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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While the phrase “rice cakes” may conjure up images of plastic wrapped puffed-rice pucks, restaurant-made rice cakes have more in common with crab cakes in terms of their moist consistency.  Using this technique gives your rice an interesting shape on the plate, a nice browned color, and a delightfully crunchy crust.  These beautiful green rice cakes were made using bamboo rice.

Here’s how to make rice cakes at home:

1.  Make rice according to the pilaf method, and immediately spread it out onto a sheet pan to cool.  Spread it as thinly as possible.  If you’re in a hurry, you can put the tray in your fridge.  Just be sure to put it on the top shelf or cover it carefully with plastic for sanitation purposes.

2.  Once it has been cooled, use a ring mold, round cookie cutter, or ramekin lined with plastic wrap to form the rice into cakes or disks.  ¾ of an inch thickness is ideal. 

3.  Lightly dredge the top and the bottom of each cake in all purpose flour, and carefully lay them in a hot oiled frying pan. 

4.  Cook until the down side is crispy, then carefully flip the cake and brown the other side.

 Serve with your favorite seafood (such as Pacific halibut) or game bird.  For more robust rice cakes that will pair well with game meats, veal, or kobe beef, use risotto (perhaps flavored with wild mushrooms) instead of pilaf.

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Make your risotto more robust and complex with wild porcini mushrooms!

Ingredients:  (makes 8 servings)
2 oz Dried Porcini Mushrooms, reconstituted & thinly sliced
4 tbsp Olive Oil
1 small Onion, minced
2 cups Carnaroli Rice (could substitute Vialone Nano Rice or Arborio Rice)
½ cup White Wine
Strained Mushroom Rehydrating Liquid + enough Chicken or Veggie stock to make 6 cups total
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup Heavy Cream, whipped
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
½ cup chopped Fresh Parsley
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Optional: Truffle Oil to taste

Directions:

1.  Sweat the onion in butter until translucent.

2. Add the rice and toast while stirring.

3.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine.  Cook until you can no longer smell alcohol.

4.  Add the reconstituted mushrooms.

5.  Begin to slowly add the stock in 8oz increments, letting it simmer down almost completely before adding more.  Stir frequently.

6.  Taste the rice for texture.  It is done when al dente.

7.  Transfer to a heated bowl, add ¾ of the cheese, 1 tbsp of butter and the whipped cream.

8.  Gently fold in the cream, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste.

9.  Drizzle on truffle oil if desired, then top with the remaining cheese and chopped parsley.  Serve.

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What’s better than risotto?  “Nothing!” we hear you scream.

Not so fast.  We think we’ve managed to find a way to make it even tastier, even more decadent (although perhaps not as decadent as our white alba truffle risotto recipe), and give it a crispy crust: stuff it in a squash blossom and fry it!

Risotto stuffed squash blossoms: just as simple (and delicious) as they sound.

Risotto Stuffed Squash Blossoms Recipe

Ingredients:  (Makes roughly 18 blossoms)
About 18 Squash Blossoms
4 tsp Onion, very finely chopped
About 1 ½ cups low salt Vegetable Stock or Chicken Stock*
1/3^rd cup Carnaroli Rice (could substitute Arborio Rice or Vialone Nano Rice)
1 tsp White Wine
2 ½ – 3 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tsp unsalted Butter
Salt to taste
Olive or Canola Oil for pan frying

Directions:

1.  Make a small batch of risotto using the above ingredient proportions and following these basic risotto instructions, or simply use leftovers from your favorite risotto recipe.

2.  Let the risotto cool until it sets.

3.  Use the blade of a butter knife to gently fill the squash blossoms with the risotto, just up until the point where the four petals separate from each other.

4.  Gently twist the tops of the petals closed around the filling.

5.  Get 1/8^th inch of oil hot in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

6.  Add the filled squash blossoms, being careful not to crowd the pan.  Cook each blossom only briefly on each side, just until they brown slightly and become more translucent.

7.  Serve.

Variations:
1.  We’ve omitted breading or batter here to allow the richness and texture of the risotto to shine through, but you could dip these blossoms in eggs and breadcrumbs or tempura fry them. 

2. Experiment with different flavors of risotto.  Why not try adding wild mushrooms, kabocha squash & pecans, or saffron?

* The exact amount of stock needed will vary somewhat from batch to batch as well as between different varieties of risotto rice, so always have a little more on hand than you think you’ll need.

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Nettle Risotto with Sheep’s Cheese and Preserved Lemon

Melted sheep’s milk feta and whipped cream make this risotto exceptionally creamy and luxurious, with the brightness of the preserved lemon and fresh green flavor of the nettles providing balance.  If you don’t have nettles handy, you could substitute other cooking greens like kale or spinach (although the amount of precooking required will vary).

Drink Pairings: Soave or California Chardonnay

Ingredients:
1 ½ cup Carnaroli rice
½ cup Onion, finely diced
1 cup Stinging Nettles, blanched & finely chopped (how to prep nettles)
¼ cup Heavy Cream
3 tbsp Preserved Meyer Lemon, small diced (how to preserve meyer lemons)
3oz Valbreso Sheep’s Milk Feta, cubed.
1 cup grated Hard Sheep’s Milk Cheese (we used Ossau Iraty)
1 quart Chicken Stock
1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
¼ cup White Wine

Directions: 
1.  Sweat the onion in oil until translucent.

2. Add the rice and toast while stirring until it becomes semi-translucent and smells slightly nutty.

3.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine.  Cook until you can no longer smell alcohol.

4.  Begin to slowly add the stock in 8oz increments, letting it simmer down almost completely before adding more.  Stir occasionally.

5. Whip the heavy cream.

6.  Taste the rice for texture.  When it is about ¾ of the way cooked (still very al dente), add the nettles. 

7.  Continue to cook & add stock.  When the rice is about 90% of the way cooked, stir in the cubed feta and a quarter cup of the hard cheese.

8.  When the rice has finished, gently fold in the cream, butter, and preserved lemon.  Taste, and add salt, pepper as needed.

9. Serve topped with the remaining grated hard cheese.

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Sweet, savory & earthy, but still light and filled with bright colors, this salad would be delicious with teriyaki chicken or fish.

Ingredients:  (Makes 8 side servings)
1 oz Dried Shitake Mushrooms
3 cups cooked Basmati Rice
½ cup finely chopped Scallions
1 cup Green Peas (frozen or fresh)
¾ cup diced Roasted Red Bell Pepper
¾ cup seeded & diced Cucumber
3 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
4 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 ½ tsp Honey
¼ tsp Asian-style Chile Garlic Sauce
1 Garlic Clove, finely diced
1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
1 tsp Salt

Directions: 
1.  Reconstitute the dried shitakes by adding 1 cup of water to the mushrooms in a pot and gently simmering for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat, cover the pan and let them sit for 15 minutes.  Reserve the mushroom broth.

2.  Slice the shitakes and add to the cooked rice along with scallions, peas, red pepper and cucumber. 

3.  In a separate bowl, combine the reserved shitake broth, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, salt and chile sauce.  Mix well to dissolve the honey.  Add to rice and vegetables and mix well. 

4.  Chill and serve.

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