We omitted parmesan cheese from this risotto.  We know that probably sounds like sacrilege…but the morels made us do it.  They’re so delicious – we wanted them to take center stage.

Drink Pairing: Chardonnay

Ingredients:                         Makes 4 Servings
4 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 quarts Vegetable Stock   (quantity can vary, so have a little extra on hand)
2 cups Vialone Nano Rice (could substitute other risotto rice, modifying stock quantity & cooking time)
½ cup White Wine
½lb Fresh Morel Mushrooms (could substitute reconstituted dried morels in a pinch)
1 tbsp minced Fresh Thyme Leaves
Salt & Pepper

Caramelized Onion Butter:          (you’ll have extra for other recipes)
2 1/2 Onions, peeled & thinly sliced
1/2lb of Unsalted Butter
3 large sprigs of Fresh Sage
Salt

Optional: Flat Leaf Parsley for Garnish

Directions:
1. Make the Onion Butter: Slowly caramelize the sliced onions.  Add them to a food processor with the 1/2lb of butter, sage, and salt to taste.  Process into a uniform butter & reserve in the fridge until you need it.

This step can be done a day or two ahead of time (even longer if you freeze the butter).

2. In a pot, warm the veggie stock.

3. Melt the plain butter in a wide frying pan.  Continue to cook it until it browns and emits a nutty aroma.

4. Add the rice and briefly toast it, stirring occasionally until it’s lightly browned.

5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.

6. Add ladles of hot stock, stirring frequently…only adding more stock as the last infusion is absorbed (see how to make risotto for the full technique).

7. Once the rice is tender, remove the risotto from the stove and stir in the thyme and six tablespoons of the onion butter.

8. In a separate cast iron skillet or frying pan, melt 1 tbsp of the onion butter and add the morels.  Saute the morels until cooked through, then add them to the risotto (for a better presentation, hold some back and put them on top after plating).

9. Taste the risotto and add salt & pepper as necessary.  Serve garnished with flat leaf parsley if desired.

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Bibimbap is a Korean rice bowl served with a dizzying array of condiments and toppings that you stir together at the table.  They are a study in a torrent of very strong flavors being mixed together and somehow achieving perfect harmony.

They’re very spicy, very sweet, very high in umami and very, very, very good.

Drink Pairing: OB Beer (Korean Lager)

Ingredients:                         Makes 4 Servings
Two 10oz Grass-Fed Beef Ribeye Steaks
2 cups Bean Sprouts
1 tbsp Dark Sesame Oil
1 tbsp sliced Green Onion Tops
3 cups Sushi Rice
1 cup Kimchi, cut chiffonade
4 Eggs
1/2lb Fresh Organic Maitake Mushrooms
2 bunches Scallions or Fresh Wild Ramps, cleaned (How to Clean Ramps)
2 tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Gochujang Sauce:
4 tbsp Gochujang Bean Paste
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Dark Sesame Oil
1 tbsp White Sesame Seeds

Marinade:
1 tbsp Gochujang Bean Paste
2 tsp Chile Flakes
3 tbsp Tamari Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Sake (could substitute Mirin, White Wine or Rice Wine Vinegar)
2 tbsp of Sugar
2 tbsp Dark Sesame Oil
2 tbsp minced Garlic
2 tbsp grated Ginger
2 tbsp White Sesame Seeds
½ cup grated Asian Pear or Tart Apple (small holes on a box grater)
½ tsp ground Black Pepper

Additional Sesame Seeds for garnish
Additional Sesame Oil or Delicata Squash Seed Oil to finish

Directions:
1. Put the steaks in the freezer for about an hour – until they firm up, but haven’t frozen solid.

2. Lightly toast all the sesame seeds in the recipe (3 tbsp, plus extra for garnish) in a dry pan until lightly browned.

3. Mix together all the marinade ingredients.

4. Slice the beef very thinly (as thin as possible 1/16” would be great) , and cover it with the marinade.  Marinate in the refrigerator for anywhere from four hours to overnight.

5. Blanch the bean sprouts: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the bean sprouts and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the water off of the bean sprouts and toss them with 1 tbsp of sesame oil & the sliced green onion tops.  Store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them.

6. Make the gochujang sauce: Add all the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and stir vigorously to combine.

7. Cook the sushi rice: Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.  Then soak it in fresh, cold water for fifteen minutes. Drain off the water & let the rice rest for ten minutes.

Move the rice in a pot with six cups of water.  Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 15 minutes.

8. Sear the maitake mushrooms and ramps/scallions together in oil over medium high heat.  Once they’re crisped & caramelized, add the cilantro & salt to taste. Move off the heat.

9. Fry the eggs sunny-side-up.

10. Remove the meat from the remaining marinade (but don’t dry it off)  & put it in a large, un-oiled, frying pan.  Cook over medium-high heat until it reaches your desired level of doneness.  Add salt to taste.

11. Put the cooked sushi rice in bowls.  Top the rice with the ramp/scallion & mushroom mixture, blanched bean sprouts, chiffonade kimchi, the beef and a fried egg.  Top the egg with the gochujang sauce and additional sesame seeds if desired.

12. Finish each bowl with a drizzle of delicata squash seed oil or additional sesame oil.  Serve.

Note: To make your bibimbap extra awesome, serve it (carefully!) in traditional dolsot stone bowls – heated to the point that they’re rocket hot.

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Risotto without cheese? Yes…and thanks to the garlic-y, oniony flavor of wild ramps, you will love it.

Wine Pairing: Chardonnay

Ingredients:                         Makes 4 Servings
4 tbsp + 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 quarts Vegetable Stock   (quantity can vary, so have extra on hand)
2 cups Vialone Nano Rice (could substitute other risotto rice, modifying stock quantity & cooking time)
½ cup White Wine
4 tbsp Ramp Puree Recipe
Zest of 1 Lemon

Optional Garnish: Pea Tendrils or Ramp Greens

Directions:
1. In a pot, warm the veggie stock.

2. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a wide frying pan.  Add the rice and toast it, stirring occasionally, until it’s lightly browned and emits a nutty aroma.

3. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.

4. Add ladles of hot stock, stirring frequently…only adding more stock as the last infusion is absorbed (see how to make risotto for the full technique).

5. Once the rice is tender, remove it for the heat and stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, lemon zest and the ramp puree.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

6. Garnish with pea tendrils or ramp greens if desired & serve.

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This basic (but delicious) saffron rice recipe can be served as a side dish or used to stuff poultry (we put it in Cornish game hens).

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp Shallot, minced
2 blister-packs (1/4g) Sargol Saffron threads (or Sargol Saffron powder)
1 cup Long Grain Rice
3 1/2 +1/3 cups Chicken Stock
1 pinch Kosher Salt

Direction:
1. Melt the butter in a frying pan.  Add the shallot and sweat until translucent.

2. Add the saffron and the rice.  Toast the rice, while stirring, until it smells nutty.

3. Add the salt and the chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer.

4. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked through.

5. Serve hot, or (if using as a stuffing) move the rice to a separate bowl or pan to cool.

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We paired it with a pan-seared grass-fed beef hanger steak, but you could serve it on its own or as a side dish for almost any seafood, poultry or meat.

Ingredients:          Makes 8 Servings
1 ½ cups Integrale Rice
1 lb Fresh Mushrooms of your choice (we used hedgehog mushrooms & black trumpets)
3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
4 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Shallot, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Whole Grain Mustard
2 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
Leaves from ½ bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
1 tbsp Delicata Squash Seed Oil (could substitute additional olive oil)

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the integrale rice.  Simmer the rice until tender (about 35 mins).  Drain off the liquid & let the rice cool.

2. Brown the mushrooms in a hot skillet or frying pan with a tablespoon each butter and olive oil.

3. Saute the shallots separately in the the remaining two tablespoons of butter until browned.

4. In a separate bowl combine the mustard, rosemary, thyme, vinegar, a ½ teaspoon of salt, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper.

5. In a large bowl combine the rice, caramelized mushrooms and sautéed shallots.

6. Stir together the rice mixture and vinegar mixture.  Stir in the parsley leaves, remaining three tablespoons of olive oil, delicata squash seed oil, a three-finger pinch of salt, and pepper to taste.  Serve.

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Previously we’ve sent samples to intrepid food bloggers to see how they would compare them (blogger risotto reviews).  We’ve also written a risotto rice guide based on expert Italian testimony on the subject.

Until now, however, we’ve never actually run our own, hyper-scientific tests (you can tell they’re hyper-scientific because we used an infrared thermometer).  In fact, this was our first controlled test, so please bear with our arborio digression.*

The Method:
1. Cook four batches of risotto simultaneously.
2. Use infrared thermometer (after stirring) to try to get pans at near the same temperature, despite burners of varying size.

3.  Use the same ingredients & quantities.  Three frying pans (carnaroli, integrale, vialone nano) contained 2 cups of rice, 2 tbsp oil, ½ cup of white wine, ½ cup of onions.

* We discovered we only had 1 cup of arborio handy, so the last pan contained 1 cup rice, 2 tbsp oil, ¼ white wine and ¼ cup onions.  The pan was the same size as the others, so we might have seen more evaporation in this one that artificially increased the amount of stock needed.

The Results:

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Here’s our basic guide to help you branch out and take your favorite side dish to new heights:

The two most important characteristics of risotto rice that vary from variety to variety are absorption and starch release. Better absorption draws more flavor into the rice grains, so you get a tastier risotto, while higher starch release results in creamier risotto.

	Organic Italian Arborio Rice:Arborio is a good, reliable risotto rice. It tends to be the easiest to find and the least expensive.
	Organic Italian Carnaroli Rice:Carnaroli is the other variety of rice most often used in risotto by discriminating American home cooks. It is harder to find than Arborio, and is often more expensive, but it’s worth the effort because it absorbs more stock (for a more flavorful risotto) while releasing more starch during cooking (for creamier sauce). The grains may hold their shape better during cooking as well, due to a higher amylase starch content.
	Italian Vialone Nano Rice:Vialone nano rice is probably the most rarely available risotto variety in the US, and has a shorter grain than the other two. Depending on who you ask in Italy (and where they grew up), you may get different answers as to whether carnaroli or vialone nano is the best risotto rice available.What isn’t in debate is vialone nano’s ability to draw in more stock and release more starch than the other two varieties. This results in an incredibly moist, smooth risotto that is particularly prized in Venice because its ultra-creamy texture works so well with seafood.
	Organic Italian Integrale Brown Rice:Yes, you can make risotto, real risotto, with brown rice. But not just any brown rice will work. Unpearled integrale rice is the variety you want to use, because it behaves somewhat similarly to the other varieties. Of course, because the bran is left on you’ll be getting more vitamins, more fiber, a nuttier flavor and a chewier texture.

As decadent as food gets, this risotto showcases the complex flavors of parmigiano reggiano cheese and incredible earthy white alba truffles (some of the finest truffles in the world). Whipped heavy cream adds richness while making the finished risotto luxuriously thick.  Let’s just say that when this came off the stove we took a break and ate in silence…as if praying to the food gods.

We already have a great post explaining the basic risotto method, but we thought that this warranted its own recipe since it literally made four experienced palates swoon. 

Wine Pairing: Aged White Burgundy Chardonnay

Ingredients: (makes 6 servings)
2 cups Carnaroli Rice
1 cup onion very finely chopped
1 ½ cups dry white wine (Italian Soave, Fiano di Avellino, or Falanghina)
2-3 cups lowest salt chicken stock (you could substitute vegetable stock)
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup olive oil
3 ½ ounces of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp fresh oregano, very finely chopped
Portuguese Sea Salt to taste
1/8th oz fresh white Alba truffles (though any fresh truffle will do)

1. Whip the cream to firm peaks and store it in the fridge, covered.

2. Heat a pan with the olive oil at medium to medium-low heat.

3. Add the onion and sweat, stirring occasionally until it is soft and translucent (see photo).  The heat in the pan should not be high enough to color the onion.

4. In a separate pot, heat the stock until hot but not simmering or boiling.

5. Add the carnaroli rice, and stir it frequently until it begins to shine and is slightly translucent. You should smell some nuttiness coming off the pan when it’s ready.

6. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and simmer to absorb it into the rice.

7. Slowly begin to add the hot stock (about 6oz at a time), letting each portion of stock be absorbed into the rice before adding more. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and help draw the starch out of the rice.

8. Finely grate the parmigiano reggiano.

9. Continue to simmer the rice, adding stock and stirring, until the rice is tender.  Remove the risotto from the heat, and take the whipped cream out of your fridge so it can start coming to room temperature.

10. Stir in the butter, oregano and grated parmesan.  Taste for seasoning, and add additional salt as needed (you want it to be a little on the salty side, as the whipped cream will mellow out the salt).

11. Just before serving, very gently fold in the whipped cream, using cutting and light folding motions.  Taste for seasoning again, and add more salt if needed.

12. Shave white alba truffles as thinly as possible over the risotto.  Garnish with additional chopped oregano if desired. Serve immediately.

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When professional chefs cook rice, they often do it using specific methods that may help the home chef achieve better tasting and better looking results.

Perhaps the most well known; the risotto method, results in a soft, delightfully oozing and rich rice dish called a risotto.  The texture of the risotto is achieved by using a high-starch rice (such as Arborio or Carnaroli rice) and slowly introducing controlled amounts of hot chicken stock to it while stirring to draw that starch out.

The second common method, often used for more conventional rice dishes, is referred to in many culinary schools as “the pilaf method.”  Use this method if you are looking for pretty looking rice with distinct grains that fluff up very nicely.  It’s a great way to showcase the beautiful colors and distinct textures offered by our bulk specialty rice varieties.

If you’re looking for an Asian style “sticky-rice,” simply cooking on a stove or in a rice-cooker as you normally would is the best way to achieve this.

The Pilaf Method

1.  In a medium saucepan, heat oil or butter and sweat finely diced onion (1/4^th cup of onion per cup of rice) until translucent.

2.  Add your rice to the pan and stir it until each grain is coated with oil and shiny (this is called “pearling”).  If desired, you can toast the rice slightly before moving on to the next step.  Many chefs believe that pearling your rice helps the grains to stay separate once they have been cooked.

3.  Add your cooking liquid.  The most commonly used, of course, is water, but you can also use a stock such as vegetable stock or chicken stock for extra flavor.  Just keep in mind that if you are cooking white rice, using stock may change its color.  How much liquid you add depends on the type of rice you are cooking, as different rice types absorb different amounts of liquid.  Your rice’s package (or our product descriptions) will tell you how much liquid to use.

4.  Add salt to season.

5.  Bring the liquid to a simmer, turn the heat to low, and cover.

6.  Cook the rice on the stovetop until it is tender (you can also put the covered pot in a 350 degree oven instead if you need stove space).  How long the rice needs to cook, again, depends upon the rice you’re using.

7.  Once the rice is tender, uncover it and fluff it with a fork to allow steam to escape (failure to do this can result in overcooked rice).  If you need to keep it warm, replace the cover after most of the steam is gone.

Ways to make your pilaf more interesting:

- Add a bay leaf when you pour in the liquid.  It will impart flavor, and should be sitting on top of the rice waiting for you to pull it out (having floated up as the rice cooked) when you take the lid off.

- Add different vegetables at the beginning.  Bell pepper, carrot, celery, garlic, shallots, or scallions can all be added to the pot at the same time as the onion (and should be cut as small as, or smaller than, the onion).

- Toss the finished rice with ingredients you want raw or have cooked separately.  Peas, raisins, spinach, chopped nuts, etc.

- For added richness, stir extra butter in to the finished rice while it is still hot.

The pilaf method delivers particularly stunning results when used with our colored rice varieties like pink rose matta rice, green bamboo rice, and Chinese black rice.

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Culinary Techniques

BASIC STEPS:
1. In a saucepan, add olive oil. Then, over medium heat, add a cup of diced onions and a couple minced cloves of garlic. Sweat the vegetables.

2. Add a cup or two of arborio rice or (even better) carnaroli rice, stirring frequently, until you can smell a nutty aroma and the risotto has been slightly browned.

3. Deglaze with a cup of white wine and stir.

4. Once the wine is absorbed, begin adding chicken stock or vegetable stock in ½ cup increments, stirring frequently, until the risotto is tender.

5. Add cream, cheese and/or fresh herbs of your choice at the very end.

RISOTTO EMBELLISHMENTS:

1. Pancetta, truffle, porcini risotto: Add pancetta before the onions. Brown the pancetta. Add fresh porcini mushrooms or reconstituted dried porcini mushrooms about ¾ way through the stock stage. (How to rehydrate dried mushrooms). Finish with truffle salt or truffle oil.

2. Butternut squash & blue cheese risotto: After you add wine, you can add cubed butternut squash and then add blue cheese (we recommend Point Reyes blue cheese)at the end.

3. Sweet pea risotto: Add fresh peas a couple minutes before the cheese. Use pecorino.

4. Mushroom risotto: Add pretty much any kind of fresh mushrooms toward the end of the stock stage. Finish with a salty cheese, such as grated parmesan or a tangy cheese like Valbreso feta, depending on your tastes.

5. Asparagus & Parmigiano Risotto: At the end, add blanched asparagus and some parmigiano reggiano.

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Truffle Recipes