Homemade Risotto

One recipe I have always wanted to learn is risotto.  Whenever you go to a fancier Italian restaurant, you'll almost always see some sort of risotto on the menu.  To add to this, the risotto is usually at a higher price than many of the menu items and is touted as one of the more sophisticated items on the menu.  If you ever watch the show Hell's Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay, he's always yelling at them "don't f-up the risotto! Come on you donkey!"  So, about a year ago, I decided to look up recipes and have my hand at it.

After a year of tweaking, I have to say I feel risotto isn't a hard dish to make, it's just time consuming.  As a result, I think most people may be turned off of making risotto on a normal day since it takes time they just don't wish to take or, quite possibly, just don't have. However, as a treat for yourself and family or as a romantic dish for that special someone, I highly recommend it as a dish to try.

Mushroom and bacon risotto

The recipe I'm providing today is a recipe specifically for a mushroom and bacon risotto; however, you can easily forgo the bacon and mushrooms and add in flavours of your choice.  To add in your own flavours, just replace the steps I give with mushroom or bacon with your ingredients.

What food stuff you will  need for the risotto:
 ~ 4 cups chicken broth (low sodium or not salt is best - this is about 1 store bought carton of broth at 900 mL)
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
~1 pound mushrooms (a medley of different mushrooms works well)
4-5 green onions
1-1.25 cup Arborio rice (You cannot use traditional brown or white rice, it needs to be short grained or round rice such as Arborio, Vialone Nano, or Carnaroli, to cook properly)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/6 of a cup of another cheese (I suggest a nice raw cow or goat cheese to give some more "earthiness")
Several strips of bacon (I like double smoked)
Salt for taste
Fresh ground pepper for taste

What "equipment" you will  need for the risotto:
1 large sauce pan
2 frying pans
1 cutting board
1 knife for chopping
Table spoon measure
Spatula
Grater

Directions:
1) In a large frying pan, place a few strips of bacon and heat on a medium heat for 3-5 min.

2) After the bacon has cooked on the one side, flip the bacon and cook on the other side.

3) Remove any excess fat and repeat steps 1 and 2 until bacon is crispy, then place on paper towel to dry.

4) Remove as much excess bacon grease as you wish, but do not fully wash the pan. Reduce heat to medium/medium-low and add in the sliced mushrooms to the pan with some salt and pepper.

Mushrooms with salt and pepper

5) After a few minutes, the mushrooms will being to soften and change colour due to being cooked. After about 3-4 min, add approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter.
Note: Slow and steady will give a nice sauteed mushroom (approximately 5-10 min).

The mushrooms cooked

4) In the large sauce pan, place in all the chicken broth heat on a medium-high heat.  Add a little pepper and salt for taste.  Do NOT add to much since as you heat the broth some water will evaporate concentrating the salt.

The broth heating slowly on the stove

 5) Chop up 1-2 cloves of garlic.  To help and release the garlic flavour, I crush the garlic with the side of my knife first (see picture) and then chop up the garlic and add to the frying pan.

Left: Crushing a clove of garlic with the side of the knife; Right: The crushed garlic

6) Chop up 4-5 green onions (white and green parts), and chop up the bacon and add to the pan.
7) Reduce heat in the frying pan to low and give a quick stir to all the ingredients.

The mushroom, bacon, green onion and garlic

8) To a second frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter and turn to medium-high heat.
9) When hot, add in the rice and a splash of the hot broth, and stir thoroughly for about one minute to coat the rice with oil/butter and some broth.

The rice with some oil and broth after stirring for about 1 min

10) After the rice is lightly coated with the butter or oil, quickly add in 1/2 cup of dry white wine and constantly and quickly keep stirring until all the wine is absorbed.
Chemist Note: Yes, absorb.  Absorb means the substance it taken into the material; while adsorb would mean just sitting on the surface.

Left: Rice with wine added; Right: Rice after the wine has been mostly absorbed

11) Once the wine has been fully absorbed, add about 1/2 cup of the chick broth to the rice and continue stirring until all the broth has been absorbed (just like with the wine).

12) Continue adding about 1/2 cup of broth at a time to the rice and allow to absorb while constantly stirring (this should take about 10 minutes to complete).
Note: after every addition of broth after the third 1/2 cup addition, test the rice to see if it's done.  If the rice is al dente before you're done using the broth, simply stop adding.  If you run out of broth before the rice is done cooking, just add some water instead, it should be chicken flavoured enough.

13)  To the rice, add in the mushroom, bacon, onion garlic mixture and give a good stir.

The final mixture before addition of the cheese

14) Remove the rice from the heat and let sit while you grate ~ 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and chop 1/6 cup of cheese with a bite.
Note: I suggest an nice 5+ years aged cheddar or raw cow cheese to give a nice earthiness, complimenting the mushrooms.

Fresh grated Parmesan and cubed raw cow cheese

14) Place the rice back on a medium heat and stir in the cheeses until melted, should only take 1-2 min maximum.  If the cheese is having trouble melting, just place back on a medium heat for another minute to help the process.

15) Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed, and plate.
Note: If you have circular cookie cutters, put them on a plate and spoon in risotto.  Allow to cool for about 1 min and remove cutter to give a circular shape (see first picture).

16) Top with fresh Parmesan, fresh ground pepper and extra green onion and serve.

Enjoy!

The Canadian Cooking Chemist