Make My Day Camp: SM: Creamy Risotto (with way less stirring!)

Thursday, March 23, 2023

SM: Creamy Risotto (with way less stirring!)

We had a big shrimp cocktail from Costco that we weren't eating quick enough so I decided we were having shrimp something for dinner to use them up. I saw a recipe for Creamy Risotto alla Milanese and while I didn't use the same ingredients I did base this version on theirs, mostly I was interested in the technique.

Traditional risotto isn't difficult but it is time-consuming, you add small amounts of broth to rice and stir, stir, stir; it gets absorbed and you add another small amount of broth and stir, stir, stir. You cannot really leave a pot of risotto if you are making it in the usual way. I love risotto but not enough to want to actually make it very often. So when I saw this shortcut technique of less stirring I was intrigued.

And it works!

I'll give you their full recipe, click here for lots more details of the why and how's and notes - I'll tell you what I did following the recipe.

14 oz. (about 2 cups) risotto rice, preferably carnaroli or vialone nano
4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 cup dry white wine
2 generous pinches saffron
kosher salt
2 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks (optional)

1. Combine rice and stock in a large bowl. Agitate rice with fingers or a whisk to release starch. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer set over a 2-quart liquid cup measure or large bowl. Allow to drain well, shaking rice of excess liquid.

2. Heat oil in a heavy 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add rice and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until all liquid has evaporated and rice sizzles and takes on a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Add onion and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pan is nearly dry, about 3 minutes.

3. Give reserved stock a good stir and pour all but 1 cup over rice. Add saffron and a large pinch of salt, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Stir rice once, making sure no stray grains are clinging to side of pan above the liquid. Cover and reduce heat to lowest possible setting.

4. Cook rice for 10 minutes undisturbed. Stir once, shake pan gently to redistribute rice, cover, and continue cooking until liquid is mostly absorbed and rice is tender with just a faint bite, about 5 minutes longer.

5. Remove lid. Stir remaining 1 cup of stock to distribute starch, then stir into rice. Increase heat to high, add butter, and cook, stirring and shaking rice constantly until butter has melted and rice is thick and creamy; add more stock or water as necessary if risotto becomes too dry. Off heat, add cheese and stir rapidly to thoroughly incorporate. Fold in heavy cream, if using. Season with salt. Serve immediately on hot plates, passing more cheese at the table.

My notes: I used Arborio rice, omitted onion and saffron, and didn't add the cream. Once the risotto was done I added the cooked cocktail shrimp (no shells or tails) and covered the pan for a couple minutes until the shrimp were heated thru.