Ingredients: 1 cup of Carnaroli Rice 3 cups of Mushrooms stock 3 tbs Olive oil 2 large Shallots 1 cup White Wine 3 tbs Mascarpone Cheese 3 tbs Parmesan Cheese 3 tbs Butter 1 lbs of Cremini and Chantarelle mushrooms Salt and pepper Every person should have a recipe for a creamy risotto to put together when the weather is getting colder and you are in the mood for some rich comfort food. The key to a good recipe is patience, and carefully letting the risotto develop and get that perfect consistency. There is no better pairing than risotto and fresh chantarelles. The strong flavor of the mushrooms compliments the richness of the rice in an amazing way. Add some cheese and you have a homerun. Here is my recipe... Start with heating the olive oil in a big sauce pan and add the shallots. Stir over medium heat until they beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and stir for another 3-4 minutes. Pour in white wine and let it simmer until almost totally reduced. In order to create a perfect risotto, this is where you have to practice patience. Gradually add stock, half a cup at the time, and constantly stir the risotto. When the stock has been absorbed, you add another cup and stir. Continue this process until the rice is al dente (normally 20-25 minutes). Saute the mushrooms while you wait for the risotto to be done. I prefer chantarelle and cremini mushrooms when making a risotto, they compliment each other very well. You can in reality use whatever mushrooms you can get hold of when making this recipe. I don't recommend the white button mushrooms though, they lack in flavor and will make for a bland risotto. Clean the mushrooms thoroughly and quarter them in order to make them cook more evenly. Heat butter in saute pan and saute over medium-high heat until lightly brown. Taste of with some salt and pepper. Set aside. When the risotto is al dente it is time to add some wonderful cheese for an even creamier texture. I recommend parmesan and mascarpone. Make sure that you stir frequently so the cheese wont burn. Last but not least - add mushrooms and taste. If needed, add more salt and pepper.
Divide the risotto among bowls and serve warm with some garnish. Truffle is great if available, this time I just added some basil. This is a basic recipe where you can substitute the mushroom with chicken, shrimps or vegetables. Open up a bottle of red wine to go with the risotto and enjoy a small little piece of heaven - risotto style.
0 Comments
A great Italian ragu has depth of flavors, is rich and complex, and would not need a ton of parmigiano cheese to compliment its lack of taste. I have been trying to find a great recipe to meet all these criteria. And finally I found one... Massimo Bottura, of Osteria Francescana wasn't the source I was expecting to get it from though. Well known for revolutionizing Italian cuisine and putting a very modern touch in his creations, I wasn't expecting to find such a traditional recipe. Yes, it is using Sous Vide as a cooking method, but it is still very old school - and it is very delicious. Here is my adaptation from the book "Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef".
Start with making the cherry tomato confit. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place tomatoes in baking dish and pour oil over the tomatoes, crush the garlic and add the cloves, and finally add the 4 sprigs of rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Let it bake for 3 hours. After three hours take out the tomatoes and let it cool. Discard garlic and rosemary. Chop tomatoes and set aside for later. The room will be filled by a divine aroma that hints of Italy. Make a classic soffritto by cooking the onions, carrots and celery very gently in olive oil. Add rosemary and bay leaves. When done, discard herbs and set aside. Prepare the meats. Trim beef or veal tongue and dice meat into large chunks. Remove all the gray outer parts of the tongue. Trim fat of the oxtail and veal shanks. Chop the pancetta into small chunks. Blanch the bone marrow in salted boiling water and drain it on kitchen paper to absorb excess liquid. Sweat pancetta in a large sauce pan. Add sausage meat and cook until browned. Add the wine and cook until liquid has evaporated. Add cherry tomato config and cook another 2 minutes. Set aside. Brown the oxtail, tongue and veal shanks in separate batches. Heat the chicken stock. Put the oxtail, tongue and shanks in three different sous vide bags. Add a third of the bone marrow, chicken stock, soffritto and sausage meat/pancetta/ cherry tomato confit mix to each bag. Cook for 24 hours at 145 F (63 C). Open the bags and separate the liquid. Place liquid in pan and reduce by half over low heat. Skim off excess fat. Chop the meat with a sharp knife and mix in a large sauce pan. Add the reduced liquid and let is simmer for 10 minutes. While the ragu is simmering, cook the tagliatelle in some chicken stock. Rinse carefully, making sure that the pasta is dry. Finish cooking the tagliatelle in the ragu until it has absorbed all the liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Serve without parmigiano cheese. This dish is best as a stand-alone, no additions needed. The different meats gives this dish a culinary layering which is both rich and rewarding. It has a hint of the fat from the marrow, the cherry tomato confit gives it a sweetness and sharpness that balances very well with the boldness of the tongue, oxtail and shanks. It is a great dish for early spring or late fall when you want something rich and filling, after a long walk in the cold. Enjoy with a glass of Toscany wine - in my case, Tre from Brancaia.
|
Cooking at home
In this section you will find recipes and food experiments that I have tried at home. Some successfully. Archives
January 2018
Categories
All
|
Cooking at home |
Web Hosting by FatCow