back when t was home (and he will be again SO SOON! TWELVE DAYS!!!) and I was a semi-regular presence in the house, we used to make risotto on friday nights. this spring, when t was gone and I was back in providence, I spent several saturday nights at my mom's making risotto for her. these were weekly rituals I looked forward to. I love risotto. I don't really like pasta, so risotto is my go-to carbo-loading food when I'm in training. because it takes so much time, it's perfectly suited to weekend evening, labor-of-love cooking.
I made risotto tonight. but I took a HUGE (for me) cooking risk and went all-in on a flavor profile that, I have to admit, had me skeptical even as I stood over the pot, adding stock and stirring diligently: broccoli. here's the recipe, peppered excessively with my unsolicited opinions.
broccoli risotto
(adapted, barely, from the new york times)
- 6c stock, such as chicken or vegetable (I used a combination of beef and chicken, because I had leftover beef stock to use up in the fridge. I use organic, sodium-free stock, so depending on what you're using you might need to season your risotto with much more or less salt)
- 2T extra virgin olive oil (I'm inexplicably all out of olive oil, so I used 1T canola + 1T butter. mmm, butter.)
- 1c chopped onion
- 1 1/2 c arborio rice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 c dry white wine at room temperature ($3 mini-box of grocery store pinot grigio ftw!)
- 1 lb broccoli (2 good-size stalks - don't buy just the crowns! - I know it sounds like a lot of trees, but it works. trust me), stems peeled and cut into small dice, florets thinly sliced (I think they look like MRI brain slices. maybe I've been watching too much house)
- 1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese (or if you're me, the shredded shit you bought at the grocery store almost two months ago that you've convinced yourself is still good)
2T fresh italian parsley, minced(I have an irrational, incontrovertible hatred of parsley. I think it sucks and is unnecessary and included frequently where it doesn't belong. so I left it out.)- salt and black pepper to taste
side note: lots of risotto recipes say to simmer the stock on the stove in a separate saucepan, adding it by the ladleful to the rice as it cooks. I think that's a crock of shit. I've made a lot of near-perfect risotto (and my mom says it's better than my professional chef brother's risotto, but she might just be egging me on), and on the few occasions that I've dirtied the extra pan, it's come out no differently. my mom heats up the stock by the half-cupful in the microwave before adding it to her risottos, but even this is too much effort for me. straight out of the box into the pot is how I roll. the stock I use comes in cartons that I store in my room-temperature pantry; I see no defensible reason to heat it up and no discernible difference in results.
how indignant am I tonight? eesh.
- heat the oil over the low side of medium heat in a large stockpot. if using oil + butter, wait for the butter to foam and melt completely. (I use a 5qt enameled cast-iron dutch oven that I love because it conducts heat so evenly that I can get away with medium-low heat. you're looking for an even simmer throughout the duration of cooking; adjust accordingly.)
- add onions and saute until translucent but not browned, about 3-5 minutes. stir often.
- add rice and garlic together; stir well to coat rice in oil. rice will turn translucent with a white bead in the center of the grain and begin to crackle, and the garlic will become fragrant. add wine slowly and stir continuously until almost all the liquid has been absorbed.
- add stock by the half-cupful, waiting between additions until almost all the liquid has been absorbed, stirring frequently but not constantly. after ten minutes or so, add the diced broccoli stems - you should have about two cups. fold the diced broccoli into the rice. you may have to add extra stock with this step, as the broccoli significantly increases the volume of stuff in the pot. you'll also now have to stir more frequently, because the raw broccoli is more prone to stick to the bottom of the pot than the oil-, wine-, and broth-drunk rice grains. after another ten-ish minutes, add the broccoli florets. by now you have a lot of stuff in the pot, and folding them in will be tricky. you'll definitely have to add more stock, and taste the rice - it should be almost done.
- when the rice is tender and creamy-looking but still toothsome, add a final half cupful of stock and remove the pan from the heat. adjust seasonings. stir in parmesan and let rest a few minutes. give a final stir before serving with extra parmesan cheese and a glass of however much terrible boxed grocery store wine is left over.
I didn't let it rest long enough because I was hungry. all that extra stock had been absorbed by the time I was halfway through eating.
this recipe makes A LOT of food. even if t were home, we would have still had plenty of leftovers.
another dinner + two lunches
maybe I should try new stuff more often? admittedly, this had a high probability of success since I am a broccoli FIEND, but I was still wary about the final product of what looked in the pot like italian stir-fry. I'm glad I took the chance.
*raw oysters. I won't eat raw oysters. I don't care if brad pitt shucks them for me. I ate my first ones ever two weeks ago in RI, and they were the real deal, (allegedly) some of the best ones you can get. I had two and they tasted like eating giant ocean boogers. so gross/never again.
No comments:
Post a Comment