La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

Risotto is an Italian rice that cooks up very creamy and can be served as a main course. This recipe was taken from a mini cooking lesson I had at a chef's Christmas party. The chef in the kitchen was from Milano, Italy, and told me that rice is a more common dish in Milano than pasta. His cooking technique proved true when I tried making the dish at home.

Risotto comes in various lengths and varieties, the most common of which is "carnaroli" a short grain. I bought two brands, both of which worked fine. My suggestion is that you buy an Italian imported brand or make sure the rice is for risotto specifically. You should also eat this dish as soon as it is prepared in order to insure that the temperature remains hot and that the rice doesn't dry out. The consistency should be creamy and cooked through without being mushy.

You will need:
- 2 c of risotto (this yields about 5 cups of rice so if you are alone, do 1 c);
- a stock pot full of water (about 6 cups) and 1 c of white wine, a quartered potato, 1 rough chopped zuccini, 1/2 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tsp of sea salt;
- 3/4 c of grated parmesan (fresh, not in a Kraft brand can);
- 3 tblsp of minced onion; 1 clove minced garlic; olive oil;
- 1 c of frozen sweet peas;
- 1 c of rock shrimp (or any other fish you like);
- 1/2 tsp of saffron threads; sea salt; white pepper.

Step one: In a large stock pot, place water, wine, and veggies listed above in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat after this begins boiling and leave at medium high.

Step Two: In a large sautee pan, place minced onion and garlic with 2 dashes of olive oil. Heat this over high heat stirring constantly. Once cooked (translucent), cool off with a dash of white wine.

Step Three: Add your risotto and toss around stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.

Step Four: Maintain high heat and ladle in enough water from the stock pot to cover the rice about 1/2 inch in liquid. Stir constantly in order to ensure all the rice is being exposed to liquid and heat evenly. As this liquid is absorbed, keep laddeling in the liquid to maintain the same level of liquid over rice. You will repeat this process for about 15 minutes stirring all along (ratio is for 2 c of rice, 31/2 c of water).

Step Five: Add saffron, seafood, and peas. Maintain liquid level and cook for another five minutes. Total cooking time for risotto should be no more than 20 minutes. Rice should be creamy, literally much more starchy than a normal rice.

Step Six: Pour rice into a bowl, stir in grated parmesan (again, this should be fresh not from a can), salt to taste, and 1/4 c of olive oil. This step is done off of the heat in order to prevent overcooking.

Serve and enjoy alone or with a veggie side with a nice glass of white wine.

Labels: peas, risotto, shrimp