me, it was very creamy, and al dente, the signs of a good risotto.

Serve sweet potato rissotto as a perfect side to fried chicken, a pork chop, a piece of fish or just eat it by itself. It’s as comforting as any sweet potato dish.

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Sweet Potato Risotto

A freshly roasted sweet potato is a perfect addition to a creamy risotto and makes a wonderful first course.

Course Sweet Potato Risotto

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato medium size
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided (one for sweet potato)
• 1 large shallot diced
• 1 cup of arborio rice
• 2 to 2½ cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• ¼ cup parmigiana reggiano cheese freshly grated
• sea salt
• black pepper
• sage for garnish or parsley

Instructions

• Roast or microwave sweet potato. Cool. Remove from Skin.
• Mash with 1 tablespoon butter.
• Heat chicken broth in separate pot. Once hot, turn to simmer.
• Melt butter and In a 10 inch stainless steel frying pan or an enamled cast iron small dutch oven. Add olive oil.
• Add chopped shallot and cook until translucent.Add in dry arborio rice and toast for four minutes, stirring. Have a lid ready to immediately cover when you put the first ladle of broth. Add ½ cup broth. Cover for a few seconds to avoid any reaction from hot broth hitting the hot fat. Uncover.
• Stir until the broth is nearly all absorbed in the rice.
• Add in mashed sweet potato.
• Add another ½ cup broth and repeat until there is only ½ cup broth left to add.
• Add in cider vinegar. Continue to stir.
• Add in broth ¼ cup at a time at the end, so as to not overcook the rice.
• At the end of about 18 minutes, you should be at the end of the broth. Taste the rice. If it gives yet still has a bite, take it off. If it crunches, then cook another minute, stirring constantly. If you run out of broth and you're sure the rice is not done, add a small amount of water, (tablespoon or so).
• Remove from stove, Stir in grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped parsley.
• Serves two entree or 4 side dishes.

More Sweet Potato Dishes

Sweet Potato Grits

Sweet Potato Lasagna

Sweet Potato Biscuits

The post Sweet Potato Risotto appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is part of my series on Risotto. I made classic risotto, red beet risotto, sweet potato risotto and now I bring you kale risotto, all within one week. Kale is a favorite of mine and yet I hesitated thinking it wasn’t going to work.

Melted Kale Makes a Perfect Kale Risotto

Spinach is a more commonly used green, but usually done with a spinach puree. I decided for this risotto to use the melted kale method. In that recipe I melted the kale, by adding small amounts of broth gradually to kale. It was so delicious and this recipe uses the same principal.

I added in chopped raw kale, and a touch of garlic to the toasted rice before I started to add in the broth. The kale flavor comes through, and while kale melts down, it doesn’t turn mushy like spinach can.

Go Here to See Risotto 101 Tutorial

It stays in tact and doesn’t turn the risotto green. Instead of chicken broth, I used beef stock (a bone broth), which creates a deeper flavor profile, but you could use chicken broth if that’s what you have.

Risotto is tricky.

Click here to read all the  do’s and don’ts of risotto including the three major mistakes you should avoid.

Kale risotto is fairly forgiving and will go nicely with any protein, but especially pork or sausage.

More Spinach Tiger Risotto Recipes

More Kale Recipes

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Melted Tuscan Kale Risotto

Kale risotto with a bit of garlic and heat makes a great Italian side dish, especially for sausage or pork.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup of chopped raw kale ribs removed
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth chicken can be used also
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• ¼ cup parmigiana reggiano cheese or pecorino romano grated fresh
• salt
• pepper
• pinch red chile flakes optional

Instructions

• Heat beef broth in separate pot. Once hot, turn to simmer.
• Melt butter and In a 10 inch stainless steel frying pan or an enamled cast iron small dutch oven. Add olive oil.
• Add chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic.
• Add dry arborio rice and toast for four minutes, stirring.
• Add kale.
• Have a lid ready to immediately cover when you put the first ladle of broth.
• Add ½ cup broth. Cover for a few seconds to avoid any reaction from hot broth hitting the hot fat. Uncover.
• Stir until the broth is nearly all absorbed in the rice.
• Add another ½ cup broth and repeat until there is only ½ cup broth left to add.
• Add cider vinegar. Continue to stir.
• Add broth ¼ cup at a time at the end, so as to not overcook the rice.
• At the end of about 18 minutes, you should be at the end of the broth. Taste the rice. If it gives yet still has a bite, take it off. If it crunches, then cook another minute, stirring constantly. If you run out of broth and you’re sure the rice is not done, add a small amount of water, (tablespoon or so).
• Remove from stove, Stir in grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately. Stir in red chile flakes.
• Makes Two entree servings or 4 side servings.

The post Melted Tuscan Kale Risotto appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

While risotto can be a bit intimidating, it’s one of those special Italian dishes that’s as comforting as mashed potatoes to the South, and worth learning how to make. I’m here to help you and break it down so you will be able to make risotto with ease. Please see video at the bottom.

There are some classic risotto dishes, such as risotto milanese, made with beef marrow and saffron, but truly, you can get quite creative with risotto.

In the pictures shown below, I made three different types of risotto,  sweet potato risotto, red beet risotto and kale risotto, all non-traditional versions using the three ingredients most likely found locally in Tennessee. Each had it’s own cooking time, broth amount, and flavor and texture. All were superb, and even wonderful eaten side by side.

I will post each recipe separately over the next few days as part of the rice challenge.

To tell you how to make perfect risotto is quite ambitious of me isn’t it? The truth is risotto making is progressive, but because of all my trials and errors, I can feel good coming here to tell you how I got to my version of perfect risotto. I hope to encourage you to go ahead and make this quite rustic dish often touted as mysterious and too elevated for the home cook.

I wanted to figure out how to make perfect risotto, I relied on my history of recipe development and biscuit making.

Shrouded in fear and intimidation people avoid risotto, because it’s easy to make simple mistakes. I tackled the biscuit by studying many recipes and looking for the key that would tell me why people (including myself) were not having success. I managed to be able to find those answers and my biscuit recipe has been proven with so many people finally happy with success. I decided to do the same thing with risotto, and figure out what the mistakes were that brought risotto disappointment.

I read lots of cookbooks by authors I respect. I looked for patterns and differences. The biggest difference was cooking time and amount of broth, and this is how I discovered the most commonly made mistakes in risotto making.

How to Make Perfect Risotto: What is Risotto?

Risotto is Italian comfort food dish of creamy rice.  Rice was originally brought to Italy for medicinal purposes, and was grown for food in the Northern part of Italy sometime in the 15th century, and has been a staple ever since. My grandfather was from Genoa and I remember his love for rice over pasta.

The rice is browned in fat, cooked in broth, and allowed just enough time to release it’s natural starch, called amylopectin. The starch adds a creaminess not found in other types of rice, yet affords the risotto grain to maintain a bite.

This means the rice will be cooked al dente, which is counter intuitive to anyone who eats other rice dishes.

If you want to make perfect risotto you need to use the right rice.

Arborio rice, an Italian rice, from Arborio and  is the most available of the type of rice you need for risotto. There are other appropriate rices such as Vialone Nan, Baldo and Carnaoli, which may be a bit better than Arborio, but not readily available. Regular long grain rice will not do.

Arbrorio has a short, plump grain which will  absorb the broth well, maintain a bite when cooked properly, and will be firm, creamy and chewy all at the same time. You can order Arborio rice here.

Risotto cooks from the outside in, and  we must be willing to allow for the hard body inside to stay firm while allowing the starches to develop its creamy texture. Risotto from start to finish takes approximately 18 minutes.

What Kind of Pan or Pot will Make Perfect Risotto?

Type of pan. I had equal amounts of success using a stainless steel frying pan or an enameled cast iron dutch oven. The pan should be heavy enough to cook evenly and not burn the rice. The sides need to be high enough to take the broth. Use a wooden spoon to stir.

Adding Fat to Risotto

Risotto will begin with fat and usually end with cheese.  Many purist recipes use only butter, but you can use both butter and a good olive oil together. The dry rice is added to the fat, which seals it and toasts it. Use a good grassfed butter.

Toast the rice before adding fat, stirring well on medium heat for about 2 to 4 minutes. I never add any fat at the end of the risotto dish. You may see recipes that ask you to add butter and or cream at the end of the dish. Ignore those amateur recipes. That defeats the whole purpose of properly cooking the rice so that it will develop it’s own creamy texture.

I’m not the only person who thinks this. I’ve perused several Italian cookbooks and can’t find any recipes that add butter at the end, and two Iron Chef’s Michael Symon and Mario Batali have both stated that they would never add butter or cream to the end of a risotto.

I can see from my comments that there are lots of opinions about this, which I embrace. I love a good food discussion.

Adding Acid 

Most recipes ask you to add wine. Once I learned how to add my wine in and be patient, I like this method. However, you use some vinegar (champagne vinegar, white balsamic, apple cider).

I learned the vinegar trick from a chef in Nashville after eating his risotto and thinking it was so perfectly balanced. You CAN add in wine, but if you do, make sure you love that wine, and make sure you add it in the beginning of your risotto before you add any broth and allow it to fully evaporate. Risotto should not taste like wine.

Broth, What Kind and How Much?

Risotto is rice slowly cooked by adding small amounts of broth at a time. The flavor of the broth will permeate the risotto. Vegetable broth can be off putting and for most risotto dishes, chicken broth is best. Some prefer a meat broth, but it needs to be very fresh, and not overwhelming. It should make sense with the type of risotto you are serving.

I use an low sodium organic broth which I will water down a little bit, not wanting to much sodium nor too strong of a flavor. Keep in mind that the rice will take on the flavor of the broth and is a very important component.

Of course, homemade broth is always best to make perfect risotto,  but that’s not possible for everyday cooking and risotto should be everyday cooking. Do purchase a very good organic broth that is only chicken broth, and not added in garlic or heavy seasonings. Taste your broth before agreeing to add it in.

What Should Broth Temperature be?

The broth should be brought to a piping hot temperature to start, but then reduced to a simmer, before it’s added to the fat. If the broth is too hot when it hits the hot fat, it could explode. (I actually had that happen once, and the broth sustained a geyser effect and stained my ceiling).

To avoid this, when I approach the pan the first time with the hot broth, I have a lid ready, and I immediately cover the pot as soon as I put the first ladle of broth in or if you are adding in any wine. Take this tip seriously, because the splatter could burn you.

What is Broth Ratio to Rice for Risotto?

The amount of broth is subjective, but I lean conservative. Renowned Italian cooking teacher and author, Giuliano Buglialli uses a ratio of 1 cup of raw arborio rice to 2 cups of broth for a ratio of 1:2.

International Italian cooking legend, Marcella Hazan, uses 2 cups of raw arborio rice to 5 cups of broth for a ration of 1:2.5.  Judy Rodgers agrees with this range. I tend to fall right in the middle with 1 cup rice to 2 1/4 cups broth. However, you must be the judge, as every risotto pan differs a little.

This fascinated me because so many recipes call for 2 cups of raw rice to 8 cups of broth. This is a huge difference, and compelled me to slow down on the broth, sticking with the conservative approach from authentic Italians.

There is no exact amount of liquid. You have to watch and make a decision, but the range for a nice al dente risotto is probably 2 to 2.5 cups of broth per cup of rice. Too much liquid is going to make a mushy risotto. If the rice is still crunchy after using 2.5 cups broth to 1 cup raw rice, add in a little bit more, of course. This is where it will take practice.

How Much Do You Really Need to Stir Risotto?

Risotto cooking technique. Every recipe says you must stir the risotto constantly, making it sound like a super stressful dish to make. Stir a lot, but not constant in that you never stop your arm.  That distracts the cook from taking a good look at what is happening in the pan. I made three risottos all at once on my stove and I have only two arms.

This means you must stir and attend, but you can rest your arm and relax a bit. This will be the part of risotto making that will take practice.

Take Risotto off the the Stove Before You think It’s Done

The late Judy Rodgers (Zuni Cafe) is also a proponent of approaching risotto in a more relaxed fashion. She adds 2 cups of broth immediately to the toasted rice and only takes great caution with the risotto for the last half cup of broth.  She says the success is dependent the most on the last few minutes, and at that point add only the smallest amount of broth and take the risotto off the stove before you believe it to be done.

As I made three risottos on the stove at once, I took turns stirring, but paid close attention to how the rice was absorbing the broth. All three had different ingredients, were in three different types of pans, and required a different amount of broth and looking after.

I might go a whole minute not stirring one of the pans, watching the liquid absorb, then giving a little stir and just as the broth is  about to disappear completely, I add a little more broth about one half cup. The key is to avoid a bottom so dry that the rice sticks and burns. All the while it’s cooking, it must stay moist.

Adding Cheese

The very end of the dish is followed by freshly grated, imported parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano, after the risotto is taken off the stove. Sometimes I’ll add in some other cheese as I did with the red beet risotto, in which I added a little goat cheese. I personally personally prefer the parmigiano over the pecorino as the pecorino can overwhelm and is salty.

Skip the cheese altogether when making a seafood risotto.

Adding Ingredients to Make a Perfect Risotto

You can be creative with risotto, but I prefer to add in just one ingredient at a time. While I used local Tennessee ingredients in these three beautiful risotto dishes, I also like risotto made with summer corn,  spring peas and shrimp, asparagus, squash and earthy mushrooms.

Left over risotto can be turned into risotto cakes fried on the stove and become breakfast when an egg is placed on top. Risotto is also excellent stuffed into peppers and roasted. There is always the dilemma as to when to add in ingredients. There are no hard and fast rules, sometimes at the beginning as with mushrooms,  and sometimes as with peas, it’s closer to the end.

Adding Herbs to Risotto

Flat Italian parsley is a good herb to add, but you can decide on different herbs. I used basil for the red beet risotto, and I would use sage for the sweet potato risotto.

Risotto Can Be First Course, Main Course, Side Dish

Risotto can be any one of these things. This way it can be served immediately without any worry about the timing of other dishes. However, some risottos can include seafood like this shrimp and peas risotto, meat and be used as a main dish.

Avoid these Mistakes for Perfect Risotto

• The biggest mistake is not knowing that risotto must be al dente. Don’t think of this as rice pilaf. It’s not. This does NOT mean the rice should be crunchy. It should just have a bite to it.
• Using too much broth and drowning the risotto. 1 cup of rice to 2 to 2.5 cups of broth is enough. This recipe used 1 1/2 to 3 cups broth.
• Cooking the risotto way too long. 18-21 minutes from start to finish is enough time. Anything more will result in mush.

Risotto doesn’t take the skill set of a culinary expert in a four-star kitchen. It simply takes practice and knowing what your end result is supposed to look like. Remember perfect risotto is never exactly perfect. It’s a rustic, Italian comfort food that will get better every time you make it.

Please follow me on instagram and tag #spinachtiger if you make the recipe.

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More Risotto Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Caramelized Onion and Sweet Corn Risotto

Shrimp and Peas Risotto

Sweet Potato Risotto

Melted Tuscan Kale Risotto

Red Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese

Butternut Squash Risotto

Risotto Cakes from Leftover Risotto

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The Secret to Perfect Risotto in Just 18 Minutes

A basic recipe for risotto. Using this basic recipe, you can add ingredients and get creative.

Course Basic Risotto

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 23 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of butter can use half olive oil/half butter
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 1 1/2 cup of arborio rice
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
• salt
• pepper
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Heat chicken broth in separate pot. Once hot, turn to simmer.
• Melt butter and In a 10 inch stainless steel frying pan or an enamled cast iron small dutch oven. Add olive oil.
• Add chopped onion and cook until translucent.
• Add in dry arborio rice and toast for four minutes, stirring.
• Add in cider vinegar. or wine. Continue to stir.
• Have a lid ready to immediately cover when you put the first ladle of broth.
• Add 1/2 cup broth. Cover for a few seconds to avoid any reaction from hot broth hitting the hot fat. Uncover.
• Stir until the broth is nearly all absorbed in the rice.
• Add another 1/2 cup broth and repeat until there is only 1/2 cup broth left to add.
• Add in broth 1/4 cup at a time at the end, so as to not overcook the rice.
• At the end of about 18 minutes, you should be at the end of the broth. Taste the rice. If it gives yet still has a bite, take it off. If it crunches, then cook another minute, stirring constantly. If you run out of broth and you're sure the rice is not done, add a small amount of water, (tablespoon or so).
• Remove from stove, Stir in grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped parsley.
• This will serve 4 big servings.

Video

Notes

Since my original post, I've edited this recipe, preferring to use all butter to start the risotto. I've also increased the recipe to 1 1/2 cups arborio rice instead of 1 cup.

If you only want to use 1 cup rice, use 2 to 2 1/4 cups broth and 2 tablespoons butter.

I've also reversed the order for adding the wine. I added the wine to the rice before the broth and let it cook off for a few minutes. This way there is no strong wine flavor, but it's very subtle.




The post How to Make Perfect Risotto with Video appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I’m on an Autumn Roll. If I was a magazine, I would probably be preparing for Valentine’s Day, but I’m a blog, and I’m in real time making boozy, spicy, Autumn Risotto with Butternut Squash.

You may remember Autumn Salad, and the inspiration for this dish, Autumn Cocktail. Well, one good idea just flows into the next and when I had butternut-infused vodka left over, I thought about risotto.

I’m not sure what Marcella Hazan might say if she could see me throwing in mustard seeds, green chilies, red chilies, and tumeric, along with the customary onion and butter. Just to make it more interesting, I added in the butternut squash-infused vodka, which sweetened the dish a little and layered nicely with the butternut squash.

I kept the dish hot and spicy, but added in toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries to add that Autumn touch.

This is not the typical butternut squash risotto with parmesan cheese.

Boozy, spicy, Autumn Risotto with Butternut squash is a great side dish, especially on the holiday table.

More Spinach Tiger Recipes

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Autumn Potluck Kale Salad

Autumn Cocktail

Autumn Brunch

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Boozy Spicy Autumn Risotto with Butternut Squash

Autumn Butternut Squash Risotto fused with Fall flavors, Indian spices.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small butternut squash cubed
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/4 cup butternut infused-squash vodka optional, can use white wine or no alcohol
• large dash nutmeg
• 1 green chili sliced
• 1 red chili broken in half
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• tablespoon of dried cranberries
• toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Instructions

• Saute butternut squash in olive oil.
• Add in onion and 1 tablespoon butter. Add in green chili sliced and red chili.
• Once onion is translucent, add arborio rice and stir until moistened.
• Immediately add in 1/2 cup broth. Once that evaporates add in another 1/2 cup broth. Move rice to side of pan. Add remaining tablespoon butter and vodka. Stir and stir through rice. Once evaporated, add in another 1/2 cup broth and dried cranberries.
• Add in salt, white pepper.
• Continue to add 1/2 cup broth at a time until five cups are used.
• Season again with salt, pepper and dash nutmeg and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.

The post Spicy Autumn Risotto with Butternut Squash appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Firstly let me say Happy New Year. Your arrival at more door means a lot, so please keep coming back. You can look forward to getting here much more quickly as soon as I convert over to my new software package. Hopefully within a few weeks, I will have a new home.

Skipping dinner on New Year’s Eve and breakfast on New Year’s Day this lunch was our first bite of food for the new year, and if this sets the 2010 standard, it’s going to be a good food year. Capturing a good picture of meat is not my talent, and if you cut into the tenderloin, it’s cooked medium rare and is very tender. The sauce and risotto bring home the flavor, as tenderloin is not as flavorful as other cuts of meat.

I know that risotto should be served as it’s own course, but this works, and I like to step away from tradition and go new places.

The Royal Foodie Joust
I love champagne. It’s glamorous and retro. The Royal Foodie Joust is hosting their January challenge (due today) using the ingredients, orange, mushrooms and champagne, chosen by December’s winner, Gfron of The Curious Blogquat  with Ginger Pear Filled Pithivier with Fennel Infused Butter Puff Pastry. I couldn’t quite put mushrooms anyway near oranges in my mind. Intuitively, citrus and mushrooms do not go together. But, I thought what if the surrounding ingredients somehow worked as a filter to allow both types of taste to come together. This is why I venture into this contest. It always makes you think.

Some of my entries from last year include:

The result of an orange zested, porcini mushroom champagne sauce was amazing and something I never would have tried had it not been for the contest. The orange is very subtle but you can pick it out in the background. Make the risotto separately and you can put it with the steak as I have or even serve it as your first course, followed by the steak. That would be outstanding.

Risotto
I had forgotten how good porcini mushrooms are. Bold, robust, and stand-alone is how I might describe the taste. They need nothing else. What a way to begin the first day of the new year with a fillet mignon parked upon a bed of porcini mushroom risotto.

The last time I had porcini mushrooms, they were foraged by the family that taught us a cooking class in Italy. There are strict rules for foraging these mushrooms in Italy. One must have a permit, is limited in amount and must use an open basket so the spores escape. The Italians consider the Porcino the king of mushrooms. We made them with a homemade pasta, and I had forgotten the rich flavor, that almost tastes like you added wine to the dish.

Most of us will not have access to fresh and will use the dried porcini which need to be reconstituted. Buy them from a reputable gourmet shop, and look them over well. If you see pin holes in the stem, that is a sign of worms. They should not be like dust, and they should smell strong when you open them.

This can be eaten alone as an entree, eaten as a first course or eaten as a side course. In Italy it would be a stand alone course, served before the protein in place of soup or pasta or following a soup.

 To Reconstitute Porcini Mushrooms:

1. Place 1 oz. mushrooms in 2 cups warm water for thirty minutes. RESERVE WATER. Squeeze out juice. Place on paper towel.

Proceed with Recipe for Risotto:

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms Recipe adapted from Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 4-5 cups Meat broth or store bought organic broth
• 1 tablespoon Canola oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
• 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated

1. Saute onion in butter and oil until softened.
2. Add rice and stir, cooking for 10 minutes.
3. Add hot broth 1 cup at a time until the rice is cooked with just a bite to it. I watered down store bought organic beef broth 2 cups broth to 1 cup of water. Once broth is absorbed, add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: I kept out 1/4 of the mushrooms. I added all of the filtered water to the sauce. This yields 7 cups of broth. Use 4-5 for risotto, maintain rest to make the sauce. Use two cups to make sauce.

For the Sauce:

• 1 cups of broth (see note)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablelspoons butter
• 2 tablespoons blood orange olive oil, divided (you can use regular olive oil with a bit of orange zest)
• 1/4 of porcini mushrooms (see above
• 1 cup champagne
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• Sea salt

1. Smash garlic clove into dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon blood orange olive oil. Rub over steaks. Allow to come to room temperature while you make the sauce.
2. Put butter and olive oil in pan. Soften onion.
3. Add in broth, mushrooms. Bring to a simmer. Add champagne, orange zest, pepper corn, thyme. Reduce down for 30 minutes or more until sauce is thickened. Season with salt as needed.
4. Strain through sieve. Serve immediately over steak marinated with mustard and garlic. Garnish with thyme and peppercorns

Risotto for Recipe adapted from Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 4-5 cups meat broth or store bought organic broth
• 1 tablespoon Canola oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
• 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated

Reconstituting Porcini Mushrooms
Place 1 oz. mushrooms in 2 cups warm water for thirty minutes. RESERVE WATER. Squeeze out juice. Place on paper towel.

The post Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms, Filet Mignon with Mushroom Champagne Sauce appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I have discovered the reason people love risotto, because I have finally succumbed to the joy of flavorful, creamy arborio rice.

Risotto used to be a mystery to me. I was raised as a pasta girl, and I never understood the hoopla about rice. One of my grandfathers is from northern Italy and he had an obsession with rice soup, and although we shared a name, (Angelo), I didn’t appreciate his obsession. It never occurred to me that he may have been raised eating risotto and rice soup was his comfort food.

Once I finally discovered how to to get the right creaminess, and overcame my many risotto mistakes, it might become my comfort food also, but it’s been a long road getting there.

First let me tell you my risotto catastrophes.

The first time I made risotto, the wine didn’t have enough time to cook down and it made an unfortunate side dish on a particular Christmas Eve. Too much wine, not reduced properly can kill a risotto. The second time I was clueless about chemistry. When the wine hit the frying pan, it created a kitchen accident, namely, an oil geyser that hit the ceiling to spray no less than 40 grease spots. Using two different types of oil paint to finally remove them. I would oil prime, paint and within a few days the grease spots would appear again. And, then there was the DRY risotto. It would look just perfect on the stove and then morph into something else upon serving.

Not to be taken down by something as simple as rice, I continued until I figured it out. Not all risotto recipes are created equally, but what they all lacked was this very simple instruction, “take it off the stove before you think it is ready.” Rice continues to cook and continues to absorb the broth.

And, so now I bring you perfect risotto, creamy, flavorful, delicate, good enough to be the main course.

Fresh Shelled Peas Toasting Arborio Rice

Recipe with Wild Shrimp and Fresh Peas

Ingredients

• 4 tableespoons butter, divided
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup wine
• 4 cups chicken broth (or shrimp broth) boiling hot
• 1 pound wild shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 cup fresh peas (or frozen)
• 1/2 cup parmiggiano reggiano, freshly grated
• Parsley, chopped fine for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground)
• sea salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Shell peas and boil in water for five minutes. Set aside. If using frozen peas, put in at last minute frozen. They will cook in with rice mixture. Don’t put in too early, because you them to retain their bright green color.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in pan, saute onion, just until soft.
3. Add rice until it opens up, about five minutes. Add salt, nutmeg. Add in wine and stir until it is fully absorbed. Add in broth, one cup at a time, until absorbed. Continue stirring throughout the process. I keep the broth on simmer until it is gone.
4. Once the last cup is nearly absorbed by rice, add in cooked shrimp, peas, cheese. Garnish with parsley. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately.
5. Cooking Shrimp: I cooked the shrimp in the broth on top of stove, just until poached. Remove and reserve to put in risotto at the end. You can make a broth using the shrimp shells, by boiling shells, and removing right before using.

The post Risotto with Wild Shrimp and Fresh Peas appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This might be the best bean soup you have ever eaten because there is a surprise crunch that packs big flavor. This is an Italian inspired bean soup.

Cannellini beans, arborio rice, pecorino cheese, are Italian but make no mistake about it, the bacon is American. No pancetta here.

The bacon flavor is profoundly aromatic and is crumbled up so that each bite gets a little bacon and crunchy rice, and when a tomato is captured in that bite the taste is redesigned comfort food because the tomatoes are not cooked, but added in at the end with just a bit of raw spinach.

It’s memorable. It’s well balanced. It’s the perfect one dish meal, that can be eaten any time of year, but is especially good when tomato season is in full peak and you need yet one more way to use them.

This Bean Soup has Options

What I most like is that this soup has options. You can just as easily serve this with crunchy bacon laced rice on the side. Or you can add fresh baby spinach and tomatoes at the end, just before serving,for a vegetarian option.

I like every option. If you do use spinach, it’s important to add it in raw, as it will wilt as it needs to, but won’t get slimy or disappear. You could also add in some kale, which you will want to cook for about 15 minutes.

The color that the tomatoes and spinach bring to this soup enhance not just flavor and texture but visually appeal to that spring/summer desire to eat colorful whole food. I served it with rosemary bread, using freshly picked rosemary and white whole wheat flour.

Whoever said that comfort food is not healthy?

Serve with rosemary bread as seen below.

More Soup Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Chicken and White Bean Soup

White beans, left over chicken, boxed broth makes an easy, healthy soup.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bean soup, beansoup, chicken soup, soup

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 10 hours hours

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken, diced or shredded
• 4 cans cannellini beans
• 4-6 cups chicken broth
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 carrots diced
• few fresh thyme sprigs can use rosemary also
• 1 handful Italian parsley chopped
• olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed or 1 cup chopped fennel
• pinch red pepper flakes
• Pecorino or Parmesan for serving

Instructions

• Rinse beans with water. Reserve 1 can of beans to emulsify later.
• Add butter and olive oil to heavy bottomed pan.
• Add in onion, carrot, celery (and fennel if using fresh) and cook until nearly soft.
• Add in garlic, cook a minutes, but not browning.
• Add in chicken broth. Add in beans that are rinsed and drained.
• Add In spices, and shredded chicken.
• Blend reserved can of beans until pureed. Add to soup.
• Cook until carrots are soft.
• Serve with Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Bacon risotto

Bacon Risotto

Course Risotto

Cuisine Italian

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• Risotto with bacon
• 2 tablespoon butter divided
• 4 slices bacon chopped fine
• 1 medium white onion or 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 3/4 cup red wine you can use white wine also
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 4 cups chicken broth hot
• 1/4 cup pecorino cheese grated
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 cup grape tomatoes sliced lengthwise

Instructions

• Saute bacon until crisp. Remove any bacon residue and bacon grease from pan. Save 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
• Saute onion in bacon grease until soft. Add butter if necessary.
• Add rice until toasted. Add wine and cook for a few minutes.
• Heat broth in a large saucepan on stove and add in very hot broth, one ladle at a time until each ladle has been incorporated.
• Add in olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, pecorino cheese, stir.
• Add parsley and tomatoes.

Notes

Crunchy Rice
Cook 4 slices bacon
Remove, finely chop, divide.
Add cooked rice to pan and stir fry until crisp.

Assembly:
Ladle bean soup into individual bowls. Add in 3-4 grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise to each serving .
Add in some raw spinach leaves to each bowl. Mix. Top with sprinkle pecorino cheese, crunchy rice and extra bacon bits.
3.2.2885

The post My Special Italian Bean Soup with Optional Crunchy Rice appeared first on Spinach Tiger.