Risotto is one of the classic Italian dishes. Its main ingredient is rice, but cooked according to a special technology. As a result, it should remain hard inside, but be soft and soft outside, while the grains should be glued together, almost like when cooking viscous porridge. The main ingredient is surely complemented with meat, vegetables, mushrooms and other components, thanks to which the food acquires a bright and unique taste. Relatively inexpensive, but like almost all the risotto with mushrooms, which are available throughout the year. There are several recipes for this dish, so that everyone will be able to choose an option that meets his gastronomic preferences.
Cooking Features
Getting a job in restaurants in Italy, beginning cooks almost always have to demonstrate their skills in making risotto, and they will be employed only when the result is to the chef of the establishment. But this does not mean that the technology of cooking this dish is so complex that it cannot be mastered by an ordinary hostess. If we take into account all the nuances of the technological process, even an inexperienced chef who has never prepared Italian dishes before can get an impeccable result.
- The correct choice of rice varieties is a prerequisite for making risotto. It is better to use Italian varieties “arborio”, “carnaroli” or “vialone nano” specially created for this dish, but they are not sold in all stores and are expensive. An alternative may be the usual Krasnodar red grain rice, which contains a lot of starch.
- Before using rice for cooking risotto, do not rinse so as not to wash off the starch necessary for cooking this dish from the surface of the grains. But you can sort out the cereal and even desirable.
- When cooking risotto, rice is not boiled, but first fried in oil, then stewed in water or broth. Liquid to the fried rice is poured in small portions. After the introduction of the next portion of liquid rice stir with a spatula in a circle until the broth is absorbed into the grains. Only after that pour in a new batch. Usually, the process of cooking risotto after adding the first portion of water or broth to rice lasts 17-20 minutes, but sometimes it takes a little more time.
- In order for rice to acquire a creamy consistency characteristic of risotto, only hot water is added to rice. It is better to boil water or broth in advance and keep it on the stove in the process of cooking, at minimum heat.
- Sometimes before adding water or broth to rice, dry white wine is added to it. It gives the dish even more pleasant taste. Alcoholic smell while not remaining.
Champignons are usually fried separately and combined with rice 5-10 minutes before it is cooked, just as they do with vegetables and other ingredients. But some recipes suggest the use of another technology. In order to avoid mistakes and get the expected result, it is advisable to follow the recommendations accompanying a particular recipe.
Champignon Risotto: A Traditional Recipe
Composition:
- rice for risotto - 0, 3 kg;
- chicken broth - 2 l;
- fresh champignons - 0, 3 kg;
- butter - 100 g;
- refined vegetable oil - 30 ml;
- ground saffron - a pinch;
- dry white wine - 100 ml;
- garlic - 1 clove;
- leek - 50 g;
- onions - 50 g;
- carrots - 80 g;
- hard cheese - 80 g;
- universal seasoning - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Boil chicken broth, strain. If there is no time for cooking broth, you can make it from a bouillon cube.
- Pour the saffron with a tablespoon of wine, leave to infuse.
- Wash mushrooms, dry with a napkin, cut into plates.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan, put mushrooms in it. Cook them over medium heat until the excess liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle them with seasoning and lightly browned. Put it on the plate.
- Wash, peel the vegetables. Chop both onions and garlic as finer as possible, chop the carrots grated with medium holes.
- Put about 40 g of butter in a frying pan, melt it.
- Put chopped vegetables in the butter. Fry them until soft.
- Without washing, add rice to vegetables. Stir. Fry it, stirring with a spatula, for 3-4 minutes.
- Pour the wine into the rice. Wait a bit until the smell of alcohol is no longer felt.
- Fill the rice with hot soup broth. While stirring it, wait until the broth is absorbed. Add a new batch of fluid.
- When no more than half of the broth remains, put the mushrooms and saffron to the rice, stir it.
- Continue to add the remaining broth.
- When the broth is over, remove the pan of rice from the heat and wait 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle grated rice with grated cheese, put slices of butter on it, mix.
It is advisable to serve the dish immediately after cooking. To warm this dish is not recommended.
Risotto with vegetables and champignons
Composition:
- rice - 0, 2 kg;
- fresh champignons - 0, 3 kg;
- sweet pepper - 0, 3 kg;
- green beans - 100 g;
- onions - 100 g;
- garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- mushroom or vegetable broth - 1, 25 l;
- refined vegetable oil - 100 ml;
- salt, spices, herbs, hard cheese - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Wash beans, cut into small pieces, dip in salted boiling water, boil until done. It takes about 12 minutes. Drop in a colander.
- Wash, dry, and slice mushrooms.
- Heat the pan, pour 2 tablespoons of oil into it. Add the mushrooms and fry them until the liquid evolved from them evaporates when heated.
- Pepper wash, clean seed, cut into small squares.
- Remove the husks from the onion, cut it into small cubes.
- Crush the garlic cloves with the flat side of the knife and chop them finely.
- Heat the broth.
- In a deep frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil, put onion and garlic in it. Fry the vegetables for a few minutes - until the characteristic garlic smell.
- Add the pepper to the vegetables, fry the vegetables together until the excess liquid evaporates.
- Add a pic. Fry it for 5 minutes with vegetables, without adding liquid.
- Pour a glass of broth. Cook the rice until the liquid is completely absorbed. Continue to pour broth in portions and cook rice.
- Add the mushrooms and beans to the rice along with the last glass of liquid. Cook the food for another 5 minutes.
Before serving risotto to the table, sprinkle it with grated cheese and finely chopped greens, mix. If you replace the vegetable oil in the recipe with a creamy one, the dish will turn out even more delicious.
Risotto with cream and champignons
Composition:
- rice - 0, 25 kg;
- hot boiled water - 0, 75 l;
- cream - 0, 25 l;
- butter - 40 g;
- olive oil - 40 ml;
- onions - 100 g;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- fresh champignons - 0, 25 kg;
- salt, Italian herbs, pepper - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Mushrooms, washed and dried with a kitchen towel, cut into plates.
- Heat olive oil in a pan, fry the mushrooms in it until cooked. At the end of cooking, season and salt them to taste.
- In another skillet, melt the butter, fry finely chopped onion and garlic in it until soft.
- Add rice to vegetables. Fry it for a few minutes with them. Salt and sprinkle with herbs.
- Pour a glass of hot water. When it is absorbed, add another glass of water, and after absorbing it add the remaining water.
- When rice absorbs all the water, add warm cream to it, at the same time add mushrooms.
- Stir and cook until cream absorbs rice.
When serving to the table, the rice can be sprinkled with grated cheese, but without it it will be tasty.
Mushroom risotto is one of the most popular Italian dishes. Most often it is cooked with champignons, which are available all year round. There are many recipes for this dish, so every gourmet will be able to find an option that meets its gastronomic preferences.
