Risotto always used to be something that I loved to eat in restaurants, but would never attempt myself. It always seemed too difficult; to get the rice to that perfect creamy consistency without burning it or it being too sloppy. And from what I have heard from other people, this seems to be a general consensus amongst those who are more timid in the kitchen.
Then I attempted Jamie Oliver’s basic risotto recipe (which shouldn’t really be called “basic” at all because it is truly delicious, although I think the name suggests a plain risotto that’s relatively easy to make) from his Jamie’s Kitchen cookbook. Now, you probably all know by now what a fan I am of Jamie – I really do think he makes good food accessible to anyone who is willing to give it a go….so I trusted him and his recipe instructions. And even the first time I cooked it, it turned out perfectly and just as he had said it would. I was delighted.
Since then I have made risotto several times, and when I knew we had fresh parmesan and butter at our disposal at our housesit in Germany, it was the first thing that came into my mind to make. Unfortunately I couldn’t get my hands on any celery at the supermarkets, which was disappointing as it’s a basic staple of the risotto ingredients, but I made it without and it didn’t really take anything away from it. I also bought a small bottle of dry white wine to use in it, although I have also used water before now and it tastes just as good.
My favourite type of risotto is prawn, with a hint of fresh red chilli, as you can see above, although I have adapted this recipe before to include a seafood mix or butternut squash and it works just as well with almost any ingredients you want to include (just adjust your flavour of stock accordingly).
The recipe makes a LOT of risotto – far too much for two people. But I always like to make the full amount and chill the leftovers for a lunch or snack the day after, which was exactly what we did in this case.
I think what this recipe shows is that risotto shouldn’t be a daunting dish for anyone, as long as you are brave enough to give it a go and constantly stir the pot whilst it’s cooking to make sure that it doesn’t stick. If I can make it in a strange kitchen that I am not used to and it can still turn out this good, then anyone can make it, IMO.
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