SO, risotto is one of those dishes I have had a love/hate relationship with for decades. I have eaten so many horrible ones (thick, gluey, bland and stodgy) interspersed with the most mind-blowingly delicious ones (red rice risotto with crispy pork belly in Hoi An) that it makes it hard for me to declare one way or other whether I am a risotto-lover. I think I am, when done properly, and by properly, I mean it must be LUSH in the mouth, packed with FLAVOUR and LOOSE on the plate. Anything else is wrong according to my #AuthorisedExperts, the Italians. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Risotto takes TIME and patience to be drool-worthy. Make this when you have both, otherwise you will be disappointed and possibly blame me, which would also be wrong.
I was contemplating making another 47 million jars of passata with my ridiculous haul of home-grown tomatoes the other day when I saw this Jamie Oliver recipe and ta-dah! I Kylee-ised it. Here ‘tis.
Take a few RIPE and juicy toms, pop them whole into an ovenproof dish so they fit reasonably snugly. Sloosh with EVOO, salt, pepper and some dried herby stuff as you choose (I used oregano flowers and lemon thyme because that’s what was growing near the front door.) Chuck in a few unpeeled garlic cloves, or even better, a WHOLE unpeeled head. #ThankMeLater. Roast uncovered at 180deg for about an hour. Will go soft and smooshy. Set aside.
Prepare 500ml of your favourite stock (I use Massel vege stock powder because Aus made, minimal crap and tastes good.) Heat it up in a little saucepan and keep warm on your second favourite hob for #OperationRiso
Take a nice wide pan and glug some EVOO in (don’t be stingy, a good couple of glugs). Medium heat. Throw in a decent knob of butter. Butter makes everything better.
Finely dice an onion, throw into pan. Stir it lovingly until it becomes clearish (translucent). If it starts browning, turn heat down. When translucent, throw in 2ish cups ARBORIO rice (from supermarket). Stir to coat with the oil and keep stirring until it looks clearish on the edges of the grain, but white still in the centre of the grain. Yes. You are examining single grains of rice.
When rice looks like I (clearly) described (lol), deglaze the pan with a glass of lovely white wine. Pour yourself one for the next step. Stir.
This is where we seperate the pros from the amateurs. Add a ladle full of stock into the pan and stir, stir stir. The pan should be hot enough that the stock ‘dances’ when it hits it. If it doesn’t turn up heat a smidge, if it instantly boils away.. too hot.
KEEP STIRRING. DO NOT WALK AWAY AT ANY STAGE OR YOU’LL F*#K it.
This is where the patience comes into play.
Once the stock has been absorbed, ADD the next ladle and KEEP STIRRING.
Repeat this until stock has almost been used (should be about 12-15mins), stirring constantly. The stirring forces the rice to release its starch and is what makes the risotto lush and creamy. The rice should be nearly almost soft, BUT NOT QUITE.
Chuck the roasted tomatoes into pan and squeeze in the garlic. Stir. Help the toms break down.
Taste it. Is the rice still too hard? Add some more hot water (if you’ve run out of the stock), ladle by ladle until it is about 90% cooked. The Italians say it is al dente - ‘to the tooth’ which means it retains some bite/resistance when you chomp it.
Small dice a little zucchini and throw into pan. Stir.
Season with salt and pepper and a big handful of grated parmesan and another (slightly smaller) knob of butter. Stir. It should be loose and creamy and smell and taste of tomato and garlic and be very yummy.
Serves 2 hungry humans. Can be reheated next day, or frozen, but TBH, nowhere near as yum as when freshly made.