RED WINE RISOTTO
Risotto is one of those taboo dishes that most people reserve for special occasions because it takes so long to make. Good news! My risotto will not take you any more than 20 minutes! One of the first cooking classes I gave included this recipe and it was so rewarding to watch people succeed in making it! Just remember the better the wine the better your risotto will be, I especially like a Barolo or Valpolicella in this dish!
ingredients
- 4 to 6 servings
- 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (approximately)
- 6 slices of pancetta diced or 1/2 cup
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 large white onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup Arborio rice or Carnaroli rice or Vialone Nano rice
- 3/4 cup dry red wine (a wine you enjoy drinking)
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1 cup of assorted mushrooms stemmed (Shitake & Crimini)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated, additional for garnish
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
preparation
Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep it warm on low heat. (This is not necessary when using a saute pan or a gas oven in which case you can use the broth cold or room temperature)
Place the olive oil in the pan and warm over medium heat. Add in the pancetta and cook until crisp. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until golden. Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is toasted (or until you smell popcorn...yes popcorn!). Pour in the wine and deglaze, this will take about 1 minute. Once the liquid has evaporated and you can draw a line to seperate the rice without it coming back together you know you are ready to add more liquid.
Add enough stock to cover the rice; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat 3 times. On the third time stir in the mushrooms and parsley. Once the rice is cooked to your liking turn off the heat and add the 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and butter. At this point you would add the salt and pepper to taste. Garnish the dish with an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese and extra Virgin olive oil
