[This was published 8 years ago the end of May, 2011. When I updated the post to replace photos from Photobucket to Blogger it was moved to the top instead of its real place. I have no way to put it where it belongs. So you have it again.]
Arborio rice is a little bit larger than regular rice. It can withstand the cooking method that abrades the granules removing surface starch in the process. Usually rice is steamed in a tightly closed vessel so most if not all of the moisture added is taken up by the rice granules, but risotto is cooked in an open pot and stirred nearly continuously which results in a good deal of evaporation, concentrating the flavor of whatever liquid is used. If the rice was stirred only at the end of cooking, then the softened rice granules would break apart rather than have their surface layers continuously removed to form a silken sauce.
Arborio rice is a little bit larger than regular rice. It can withstand the cooking method that abrades the granules removing surface starch in the process. Usually rice is steamed in a tightly closed vessel so most if not all of the moisture added is taken up by the rice granules, but risotto is cooked in an open pot and stirred nearly continuously which results in a good deal of evaporation, concentrating the flavor of whatever liquid is used. If the rice was stirred only at the end of cooking, then the softened rice granules would break apart rather than have their surface layers continuously removed to form a silken sauce.
The cooking liquid is heated first and kept heated. The rice is fried in a small amount of oil, a step that some Italian cooks insist on to prepare the granules for the imminent abuse, I suppose. They claim it has a beneficial effect but I am uncertain what that is exactly. I comply in deference to their authority. Here I was distracted briefly with setting up a shot and the rice browned more than intended. The heated cooking liquid is added in increments.
Here the liquid is six cups of chicken broth, 3+1/2 cups is homemade broth which is fairly strong on its own, plus 2 + 1/2 cups commercial broth which is fairly weak and heavily salted. So the broth combination is diluted with one cup of water and heated in a pot, that's seven cups chicken broth heated to add incrementally, plus 1/2 cup white wine added directly to the hot pot with rice. The wine boiled violently and evaporated off immediately.
Here the liquid is six cups of chicken broth, 3+1/2 cups is homemade broth which is fairly strong on its own, plus 2 + 1/2 cups commercial broth which is fairly weak and heavily salted. So the broth combination is diluted with one cup of water and heated in a pot, that's seven cups chicken broth heated to add incrementally, plus 1/2 cup white wine added directly to the hot pot with rice. The wine boiled violently and evaporated off immediately.
I read everywhere that the process is time consuming, but I do not find it so. Attention to the pot is divided, split between other tasks. Two sausages are squeezed from their casing, and two slices of onion are diced. Parmigiano cheese is grated, and dome basil is clipped from the Aerogarden. I wish I would have thought of mushrooms, that would have been good too. Oddly, chile flakes did not occur to me. The dish is fantastic the way it is, but anything at all can go into it. Mario Batali wrote in his book that often he prefers the cooking liquid to be water. His pictures show risotto as soup.
All the liquid was taken up. This is the empty pot shot through the steam of the risotto in another pot on another burner directly in front of it. The idea is to have some chew left to the granules, the cook will want to avoid rice-mush. Harod McGee writes that restaurants prepare rice for risotto the usual way short of done, then store the rice refrigerated. The cold storage allows the rice starch to firm imparting more resiliency than if the rice were fully cooked then rewarmed. Then right before serving the rice is reheated and finished with hot broth and enrichments.
Previous risottos:
3. Risotto.
5. Risotto.
