More Risotto: Asparagus, Saffron and Basic

I just love risotto and how versatile it is. Admittedly, it's not a health food with all the cheese and butter that goes in, not to mention white rice full with carbohydrates. But it's good. And easy. And forgiving to some extent. It's a fantastic dish for cooks like me who aren't too particular with measuring; you can play around with it and it turns out good every time when you just keep in mind the basic principles.

1. Stock and rice ratio - rice should be not too soft (and not too hard)
2. Dont let boil too long or vigorously
3. Good quality, low-salt stock
4. Not too much other ingredients as vegetables, meat etc.

My Basic Risotto 

This makes for one person if the risotto is meant for main course. If it's used as a side dish, 0,75dl rice should be enough, then adjust other ingredients accordingly. You can leave out celery and/or peas, or replace them with your preferred vegetables. Feel free to add garlic. If you don't want to use wine or sherry, just replace it with stock.

• 1 dl arborio rice
• 0,5 dl dry sherry
• 3,5 dl chicken stock
• 2 small onions or 1 medium
• 10-12 cm piece of celery stalk
• 3 tbsp frozen peas
• Black pepper
• 0,5-0,75 dl grated parmesan
• Butter or oil for sauteing

1. Dice onions, slice celery and put stock to simmer.

2. Saute onions and celery on a pan, then add rice. Saute until the rice gains a slightly glassy appearance (1 min).

3. Add wine and let lightly boil. Stir occasionally.









4. Let the rice absorb the wine.









5. Pour in a ladle of stock and let the rice absorb it, stirring occasionally.  When the liquid is absorbed, add the next ladle.








6. Repeat 5 until the rice is almost done. Add the last laddle with the frozen peas. Stir, let absorb.








7. When the rice is done, remove from heat and add parmesan. Mix and let melt. Grind some black pepper over.

Saffron Risotto

Follow the basic risotto recipe but add saffron with the last scoop of stock. Use no-salt or low-salt stock to avoid too salty combination with prosciutto. Shred some of the prosciutto and mix it to the risotto when it's ready.

• 1/3 tsp saffron
• 3-5 slices of prosciutto

Asparagus Risotto

• 1 dl arborio rice
• 0,75 dl dry sherry
• 3,5 dl low-salt chicken stock (or even salt-free with prosciutto)
• 2 small onions or 1 medium
• 7-8 cm piece of celery stalk
• 3-5 asparagus stalks cooked and cut in pieces
• Black pepper
• 0,5-0,75 dl grated parmesan
• Prosciutto (optional) 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

1. Put water to boil in a wide based pan. Snap the hard bit off asparagus (discard) and peel, leaving the tip intact. Put salt in the water (and a spoonful of lemon juice). When the water boils, add the asparagus. Let the asparagus simmer until a fork sinks in. Drain and cut the asparagus in 2 cm pieces. Set aside.
2. Prepare risotto as the basic recipe but instead of peas, add asparagus.
3. When the risotto is ready stir in some prosciutto shreddings (optional).

Part II: Can You Roll your Tongue?

Here's something I come up with for a Saturday meal. I had a piece of tongue left, and was supposed to make winter chanterelle risotto to go with it. So there am I, wondering what to do with the tongue. My last attempt, to dice it finely and shove it in the risotto wasn't too great a success. Not horribly bad but didn't do justice either to the risotto nor the tongue. So what to do, what to do?!

I grabbed the lappy and googled. Not very many recipes of that sort kicking about but I saw a picture of finely cut tongue over risotto. (Thanks!) That gave me an idea. Finely slice, add something nice over and roll? Yes, let's try that!

Tongue Rolls with Winter Chanterelle Risotto

 

This meal is best to be done in the following order:
1. Slice, cut and chop non-meat items you need for both risotto and tongue rolls. Put the mushrooms to soak. You can also put the stock to simmer for the tongue.
2. While the stock simmers, slice the tongue.
3. Prepare the rolls and put them into oven. (See recipe below)
4. Prepare the risotto. (See recipe below)
5. Take the rolls out of the oven and serve over risotto.

Tongue Rolls

• 1-2 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 basil leaves
• 2-3 sage leaves
• Piece of tongue from the thicker end, approx. 10 cm
• black pepper
• grated parmesan or flakes

1. Put the stock to the boil. Add 1-2 tbps lemon juice. Let it simmer until its reduced to 50% or so. Taste it occasionally, it is ready when it develops a good strong but not too pungent flavour. Thicken the sauce.
2. Grate the lemon, chop herbs finely and mix all except for parmesan. Set oven to 150C.
3. Cut the tongue into very thin (few millimetres) slices. This mix makes enough for about 15 slices.
4. Brush one side of the tongue slice with the lemon-herb mix and sprinkle some parmesan over.
5. Roll the tongue tightly, secure wih a coctail stick if needed and place in a oven proof dish.
6. Pour over the sauce, stick into oven and let heat up for about 20 mins.

Winter Chanterelle Risotto

This is a non-meat version of winter chanterelle risotto. If you rather use some other kind of mushroom, it should be as good as well. You can combine mushroom-soaking water with stock if you want more mushroomey taste to the risotto. If you dont want to use wine, just replace it with stock.

• 1,5 dl arborio rice
• 1 small onion quite finely chopped
• 7 cm piece of celery sliced
• 1 dl dry sherry or 1,5 dl white wine
• 1,5- 2 dl of dried winter chanterelles
• 1 dl grated parmesan
• 6-7dl (or so) low salt chicken stock
• butter for frying 

1. Soak mushrooms in cold water, 10-15 mins is enough. Dice and slice all veggies.
2. Fry mushrooms lightly on medium heat. Put the mushrooms aside.
3. Put stock into a kettle and bring it near boiling temperature.  
4. Saute onion and celery, add rice and let it get slightly glassy look.
5. Pour in wine and let it lightly boil while stirring. Let rice absorb wine before adding stock.
6. Add the first ladle of stock, let the rice absorb it while stirring occasionally. Do not let the risotto boil vigorously.
7. Repeat 6 until the rice is almost done (when there's still something to bite but the hard starchey quality is gone) and put in the musrooms.
9. Add stock and let the rice absorb it. Test the rice and add some more stock if it's not ready yet, let absorb.
10. Take the pan off the heat, mix parmesan in and let it melt.
11. Pile on a plate, put some tongue rolls on top and serve!

Winter Chanterelle Risotto

Oh well, my favorite musrooms and recent obsession with risotto. What else you could expect?!
This makes for 2. This risotto can be also made without bacon, just saute garlic, onion and celery together. You can use dried penny buns instead of winter chanterells, then consider using 0,5 dl chopped parsley instead of peas.

Winter Chanterelle Risotto with Bacon

• 1,5 dl arborio rice
• 1 onion quite finely chopped
• 10-15 cm piece of celery stick sliced
• 1-2 garlic glove(s), sliced
• 1 dl dry sherry or 1,5 dl white wine
• 1,5- 2 dl of dried winter chanterelles
• 150 gr fillet bacon
• 1 dl grated parmesan
• 6-7dl (or so) low salt chicken stock
• 0,5 dl peas
• butter for frying
• (olive oil)

1. Soak the mushrooms in water, 15 mins is enough. Dice and slice all the veggies.
2. Remove all the excess, visible white fat from the bacon. Cut the bacon into thin slices
3. Heat the pan to almost max-maximum heat, fry the bacon until it lightly browns.
4. Lower the heat, put in some olive oil if needed and saute the onions. Scrape bacon and mushies into a bowl and set aside.
5. Put the stock into a kettle and bring it near boiling temperature.
6. Set the pan on medium heat and melt the butter. Saute the celery and garlic. Put the rice in, mix and stir, and let it aquire a glassy appearance (1-2 mins). It should not get brown. Pour in the wine and let it lightly simmer while stirring. Let the rice absorb the wine.
7. Add the first ladle of stock, let the rice absorb it while stirring occasionally. Do not let the risotto boil vigorously.
8. Repeat 7 until the rice is almost done (when there's still something to bite but the hard starchey quality is gone) and put in the peas and bacon-musroom mixture.
9. Add stock and let the rice absorb it. Test the rice and add some more stock if it's not ready yet, let absorb.
10. Take the pan off the heat, mix in the parmesan and let it melt.
11. Pile on a plate, sprinkle parmesan over and serve!