Showing posts with label risotto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label risotto. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Risotto in 30 Minutes: Yes Sir & No Stir

A perfect, creamy risotto is both elegant and elusive, which makes it a popular dish to order in a restaurant. Once you make this easy, quick recipe adapted from my cooking class in Verona, Italy, it will become a family favorite. Not only is it basically NO stir, it is NO oil! In order to create the creamy texture, you beat the rice in the pot (a process called mantecatura) which activates the starch to create the creaminess. This is a great meal for going meatless and for a hearty meal during a cold winter day.


Ingredients for Mushroom Risotto: 
Total cooking time 20-25 minutes serves 4

1.5 cups rice the very best is Acquerello brand of carnaroli rice about $15 for a 17 ounce can or arborio rice easier to find and less expensive. You can not use regular rice!!

1 cup dry white wine room temp (chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc not chardonnay).

4 cups heated chicken stock in a pot (may not use it all).

1 cup mushrooms chopped and fried in a separate pan add before serving.

Method:

In a non-stick dry frying pan at medium heat, fry the rice dry until warm. Don't brown or burn! Add the wine to the rice and stir with a spatula to mix it. Wait until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Keeping the chicken stock warm in the pot, using a ladle, add one or two ladles of stock to the rice. Stir to mix into rice.

Leave it to absorb, repeat this until the 4 cups of the stock are nearly completely absorbed by the rice. Test the rice before the end of the stock is used up to see if it is ready. It will have a little bite to eat not completely soft.  You may not use all the stock.

The last step is to remove the rice to a steel pot and with the ladle, beat the rice by whipping it with the ladle. It is metal on metal. Important. This will not break up the rice, just make it creamy. About 1 minute beat it. You will see it change color to creamy and the texture will become creamy. Add the mushrooms and serve! So easy.

Options: add grated cheese before serving; add a pinch of saffron to the chicken stock; or, substitute any vegetable for the mushrooms just add after the "beating."



My Creamy Mushroom Risotto no oil or cream added.

Fry chopped mushrooms separately and add to risotto before serving.

Fry dry rice until warm in non stick frying pan the large cook surface allows liquid
to absorb quickly.
After one minute beating or mantecatura.

Before the beating - no cream.


Best rice to purchase. Used in this recipe. Click here to purchase on Amazon:
Acquerello Rice on Amazon




Monday, March 18, 2019

Aldi & Trader Joe's: Carnaroli Rice, Wine and more in France, Italy, Ireland, and Your Neighborhood!

Aldi Ireland was a familiar site driving through Cavan town in 2017. I stopped to grab bottled water and to checkout the offerings. Known for modest prices, limited, specific stock choices, and little advertising the German-based grocery store with gross revenue above $50 billion (10 times more than McDonald's gross revenue) has been in the U.S. since 1976. Three years after arriving on our shores, they sent over their offspring, Trader Joe's. If you were unaware of their relationship, now you know, and you can give parent Aldi their due respect!

The Irish Aldi had similarities to the U.S. family and fascinating differences as well. First, the eggs  are not refrigerated as in most European  grocery stores. There is science for that which I will skip, just know it's safe. You can purchase magazines and newspapers along with the usual fare and local favorites like a full line of Cadbury products cookies, candy, and hot chocolate. Their shopping cart system requires a refundable 2 euro coin unlike the 25 cent coin here. Foreigners beware!

At the Verona, Italy Aldi I purchased so many goodies I had to make three trips. Complete with a 0,50 euros coin operated modern espresso machine in store (shown here),  I found Italian carnaroli rice, used in my risotto cooking class in Verona for 1,89 euros for 1kg. On Amazon, a box this size sells for $10 or more. The wine selection was so vast they handed out this 67-page booklet. . . I'm still reading it!

Aldi in Grasse, France, had its own unique twists. I am certain they offered more wine than food items. The selection and quality of cheese surpassed the many shops in tony Antibes, AND they had golden fresh croissants. I could not pass up these almonds sold under the Trader Joe's brand. Like Italy, France carried my favorite Dolce brand of LavAzza ground coffee not available for sale in the U.S. I grabbed a few bags at 2,79 euros knowing they would pass TSA inspection.

Today, Aldi has 1,600 stores in the U.S. and a growing presence in suburban areas including a recently announced partnership to open inside some Kohl's locations. Now, every trip to my local Aldi takes me back to great memories of my European shopping sprees, as I pack up my goodies in my Aldi Italy grocery bag.

People collect Trader Joe's reusable grocery bags ($1) from different cities in the U.S. It's a thing. I bought the TJ's Chicago bags for Christmas gift bags, and they were quite popular and practical. I was happy I picked up this bag from Italy (1 euro) and regret not buying them in France and Ireland. When you are lucky enough to find yourself in a foreign city, look up Aldi and stop in for your memory shopping bag, and I bet you will find treasures to fill it up!

Wine Italy booklet 67 pages in-store selections 

Espresso coffee machine inside Aldi Verona Italy
LET'S PETITION TO BRING TO USA!
Aldi perfect cappuccino for 0,50 euros!

Only 1 euro buy a few!!


Grasse, Provence, France

France selling Trader Joe's almonds

Aldi's sold Dolce by LavAzza in Italy, France