Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Don't judge the gunk til you've tried it. Seriously. I'm not exactly a fan of sticky, glutinous stuff, especially rice. So when I first heard of and saw risotto, I was pretty apprehensive, my brows furrowed and my stomach refused access to that gloopy mass. My second encounter with risotto however, was a baby step towards change - not that I could refuse to eat it anyway as I looked on in despair whilst the host loaded my plate. As I toyed around with the food on my plate, I figured I had two options: 

1. Eat 

2. Eat

I didn't want to come across as rude so I took a deep breath and shoved a forkful in my mouth...hmm....and that ladies and gentleman, is when I discovered that like people and books, don't judge food by its appearance. Gloopy, bland and whiteish as it may appear, the taste however was major ooomph! The creaminess of the rice and the grainy texture was just....W.O.W, not to mention the soft buttery taste of the onions and the whiff of wine and herbs *sigh* Bliss handed over on a plate....

Antonio Carluccio's Basic Risotto Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

350g arborio rice

1 onion finely chopped

1.5-2L of chicken, beef, fish or vegetable stock

Olive oil

50g Butter

Freshly grated parmesan

1. Heat the oil with half the butter, add the onion and cook until softened. Meanwhile heat the stock in another pan and keep it on a low simmer - or just boil water in the kettle, pour into a bowl or jug , dump the stock cube and stir. 

2. When the onion has softened, add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon so that the rice grains are coated in oil and butter, and start to become translucent.

3. Start adding the sock by ladlefuls. Don't add too much or the rice will drown . Keep stirring until the rice absorbs all of the stock. Keep stirring and stirring until all the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding 1 ladle of stock at a time until the rice is cooked after 20-25 minutes. It should be al dente. A good risotto should have a creamy consistency, Italians call this all'onda or "wavy".

4. When the rice is ready, stir in the remaining butter and the parmesan. Let the risotto to stand for a couple of minutes until it absorbs the rest of the liquid. Serve straightaway.

My Twist on Carluccio's recipe - Bacon and Dolcelatte Risotto

Cooking for just 1 requires about 75g-100g of uncooked arborio rice. I used about 200g for two meals. My take on Step 3 is that it doesn't matter in the beginning because the rice will absorb absolutely all of the stock. I added 2 ladles of stock, 1 large glass of white wine (around 125-150ml), then one more ladle of stock and kept stirring, thereafter repeating the "1 ladle at a time + stir" method. The first time I cooked risotto, I skipped out on the wine bit and it did lack something so do add wine for more flavour and tanginess. 

Also, don't worry if you don't use up all of the stock. It seems like the organic arborio rice that I used cooked a little faster, it cooked in 15 minutes and required only about 600ml of stock.  I seasoned with black pepper and herbs about halfway through the cooking time and added the bacon and dolcelatte at the very end. I did think of adding parmesan but that would've been tastebud overkill!

Note about the wine: According to my research using Google, it's best to use a wine that you enjoy drinking because really, it's no use adding a wine that you don't like to something you're going to eat, right? I used a Sauvignon Blanc because it's apparently one of the easiest wines to cook with. Some others apparently require temperature control and not all alcohol evaporates with cooking. Some residual alcohol will remain in your dish depending on what type of wine it is as well as the cooking time and the cooking method.

Bon Appetit!

Life is short. Eat!