Risotto, huh? Risotto was actually the very first thing I ever posted to this blog. It’s something I make on a semi-regular basis, so to be honest, I didn’t find this challenge all that challenging. The only thing I’d never done before was make my own vegetable stock. Making vegetable stock is not difficult, it just takes a bit of time and patience.

Before making my stock, I read a whole bunch of posts online with various recipes for making it. Some roasted the vegetables before making the stock, some didn’t. Some included a lot of herbs and spices, some didn’t. I went with my own variation on the theme.

I started with a good sized red onion, a bunch of cloves of garlic (at least half a head, if not the whole thing), some baby-cut carrots I had left from another recipe, and several ribs of celery. Cut the celery and onion into chunks, but leave the garlic cloves whole. Put everything into a pan and lightly coat with some oil (I used safflower) and salt and pepper. Then roast at 375C for about 30 minutes.

After it’s roasted, put all the vegetables into a large pot. Cover with enough water to completely cover the vegetables; at least 6 cups. Add in a bay leaf, some thyme (fresh thyme sprigs would be best here, but I didn’t have any) and a few peppercorns. Turn on the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and let simmer for an hour. Strain your stock right away with a fine-meshed strainer or even cheesecloth over a colander if need be. Taste the end product and if need be, add some salt and pepper. You should have at least 4 cups of stock, which you’ll need to make the risotto.

I then added some dried mushrooms into mine. These are dried oysters. Leave them to soak for 15-20 minutes, then remove the mushrooms and put aside for your risotto. They’ll leave behind some extra flavour in your vegetable stock. Take the stock and heat it lightly in a pan, so it’s still nice and warm when you need it for the risotto.

Then you make your risotto: Heat some oil in a pan, then add in some onion. The original recipe said to take out the onion after a few minutes and get rid of it, but I don’t see why you’d do that – just make sure it’s diced small and leave it in! I also added in some minced garlic at this stage. Once the onion and garlic are very lightly browned and soft, add in the risotto rice and stir to coat the rice in the oil/onion/garlic mixture. Continue stirring for a few minutes; you’re looking to lightly toast the rice.

Next, add in some wine. I used red wine as we don’t have any white in the house right now, but tons of bottles of red. Either is fine, as long as you like the flavour of the wine. Don’t use wine that is so-called ‘cooking quality’ – use something you’d be happy drinking! This is an important flavour component of your final dish, after all. If you don’t drink wine or avoid alcohol, you can use a bit of extra vegetable stock instead. Stir the rice to coat it with the wine (or stock). Once it’s fully absorbed, you’re ready to start adding in that lovely vegetable stock.

Cover the rice with an inch or so of your stock. Stir constantly until that is absorbed, then add in another inch of stock. Keep doing this until you’ve got just a little bit of stock left (half a cup or so). At this stage, add in whatever things you want to your risotto. I added lightly sauteed cremini mushrooms, those rehydrated (and chopped) oyster mushrooms from before, some chopped sundried tomatoes and some rosemary. Once you’re mixed in your ingredients, add in that last bit of stock. Once the stock is fully absorbed it should be ready to eat – nice and creamy but still with some bite, not mushy.

Serve piping hot. If you’re not eating vegan, you might want to add in some parm cheese right at the end.

For the full recipes, including more exact amounts of ingredients and several flavour combination ideas, just visit The Daring Kitchen!

I decided the first recipe I’d try would be the Red Wine Risotto. I love risotto in the winter; it’s such a comfort food, and this particular recipe is vegetarian-friendly with only a small modification. I decided to add some cremini mushrooms to mine to make it more of a meal.

Verdict? Really tasty. Rich loved it so much that he wanted to take the leftovers for work the next day. I also wanted the leftovers for work. Next time I think I’ll make a double batch.

Red Wine Risotto with Peas – Original recipe from Giada’s Family Dinners, lightly modified by me

* 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 cup finely chopped onion
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 cup arborio rice, or medium-grain white rice
* 1/2 cup dry red wine
* 1/3 cup frozen peas, defrosted
* 3/4 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep it warm over very low heat.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is toasted. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 6 minutes. At this point, add in your mushrooms.

Continue adding 3/4 cup of hot broth 3 more times, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining broth and simmer until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the peas and parsley. Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls. Sprinkle additional cheese over and serve.

The May 2006 issue of Fine Cooking has a great article about the art of making risotto. Rather than telling you exactly which ingredients to use, it gives you a very simple seven step method to follow with whichever items your heart desires. As someone who loves playing with new food ideas (and also loves a good risotto) I decided to try it out.

The results of the experiment are shown. Rich and I both conclude they are quite delicious indeed.

If you’d like to try this out yourself, here are the basic instructions:

Step one: Read through these steps and choose your ingredients. Prepare any meats or vegetables that need to be pre-cooked. Heat 5-7 cups of your choice of liquid (neede for step 5) in a large pot so it is hot but not boiling, and keep it simmering until you need it.

Step two: Sweat your aromatics. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a good-sized saute pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add two cups of leeks, onions, or shallots (or a combination of them that adds up to two cups). Cook slowly until softened, then add 1/2 cup of water and turn the heat down to medium-low. Continue cooking until water is completely gone and your aromatics are glistening but not brown.

Step three: Toast your rice and add the wine. Add 2 cups of risotto rice and turn the heat back up to medium. Stir constantly for 3 minutes until rice is toasted. Then add 1 cup of dry white wine and stir constantly until it is absorbed.

Step four: Add some flavour! Add in one or two things to give the risotto some extra flavour. Choose from 1/2 tsp of saffron (steeped in 1/2 cup of hot water), 1 1/2 cups of pureed tomatoes, 2 cups of finely sliced radicchio, or 1-1 1/2 cups of dried mushrooms (soaked in 2 cups of water and cut into bite-sized pieces).

Step five: Add your liquid in increments. This is the part that is the most time consuming of making risotto, but it is also the most important. Start by adding in 1-2 cups of any kind of broth (or just hot water if you don’t have broth), stirring until it is absorbed. Then add in another 1 cup at a time, stirring in each addition until it is absorbed as well. Once your rice is almost al dente, continue on to step six. You should still have some remaining broth or water at this point.

Step six: Add vegetables, seafood, or meat. You can add in as many items as you like, although I recommend only putting in one or two in order to not overpower the dish. Some ideas include: 2 cups of sauteed leeks, zucchini, asparagus, or butternut squash; 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp or scallops; 6 oz of cooked sausage, bacon, pancetta, chicken, beef, or pork. No matter what you choose, make sure to continue adding in your broth or water as before.

Step seven: After you’ve added in at least 5 cups of broth and the dish is creamy and al dente, remove the pot from the heat. Add in one or two finishing flavours (good choices include parsley, mint, basil, lemon zest, orange zest, or balsamic vinegar), 2 Tbsp of unsalted butter or good olive oil, and about 1 cup of parmesan or similar cheese. Stir well and serve immediately.

Feeds 6 hungry people.