Recipe from Charlotte Cooks: Risotto and Arancini
Mushroom Risotto
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 32 ounces unsalted chicken stock, warmed (you can also substitute vegetable broth or stock)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 minced shallot
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup minced mushrooms of choice
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano cheese
Directions:
Step 1
Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan over medium. Reduce heat and keep warm.
Step 2
Melt the butter and heat the oil in a large skillet or wide-bottomed pot. Add the rice; and shallots, stir to coat all the grains
Add the mushrooms and garlic, coat with fat and mix together
Add 1 ladle of broth (½ cup to ¾ cup), stir, until broth is nearly absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 3
Stir, add another ladle of broth, and stir again. Cook until the broth is absorbed. Repeat 3 times.
Taste a few grains of rice to see if they are almost done. If not, add another ladle of stock, stir until absorbed and test again.
Step 4
When the rice is almost cooked, use white wine instead of stock, stir until absorbed, the finish the risotto with whole butter and parmesan cheese, adjust salt and pepper to taste
Notes:
Sub any vegetable for mushrooms – butternut squash, even chopped spinach or corn. Add it before you start adding the broth.
Stir almost constantly, the stirring is what creates the creamy texture of a good risotto.
Spread leftover risotto on a sheet pan to chill to make Arancini. No leftovers? Make a batch just for Arancini. Leftover risotto is like an urban myth – does it exist?
Arancini
Standard Breading Procedure:
- ½ Flour
- Egg with 2 Tablespoons of water whisked in
- ½ - 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Left over risotto – formed into small balls – like a ping pong ball
Optional: insert a small morsel of fontina or other cheese into the center of the Arancini ball
Once risotto balls are breaded, fry in 350°F oil until golden brown.
Drain and serve with dipping sauce on the side.