Step-by-step instructions for making Italian risotto with mushrooms
Apart from pizza and pasta, risotto with mushrooms serves as a culinary symbol of Italy. This dish owes its origin to an absent-minded chef. The preparation began with the rice soup, which was left unattended. When the culinary specialist remembered his masterpiece, the broth had already boiled away. At the bottom of the pan was sticky rice, accompanied by meat and vegetables. But the sorcerer was not at a loss, he decorated the resulting brew and served it on the table. More than 400 years have passed since that time. Today, the great culinary gurus have learned how to cook this dish in the most unusual way.
Basic circuit
There are thousands of interpretations of the preparation of this Italian dish in the world. However, it should be understood that they all boil down to a single principle:
- first you need to fry the onions with rice;
- pour all this with chicken broth (you can use plain water, as well as a broth from seafood);
- all this should be stewed over low heat, with constant stirring;
- 15-20 minutes before readiness, add either an assortment of vegetables or fried mushrooms. Meat, game or seafood are considered irreplaceable ingredients.
The final chord will be the addition of hard cheese and butter. This powder will give the food a creamy texture and unrivaled flavor.
It is at the stage of introducing other components that the imagination of many chefs begins to seethe. However, rice is a rather "finicky" product, so you need to choose the right "neighbors" for it. In this regard, you can choose any recipe for risotto with mushrooms below, understanding the basic scheme for preparing a standard dish.
Option number 1
The hostess will need half a glass of dry white wine and 100 g of Parmesan cheese to the main composition of the ingredients. In this option, cooking is as follows:
- Fry the mushrooms, porcini mushroom or chanterelles (400-500 g) over high heat.
- Cut the onion into slices and fry in a saucepan for about 7 minutes. Pre-melt 50 g of butter in it.
- Then add the remaining 150 g of butter. When it melts, pour 350 g of rice into the mixture. Cook for a few minutes. In this case, it should be well stirred.
- Pour in a glass of wine and simmer over the fire for no more than 3 minutes. The alcohol must evaporate and be absorbed.
- Boil the broth, and then add it in portions (2-3 ladles each) to the brew. Before each new serving, make sure that the previous portion is absorbed. This will take 25 to 35 minutes.
- At the final stage, add mushrooms, as well as meat, mixing the contents.
Before serving, sprinkle the food with Parmesan and garnish with herbs. You can use rose petals or cherry tomatoes as decoration.
The time intervals for each hostess will be different. It depends on the technical characteristics of the stove and cookware. Therefore, it is better to test the willingness to taste, the so-called al dente. This is the most reliable way.
Rice selection
Choosing the right type of rice is an important prerequisite for making mushroom risotto. For these purposes, only suitable:
- "Vialone Nano" (Vialone Nano) universal for all recipes;
- "Arborio" (Arborio) when cooling down loses its presentability;
- "Carnaroli" (Carnaroli) is ideal for game or fish.
The grains of these varieties are rather large and elongated. During heat treatment, the grains become quite soft, because starch is released from the upper layers.As a result, the consistency of the dish becomes creamy.
Rice "Arbario" contains a lot of starch. When it cools down, it turns into a sticky and stringy consistency. Therefore, it is served only hot, immediately removed from the fire.
Option number 2 - Elite recipe
Now it's worth talking about overseas spices, as well as unique ingredients. These ingredients will give the dish a completely new flavor.
First you need to make a purchase of the main ingredients. Rice and mushrooms must be taken in 300 g each. You can also not do without such vegetables:
- leek and onions (1-2 heads);
- carrots;
- paprika (a few pinches);
- garlic.
The dish should be seasoned with vegetable (olive) or butter. As the main spice, Italians use saffron (3-4 strands), which they call "the king of spices and the spice of kings." It is better to take sea salt (refined). Freshly ground pepper will be an addition to the meal (for fans of spicy, you can take red or chili). At the same time, do not forget about dry white wine (100 ml) and hard cheese (Parmesan or the Grana family).
Saffron is an essential ingredient. Since it is already very expensive, you can use regular turmeric instead. The spice is presented in the form of an orange powder with an orange aroma and light notes of pepper.
When all the products are washed and prepared, you can start the main processes. First, the champignons need to be cut, sorting the caps and legs separately. Then you need to follow the algorithm:
- Broth preparation. In 2.5 liters of water, put chicken wings (five pieces) and a couple of drumsticks. When it all boils, throw in a whole onion, mushroom legs, coarsely chopped carrots (2 pcs.) And peppercorns. The broth should simmer over the fire for an hour and a half. Finally, add dried parsley, chili flakes, bay leaves, and dill.
- Blanks. Cut the butter (50 g) into 1.5 cm cubes and freeze. Grate the cheese. Soak saffron in wine (2 tablespoons).
- Cooking champignons. Cut the caps into slices. The thinner the better. Fry in a hot skillet until golden brown. Then season the mushrooms with ground pepper and paprika. Saute on fire for another 5 minutes. When finished, it is worth salt them, so they will be much juicier.
- Base for risotto with mushrooms. It is worth starting by chopping the onion, garlic, as well as the stalk of the leek (rinse and dry it in advance). It is advisable to grate the carrots on a grater or in a blender. Crush a clove of garlic using the edge of a knife.
- Passivation. Melt 60 g butter, fry the chopped onion until it softens without changing the shade. Now you can pour in the carrots and garlic (the clove is removed before adding the rice), adding a little salt to the mixture. Simmer for up to seven minutes.
- The process of roasting rice. Pour cereals in a circular motion from the side to the center of the dish. Fry over the fire until the rice has absorbed all the oil. Only after that, you can pour in the wine, stirring gently.
- Seasoning with broth. After the alcohol has boiled away, it is necessary to pour in the broth (it should boil on the adjacent burner). It should be added in small portions (two ladles). It is worth stirring constantly so that it does not burn.
- The final stage. In the process of pouring the broth (this is about 10 minutes), you need to pour mushrooms and saffron into the brew, and continue to add the boiling broth from the meat. Culinary experts believe that he has only 17 minutes left until ready. Practice shows that for many it takes more time.
- Final touches. After removing the pan from the heat, you should wait a few minutes, and only then mix the dish with chilled chicken and sprinkle with cheese. In this case, it is necessary to interfere with everything intensively.
Some cooks do not recommend rinsing cereals before use. This can wash away the starch located in the top layer of the grains. Otherwise, the hostess will receive rice porridge instead of risotto.
Risotto with mushrooms is served in deep bowls, garnished with herbs. The basic rule of thumb when presenting is speed above all else. It is recommended to eat the food only hot, otherwise all the charm of the dish will be lost.