Risotto Recipes?

Right I've had a quick zip through google at Risotto Recipes but I was wondering what Risotto Recipes have you folk tried and recommend?


Thanks

This is a good risotto receipe I've made before:

Fresh Tomato Risotto with Basil

5 cups homemade beef broth (substitute one beef boullion cube dissolved in 5 cups water or 3/4 cups canned beef broth diluted with 4 1/4 cups water)

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 lbs. firm ripe tomatoes, peeled with a vegetable peeler, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups carnaroli, aborio or vialone nano rice (about 10 oz.)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

10 basil leaves, cut into very thin strips

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil; keep the broth at a simmer over low heat.

2. Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons of the butter with the onion and oil in a large saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns pale gold. Add the tomatoes and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

3. Add the rice and stir to thoroughly coat the grains. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth to the rice and stir constantly until most of the liquid has been absorbed; adjust the heat if necessary to maintain a simmer. Gradually add more broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and cook stirring the rice constantly to prevent it from sticking to the pan at any time. The rice is done when it is firm but tender, without a chalky center.

4. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the cheese and the basil and stir for 1 minute longer. Season the risotto with salt and pepper and serve at once.

From: 1999 Food & Wine Annual Cookbook

A bit different

(and look! Contains no worms, insects or other creepycrawlies!)

Pumpkin Risotto

1 munchkin or other small pumpkin
55g/1oz unsalted butter
2 spring onions, sliced
110g/4oz short-grain rice
570ml/1 pint chicken stock
½ glass white wine

Cut the top off the pumpkin and remove the pips from inside, and scrape out the pulp using a melon baller. Gently melt the butter in a pan and sauté the pulp and spring onions for 3-4 minutes to soften. Stir in the rice and cook for three minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and wine, stirring to combine.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the rice is tender. Season to taste, transfer to serving plates and serve at once.

And one more:

Lemon & Pomegranate Seed Risotto

1 3/4 cups short-grained rice
1 small leek
1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
1 lemon
1 pomegranate
1 quart of chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup dry white wine, warmed
Salt and pepper to taste
A few shavings of fresh ginger root, minced (optional)

Seed the pomegranate and squeeze half the seeds in a potato ricer to extract their juice. Combine it with the juice of a half a lemon. Trim the zest from the lemon, cut it into thin strips, and blanch them; pat dry and set aside.

Clean the leek, mince it, and sauté it until it wilts in the butter, then scoop it from the pan and set it aside. Sauté the rice in the drippings until the grains become translucent, about five minutes, then return the sautéed leek to the pan and sauté a minute more. Stir in the warmed wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Next, begin to add the broth, a ladle at a time, stirring gently and adding more as it is absorbed.

Shortly before the rice is done, add the fruit juices and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divvy the risotto up into individual portions and decorate them with the reserved pomegranate seeds and strips of zest.

Mmm...Those all sound great!

I'm a risotto fiend myself.....Here's a recipe I often use to compliment a nice steak, seafood, or even as an appatizer by itself...

You’ll need….

5 Cups chicken broth
2 T olive oil (moderately flavored)
1 Cup Aborio/Risotto rice
¼ Cup white wine
6 cloves roasted garlic, lightly chopped
3 roasted shallots, lightly chopped
¼ Cup Pecorino Romano, freshly grated
¼ Cup heavy cream
¼ Cup dried wild mushrooms, hydrated (Optional)
1 T EV olive oil


This will make about 4 servings…

Start out by pouring your chicken broth in a medium size pot and bring it to a boil next to the area you plan on preparing your risotto…Once it reaches a boil, take it down to a gentle simmer…

Meanwhile, Heat another medium sized pot over medium-high heat – Once it’s built up enough heat, add your olive oil – You don’t want to use a strong EV olive oil just yet – Something light will work for now…

Toss in your risotto and give it a good stir – Add a little S&P here…

Continue to stir (Get used to this!) until the risotto gives off a nutty “popcorny” kind of smell…

Add you wine and deglaze the pan to pick up all those little particles of flavor left on the bottom of the pot…

Now begin to ladle ¼ of your stock into the pot and stir, stir, stir….What are you doing reading this? You should be stirring!!

So if you can read AND stir at the same time, then clearly all is going well…..So once the risotto has fully soaked up that broth, continue to add in ¼ portions until you’ve used the remainder of your broth…

You can tell when risotto is done by looking at the grains of rice – Should be fluffy and full looking……Or tasting it of course…You’ll quickly find out how good of a “stirrer” you are regardless….

Und now ve can save ze rice for later, by pulling out a baking sheet, lining it with parchment paper, and spreading the rice evenly out – This will cool it evenly and quickly will make you look like Chef UK…

Or…

Go for the gusto and dish it up now…

The risotto is now back in the pot and over a medium flame….And yes – You’re still stirring…

Add your remaining ingredients (except for the EV olive oil) – I like to use “chunks” of garlic and shallot b/c it gives sudden bursts of flavor….But you can chop it up finer if you don’t like munching on eewy gooey golden roasted sugary garlic gloves….hehe

Voila! Top it off with your EV olive oil – Give it a good final stir and you’re set!

If you wanna really top of your presentation, invest in some ring molds…Or clean up a piece of PVC pipe and form it into a disc to rest your big ‘ol fat Tuna steak on….

God damn…Now I want some….