Risotto is a popular Italian dish served around the world. A variety of risotto cooking options are plentiful.
The most popular of them is considered to be the classic recipe, in which the obligatory component is a special rice variety called "Arborio".
This kind of white grain gives the dish a light creamy taste and velvety texture. All this is due to the fact that during cooking, the rice takes on a creamy appearance.
Arborio absorbs the whole taste of the other components of the dish, so the risotto turns out to be uniquely appetizing, and its aroma is exquisite.
Classic risotto - general cooking principles
Classic risotto is made from specially grown rice grains, which are small in structure, so they do not require a lot of liquid. These varieties include: carnaroli, arborio, basmati, vialone nano.
Fry rice preferably in olive oil. In this case, do not forget to constantly stir.
Vegetables, seafood, legumes, chicken, sausages, beef, ham, greens or mushrooms are added to the risotto rice.
Another necessary component is the broth, you need to add it hot. Suitable: meat, mushroom, vegetable or broth in which the shrimp was cooked.
You can season the dish with cheese, saffron, ground garlic, basil or pepper.
In the process of cooking, you need to periodically monitor the amount of liquid, otherwise the rice may burn. The risotto should turn out to be viscous and porridge-like, so boldly stir it with a special wooden stick during cooking.
This classic risotto is served with a glass of dry white wine, which in small quantities is preferably added to the dish during cooking.
Classic risotto with white wine
Ingredients:
• 220 g of rice for risotto;
• 450 ml of meat broth;
• 100 ml of dry white wine;
• 10 ml of olive oil;
• salt.
Cooking method:
1. Sort the rice, rinse it slightly.
2. Add oil to the pan, lay out the rice. Fry the rice grains for 3 minutes. If you like crumbly risotto, you need to mix the grains all the time, so that as a result each of them is covered with oil and evenly fried. Then the rice in the dish will be just that.
3. After this, add wine to the rice, simmer until the liquid has completely evaporated in the pan.
4. Once the wine has evaporated, add the meat broth. Broth is best taken with beef or chicken. Pour it hot.
5. Add the risotto to taste.
6. When the broth has evaporated, the dish will be ready for use.
7. Risotto can be served slightly cooled with squid, fresh herbs, vegetables, fish or chicken. Green peas or canned corn are suitable for decoration.
Classic risotto with mushrooms
Ingredients:
• 140 g of special rice;
• 1 onion;
• 10 g butter;
• 100 g champignon mushrooms;
• 3 tbsp. spoons of brandy;
• 1 2 part of a bunch of parsley;
• 10 ml of olive oil;
• salt;
• 100 ml of mushroom broth.
Cooking method:
1. Wash the mushrooms, dry them, cut them into thin slices.
2. Warm the oil in a pan, add mushrooms. Fry until the moisture evaporates.
3. Finely chop the peeled onions with a sharp knife.
4. Add the onions to the mushrooms. Cook until ingredients are lightly browned.
5. Rinse the rice and add it to the pan too. Pass the rice with vegetables for 4-5 minutes, stirring all the time.
6. After this, pour cognac into the pan, simmer until the moisture has completely evaporated.
7. Then add the mushroom broth and salt into the pan, continue to simmer. Once the riza has boiled, turn off the burner.
8. Season the finished risotto with oil, sprinkle with fresh herbs, and serve. You can grate Parmesan cheese on top.
Classic risotto with chicken and vegetables
Ingredients:
• 280 g of rice for risotto;
• 300 g chicken breast;
• 650 ml of chicken stock;
• 25 g butter;
• 10 ml of olive oil;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 onion;
• 2 tomatoes;
• salt.
Cooking method:
1. Rinse the chicken breast and wipe with paper towels. Then cut into even small squares.
2. Melt the butter in a pan, fry the chicken in it. It will be nice if the pieces become a little rosy.
3. Peel the carrots and onions. Cut the carrots into strips, and onions in small cubes.
4. Peel the tomato. To do this, scald them with boiling water, remove the peel and cut into slices.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a pan with a thick bottom separately from chicken, fry in olive oil until soft.
6. Add the broth to the vegetables.
7. Rinse and transfer to vegetables. Add salt and simmer until tender.
8. Ready rice with vegetables, mix with chicken. Let the dish brew.
9. Risotto can be decorated with fresh herbs, and serve.
Classic Shrimp and Cheese Risotto
Ingredients:
• 240 g of Arborio rice;
• 500 g peeled shrimp;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 onion;
• 50 g of Parmesan cheese;
• 100 ml of white wine;
• 1 2 part of a bunch of fresh basil;
• 1 2 part of a bunch of parsley;
• 10 ml of olive oil;
• salt;
• 5 g of ground pepper (white and black).
Cooking method:
1. Wash the shrimp and boil in salted water until half ready. Do not drain the broth - leave 150 ml for making risotto.
2. Pour oil into the pan.
3. Peel and chop the garlic finely. Sauté the garlic with shrimp for 1-1.5 minutes.
4. In another frying pan in oil, fry finely chopped onions.
5. Add washed rice to the onion, fry, stirring constantly.
6. Pour white wine into a frying pan with rice first, simmer until it evaporates.
7. Then pour in the broth, add salt and spices, simmer until tender.
8. Add shrimp and garlic to the finished rice, mix.
9. Grind greens.
10. Grate the cheese finely on a grater. Then add it to the hot risotto. Shuffle. The cheese should melt slightly.
11. Serve the finished dish to the table, laid out on serving plates and sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs.
Classic risotto with vegetables in a slow cooker
Ingredients:
• 2 multi glasses of special rice;
• 4 multi glasses of meat broth;
• 2 carrots;
• 1 onion;
• 1 bell pepper;
• 100 ml sour cream;
• 5 g ground white pepper;
• salt;
• 10 ml of olive oil;
• 100 ml of dry white wine.
Cooking method:
1. Pour oil into the multi-cooker bowl. Turn on the "Frying" mode for 30 minutes, leave to warm.
2. At this time, peel the onion, chop it thinly into half rings, and then cut it in half.
3. Cut the peeled carrots into thin, thin strips.
4. Put the vegetables in a slow cooker, start frying.
5. Pour the tomatoes with boiling water, then peel them and cut them into small cubes.
6. Wash the pepper and cut into strips, removing the core.
7. Transfer the peppers and tomatoes into the multicooker bowl, drain the separated juice here. Continue cooking in frying mode.
8. Rinse the rice, add it to the vegetables and fry for a few more minutes, remembering to mix the foods intensively.
9. Then add wine to the cooking dish, change the “Frying” mode to the “Stewing” mode. Continue cooking for another 40 minutes.
10. Wait until the liquid volume is halved, and then add the broth and sour cream. Salt, pepper. Continue stewing rice with vegetables.
11. Cook until the liquid has completely evaporated.
12. Put the risotto on a dish and serve warm along with cold cuts and croutons.
Classic pumpkin risotto
Ingredients:
• 1.5 tbsp. rice for risotto;
• 150 g of pumpkin in peeled form;
• chicken quarter;
• 450 ml of water;
• 1 onion;
• 100 ml brandy;
• 10 ml of olive oil;
• salt;
• fresh herbs for decoration.
Cooking method:
1. Rinse the chicken and put together with water and salt to cook for 45 minutes.
2. Rinse the onion, peel, chop finely.
3. Pour oil into a pan, heat and add onions.
4. While the onions are fried, cut the pumpkin into small cubes. Put it in a pan with onions. Fry for 8 minutes.
5. Pour the washed rice there. Cook everything together for several minutes, remembering to mix, so that the rice and pumpkin are browned.
6. Pour into the brandy in the pan, continue cooking.
7. Pull out the finished chicken, chop finely. Strain the broth.
8. When the wine evaporates, add the classic broth to the risotto, add salt. Wait until it evaporates.
9. Serve the finished dish with sprigs of herbs on a flat dish. Lay out the boiled chicken meat seasoned with sour cream and dill.
Classic Risotto - Tricks and Tricks
• Use only fresh products for risotto.
• Cook risotto either in a thick-bottomed pan or in a slow cooker.
• If you have not found special rice varieties for risotto, then you can use white round grains instead.
• If you are preparing a dish from arborio, then remove the half-cooked risotto from the heat and let it brew, otherwise the grains can be digested.
• To make the taste of the dish even more delicate, add whipped cream to the risotto.
• Instead of Parmesan cheese, any other hard cheese is suitable. It will even taste better if you add different varieties of cheese to the dish.
• You can also use sour cream, mayonnaise or milk as a dressing.
• Instead of olive oil, you can cook in refined vegetable oil.
• In the risotto, you can add any greens to taste: parsley, cilantro, green onions or dill. Better if they are fresh.
• Classic risotto can be stuffed with pumpkin, zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper or potatoes. All this can be baked in the oven under a cheese cap.
