The Risotto Thread - Beer & Non Beer Related

[brettprevans]

Ingredients
2 Shallots
3 sticks Celery
60g unsalted Butter
1 tbsp Olive oil
300g Good Risotto rice
1 litre vegetable stock
1 unwaxed Lemon, juice and zest
3 sprigs leaves Rosemary, finely chopped
1 Eggs, yolk
4 tbsp Parmesan, grated, plus more to sprinkle
60ml double cream
1 pinch sea salt, to taste
1 pinch freshly ground white pepper
Method
1. Put the shallots and celery into a food processor and blitz until they are a finely chopped mush.

2. Heat half the butter, the oil and the shallot and celery mixture in a wide saucepan, and cook, to soften the mixture, for about 5 minutes, making sure it doesn't catch.

3. Mix in the rice, stirring to give it a good coating of oil and butter.

4. Heat the stock in another saucepan and keep it at simmering point.

5. Pour in a ladle full of the stock into the rice and keep stirring until the stock is absorbed. Then add another ladle full and stir again, continue doing this until the rice is al dente. You may not need all of the stock, equally, you may need to add hot water from the kettle.

6. Mix the lemon zest and the rosemary into the risotto, and in a small bowl beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, Parmesan, cream and pepper.

7. When the risotto is ready - when the rice is no longer chalky but still has some bite - take it off the heat and add the bowl of eggy lemony mixture, and the remaining butter and salt to taste. Serve with more grated Parmesan if you wish, check the seasoning and dive in.


I love making this. Very lemony and creamy. a Good summer ale, something with NS or galaxy would go great with this. A good old fashioned Pale Ale would be good also.

 

[Katherine]

mmmmm Maybe deglaze the pan with Ross Summer Ale! (all Nelson)...

Looks very similar to the one I have made! Nice topped with garlic prawns!

 

[brettprevans]

deglaze the pan with Ross Summer Ale!
Nice topped with garlic prawns!

:icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:

edit:

half stock, half summer ale?

 

[Katherine]

It is know for people to add the wine to the stock. Ive never done that I always add it to the rice before the additions of stock! but I guess you would get more flavour adding it to the stock.

mmm Might try that!

 

[brettprevans]

i add wine before stock also. so maybe add beer then stock.

I always give the above recipe a splash of white wine if if got some.

 

[Mercs Own]

Whenever I make risotto with beer I always add a bottle of beer (330ml) to the rice after it has been well coated and toasted and before I add the stock. This firmly plants the beer into the base of the risotto more so than if you did half beer/stock ie you mix half litre of beer with half litre of stock and bring that to a simmer then add that a ladle at a time to the rice. Actually as I have never done a half and half stock I dont know hoe it would affect the flavour so I am guessing but I am not inclined to try it as somehow it seems like you are diluting flavours??

let me know if any does this and how it turns out.

 

[brettprevans]

there we go KT we have it from an expert! beer then stock and no mixed adding.

stout risotto with black pudding, mushrooms and truffles :icon_drool2:

 

[Katherine]

That is how I do it....

You mention black pudding...

check this previous thread out! link

Im yet to do it!

 

[Katherine]

ah yes Merc has the same passion on food and beer like alot of us!

You mention black pudding...

check this previous thread out! link

Im yet to do it!

 

[brettprevans]

I do remember that post now. yum

also let me know the recipe for the Beetroot and red wine risotto. yum again. serve with a red ale?

 

[Katherine]

I do remember that post now. yum

also let me know the recipe for the Beetroot and red wine risotto. yum again. serve with a red ale?

Beetroot, roast garlic and red wine risotto (pinot noir would be yummy in this)

I like roasting my beetroot whole in the skin (takes longer though)

You could also cook the beetroot in the stock then the risotto goes even redder! or add some roasted beetroot to the stock...

1 large bunch of beetroot, leaves attached
olive oil
6 large cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
1 litre vegetable stock
butter
1 onion, finely chopped
200 g arborio or other risotto rice
1 glass red wine
freshly grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Trim the leaves from the beetroot and set aside. Peel the beetroot, and chop into 1.5 cm pieces. Toss with some olive oil in a baking dish, then place in the oven. After about 15 minutes, add the garlic pieces, then continue to cook until the beetroot is soft and the garlic is turning golden and sweet, about another 20 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Stem the beetroot leaves and wash the leaves well. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Bring the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan.

Make a risotto in the usual way. In a large pan, heat a knob of butter and a splash of olive oil. Saute the chopped onion until it is soft and translucent. Add the rice, and toast for two minutes. Tip in the red wine, and stir till it is absorbed. Add a ladle of hot stock, stir until it is completely absorbed and the rice is on the verge of sticking, then add the next ladle, and continue in this fashion for about 18-20 minutes, until the rice is about 5 minutes away from being done. Add the roasted beetroot and garlic, and stir, adding stock as before, for a further 4-5 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add the beetroot leaves and stir until they are wilted, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, add a handful of grated parmesan and a final ladle of stock, stir well, then put the lid on the pan and leave it to rest for 1 - 2 minutes, then serve.

Serves 2 generously.

 

[Katherine]

Im excited we have a risotto thread now...

 

[brettprevans]

maybe I should have Mods rename this the risotto thread?

beetroot recipe sounds like the way i make pumpkin risotto. I like to crumble blue chesse (like Gorgonzola) or some other type of cheese like Provolone (yum) over it. Actually if i use provolone I drop it into the mix about 3 minutes before it finishes cooking to get some gooeyness to the cheese.

 

[Katherine]

Do you blend your pumpkin or have it in chunks?

Took me a while to master a risotto one that I like myself anyhow. And that one was so simple, zuccini and mushroom! I put the mushroom in the last 10 minutes or so.

 

[brettprevans]

ahhh thats the secret.....both. roast up all the pumpkin and mash up half (or less) and add to mix near end (cant remember if its end or beginning) and then add chunks at the end.

shrooms in risotto rock. classic. esp a nice mixture of shrooms and use a mushroom stock/broth instead of plain stock.

 

[mt mellum]

maybe I should have Mods rename this the risotto thread?

+ 1. Risotto is the easiest to cook and actuaaly allows you to enjoy the beer as you stand there adding stock and stirring the risotto. Very relaxing!

come on mods, how about the risotto thread?

 

[manticle]

I tend to stir my risottos very little (just enough to stop from sticking). Apart from that I'm fairly in line with the above described method. Most of my alcohol goes into de-glazing although I often make my stocks with a small amount of wine. When I worked in kitchens I was also shown a great way of finishing risotto. I was told it was a chinese steaming method although I have no other verification beyond 'chef told me...'

Anyway, after adding about 1 or two additions of stock and letting it absorb, add an amount to sit just above the rice, stir a couple of times then smooth over the top of the rice to make a rice lid (sealed). Take off heat and let sit until moisture is absorbed. Perfectly al dente, no sticking o the pan.

The other thing that works for me is using clarified butter which can be mixed up with a main ingredinet (eg pumpkin risotto + pumpkin butter, lemon risotto + lemon zest butter and lemon oil).

Lemon ristotto works great with baby octopus or calamari.

 

[Scruffy]

Squid ink risotto with err, squid a la plancha garnished with seared scallops!! Rich homemade fish stock, lemon and i've started to deep fry the parsley for 2 seconds, which makes it like that crispy sseaweed you get in Chinese restaurants only more pretentious. Plenty butter, plenty cream - No cheese!

 

[Mercs Own]

When making my standard red wine, pork and fennel with porcini mushroom risotto I soak the porcini in hot water for half an hour or so then take them out of the liquor when nice and soft and squeeze the excess moisture out and back into the soaking bowl. I then add some of the porcini mushroom stock to the rice after the red wine has been absorbed - yum!

re to stir or not to stir this is a North/South thing. One lot reackon stirring is for sissy's and so they make their risotto in more the paella style - add rice stir once add stock stir once and then put the lid on and come back in 30 minutes when it is done. The other say stirring is for real cooks and you have to stand and stir for the entire time to get the starch out of the rice and into the sauce or something like that. The traditional way is from the north and is stir all the way.

I am a stirrer - and I must admit I stir my paella also (until the last ladle goes in and then I let it sit so as it burns on the bottom.)

 

[Mercs Own]

I cooked this for a TV show years ago and served it as an accompaniment to beer braised spatchcock

Stout and Preserved Lemon Risotto


6 cups chicken stock keep on the stove and hot
2 tbsp butter
Splash of olive
1 small medium onion finely diced
300g Arborio rice
1 330 ml bottle of Coopers Stout must be Coopers for its strength of body, flavour and bitterness
Dried porcini mushrooms soaked in hot water then squeezed and chopped up reserve liquid
Salt and freshly ground pepper
preserved lemon Maggie Beers use half to one rind only no white pith.
1tbsp butter
1tbsp fresh grated parmesan

Add the olive oil and butter to a warm pan once melted and foaming add the onion and fry until softened then add the rice. Stir the rice so that it is well coated with the butter and oil and it has taken up all the moisture. Add the porcini mushroom and a little of the soaking liquid. Next add the beer stirring the rice then let the rice soak up the beer. Once the beer has been soaked up add in a ladle of hot chicken stock and stir the rice. It is important that you continue to stir the rice as this helps achieve the creamy texture that makes risotto so delicious. Keep adding chicken stock each time the previous ladle has been absorbed it should take about 4 5 minutes for each ladle full to be absorbed. Just before using the last ladle of stock add in the finely chopped preserved lemon Preserved lemon goes in before the last ladle of stock. Allow the rice to absorb this but before it gets dry turn off heat add butter and parmesan mix through and serve.