Valvona & Crolla

This is the text from one of Mary's Risotto Demonstrations. It all went well, and one customer was kind enough to e-mail us to say it was a wonderful evening and that with the helpers it felt like a family kitchen! You can find some additional recipes for risotto dishes at the bottom of the page.

Basic Brilliant Risotto

Look for the best quality Italian risotto rice: Vialone Nano, Carnaroli or Arborio. All are readily available. I prefer the Vialone Nano, beloved of the Venetians. It has a small stubby grain and white centre which slowly absorbs the stock, keeps it’s shape and manages to produce an oozy, creamy sauce around the grain at the same time.

Rice produced from small specialist farms is often better than mass produced brands. I don’t like to be precious about food, but the right ingredients actually make the job easier and the end result is so satisfyingly good that all of a sudden you’re a confident cook! A word of warning, that’s what I’m here for. If you buy untreated or organic rice or grains, bear in mind that they may be contaminated with the odd moths or mites. Just be cautious. Keep each product in a sealed jar in a cool dark cupboard. Keep a note of the sell by date. If the product has not been laced with preservatives it won’t last as long.

Cook this risotto once or twice, learn how the principles work and then I hope you’ll enjoy cooking risotto any time by instinct, without bothering about recipes and quantities. I usually judge a cup of rice for 2 people with about a 500-600ml of stock. Remember, the rice will absorb the amount of liquid it wants-not the amount you tell it to!

This recipe serves 4. Once you get cooking risotto you’ll quickly judge the stock you have, adding water at the end if you need more liquid. I always find we manage to eat whatever quantity I make; there are never any L.O.’s (left-overs)!

40g unsalted butter

2 shallots or 1 small onion very, very finely chopped (about 2 tablespoonfuls)

1 stick celery, peeled and very finely chopped

300g vialone nano or carnaroli risotto rice

about 1 litre home-made chicken stock

2-3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a nice extra blob of butter

Make sure the shallot and celery are very finely and evenly chopped. You could almost grate them on the course side of a conical grater. I cook the shallot with the butter very slowly in a small butter-melting pot or a ¼ pint saucepan. This way the shallot is completely immersed in the butter and will not brown or burn and will get the chance to soften and become translucent, the soffritto.

Don’t add salt to the shallot. It will help it cook quicker but it also acts to flavour it and let it release water. The shallot will stew instead of slowly fry. The result is an onion taste in the finished risotto, not appealing.

Heat the stock in a separate pot; let it simmer slowly. It should be fairly concentrated. Transfer the softened shallots and butter, the soffritto, into a warmed, wide cast-iron saucepan. Let it heat through and as it starts to sizzle, add the rice. Don’t wash the rice. It is the starch on the outside of the rice that produces the creaminess of a good risotto. Turn the rice around in the soffritto for a few minutes until it is almost jumping in the heat. Add a ladleful of the hot stock and stir it in with a wooden spoon. (If you are adding wine, add it before the stock and let it bubble to get rid of any alcohol. Don’t add any stock until the wine has been absorbed).

Lower the heat to medium and continue to add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring as you go. This breaks down the starchy outer layer of the grain. Let all the liquid become absorbed before you add the next spoonful. You don’t need to stir every second, but it is a wonderful luxury to turn the rice in the stock, to watch it change texture and to observe how it cooks. I find risotto making a comfort. If the stock starts to run out add some hot water and some parsley stalks, season it with a little Maldon salt and continue adding that.

The risotto takes about 20-25 minutes to cook depending on the type of rice. After about 15 minutes start to taste it. Season it if necessary but remember that the Parmigiano and butter added at the end will give a good lift to the flavour.

The rice is cooked when the middle is no longer chalky but the grain still has a bite. Add a final spoonful of stock. Remember the rice still cooks and absorbs liquid as it goes to the table. Take the pot off the heat and beat in the grated Parmigiano with the wooden spoon. This process is called “manticato” and it acts to cream the remaining liquid around the rice. Finally stir in the butter, melting a final creamy layer around the rice. Put the lid on a leave the rice to settle for a few minutes. When you remove the lid the rice will have settled into a creamy, soupy consistency, perfect to eat right away.

This risotto is very gently flavoured. Use the technique to build in any flavours you like. I prefer to keep it simple, adding one or two extra ingredients only. The only thing to remember with everything you add is to prepare it all the same size so it can cook evenly. Ingredients that take more than 20 minutes or so to cook need to be cooked separately, before hand. Ingredients that cook within 20 minutes can be added while the rice is cooking.

Risottos with asparagus or spinach

Our new risottos use the 'Basic Brilliant Risotto' as a base. We will then be adding flavours to build up each new dish.

Asparagus risotto
In May we get wonderful Scottish or English asparagus. Use about 400g to make a fabulous risotto. Break off the bottom of the stalks where they snap naturally. Trim off the top of the spears. They take less time to cook and should be added in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Rinse the asparagus, especially the heads. They can be a bit gritty if they were picked just after it has rained. Cook the stalks and the stubs in a little boiling salted water until just tender. Use some of this water as well as some chicken or vegetable stock to make the risotto. Cut the stalks into bite-sized pieces and add them to the risotto halfway through cooking. Discard the stubs, these are stringy and don't eat well. Add tips for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Lift the flavour with plenty of grated Parmigiano and a good blob of butter. The asparagus's sweetness, the salty cheese and the unctous butter make a really beautiful risotto.

Alternatively, roast the tender asparagus heads seperately with a little Maldon sea salt and extra virgin olive oil in a medium oven (180°/350°F/Gas 4).

Spinach risotto
Gradually stir in 200g or so rinsed, chopped baby spinach halfway through the cooking of the risotto. The spinach takes a few minutes to melt down into the rice and its juices help to add flavour. Add a grating of nutmeg at the end and a squeeze of lemon juice as well as the butter and grated Parmigiano.