To test this, I cooked another batch of risotto, this time
first dumping the raw rice into a bowl and pouring my cold
broth on top of it. I agitated the rice to release all of the
starch, then drained it in a fine-mesh strainer set over a
bowl, reserving the starchy, cloudy broth on the side. (It was
starchy enough that you could see white starch settling on
the bottom.)
I toasted my rinsed rice in a mixture of butter and olive oil
until it was just beginning to turn golden brown. Finally, I
added the starchy liquid to the pan, brought it to a simmer,
lidded it, and cooked it, stirring once in the middle. What I
ended up with was pure win: risotto that was both perfectly
creamy and nutty. All that was left was to finish it with some
cream (I like to whip my cream first to introduce a bit of air
into the mix for a lighter risotto) and cheese.
Of course, there are all kinds of flavor variants you can
work in here. Vegetables, reconstituted dried mushrooms,
fresh mushrooms, meats, saffron, other wines, miso paste—
whatever. You’ve got the foundation, now go build your
house. (Pro Tip: go high-low and stir in some nacho cheese
sauce for an awesome treat.)
nandana
(Nandana)
#1