Risotto with parmigiano
Are y’all ready for an essential recipe?
This week’s challenge for Pomodori e Vino is Risotto with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Luckily I was able to carry some real Parmigiano -Reggiano back from Italy. FYI~you can bring back cheese that is wrapped and vacuum sealed. I ended up with the cheese in my carry-on. I sweated like a shoe-bomber everytime I went through security… But made it home with my precious cargo.
Y’all know I love Risotto and make it all the time. I was very excited to see Marcella’s technique for making the risotto. She is in the ‘stir constantly’ school of risotto. (who am I to disagree with the master?)
“Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and cook the rice, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon, wiping the sides and bottom of the pot clean as you stir, until all the liquid is gone. You must never stop stirring and you must be sure to wipe the bottom of the pot completely clean frequently or the rice will stick to it.”
This process is repeated with every 1/2 cup ladle of simmering broth. Until the risotto is tender, but not mushy. In the end… stir in butter and that fabulous parmigiano-reggiano.
The result is a beautifully flavorful risotto. I didn’t have fresh truffle to shave over the top, but I did have a little white truffle sauce that was also tucked into my suitcase. How special is that?
Another brilliant adventure in The Essentials of Italian Cooking.
Ciao y’all,
Sandi
Sandi, all I can say to this is MMMMMMMMMmmmmmm.
Pitter patter, my heart is racing thinking about how delicious this would taste. No challenge for me to eat up an entire grande bowl full!!
brava Sandi!!
Yum! I *love* making risotto, too… (And I love Marcella, having fun following this blog!) I have been known to stop stirring, though , with no ill consequences (it’s just unavoidable sometimes when you’ve got two kids under 6, and now that I know it doesn’t hurt the dish, I’m a bit more easy-going about it).
It sounds delicious Sandi! What type of rice did you use? We are partial to Ferron’s Carnaroli.
Susie~ I used Arborio rice. It’s easy to find (even here in Alabama)
Sandi, thank you for believing in me. You’ve made a very successful exit from the pasta chapter. I could have set down a hundred different ways of making risotto. Aren’t you glad I didn’t? But none can surpass the basic risotto col parmigiano, especially when you can add a little truffle fragrance. I know that a great many people including Mario Batali think I am antediluvian for insisting that risotto be stirred continuously. I know it does no serious damage to stop. At a minimum, you’ll have a bit of rice to scrape off the bottom of the pot. If you make a practice of stirring sporadically, you will end up using more liquid at one time than is desirable. It takes me exactly 25 minutes to make risotto. If you can manage to stir for 25 minutes your risotto will have a texture that no other method can match. Trust me. I hope you swirled in the butter and cheese off heat.
Did you know you could order aged P-R online from Parma?
Marcella~ of course I waited to stir in the butter and cheese until the very end. Risotto is one of my very favorites…no matter the ingredients.
Yum! As I’m reading your post, I’m heading home to make my risotto that will be posted next week. Can’t wait to taste it.
Goodness Sandi – the way you’re going through that parmigiano you’ll need to head back to Bologna in a few weeks to buy more cheese! I still haven’t opened my packages up . . . although we have friends coming over tonight for a wine and cheese feast . . .
I too have heard that never ending ‘stir or not stir’ debate – I may have commented on it in my risotto post – in the end who cares? If it works than stir. . . or not. I feel that the final texture is far more pleasing IF I stir than when I do not.
Well done!
Shame I wasn’t closer – I have these three black truffles sitting here . . .