Last week’s class was all about Grains, Potatoes and Vegetables. We talked about all of them, but the focus of the class was making Risotto. As you all know, I made Risotto for the first time about a month ago. I never made Risotto before and I saw the Cooking Light recipe for Lobster Risotto and decided that I needed to make it. I’m so happy it turned out well since I spent $35 on Lobster to go into the dish. I think it goes without saying that I would be quite ticked off if the dish was a failure. 
For those of you that aren’t very familiar with Risotto, it is rice that is cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. Risottos are usually made using short-grain rice with the stock/broth being added gradually while the rice is stirred frequently. Cooking it this way leads the rice to release its starch giving the final product a nice and creamy texture.
The broth that you use may be meat-based, fish-based, or vegetable-based. There are many ingredients you can add to give your risotto flavor. When I made my risotto in class, I cooked my rice in onion and butter to coat each grain with some fat. Then I started to add in my chicken stock gradually (which by the way should be hot) and I stirred it gently. I continued to do this until it was done. You’ll have to taste it several times to make sure it’s ready. Just make sure that you don’t add the broth too soon. The broth has to be absorbed before you add in more. If you add it too quickly your rice will not be done once you add in all of the broth. I just chose to add Parmesan cheese to my risotto. And let me tell you – it was perfect!!
My next risotto experiment is going to involve a really good smoked bacon. Bacon makes everything better, doesn’t it?
What’s your favorite Risotto flavor?
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