 |
| Corn Risotto. The end of summer…I think not |
I woke up this morning feeling the need to wrap myself in a cozy, warm blanket. Refreshingly cooler nights are a welcome seasonal change. Day time high temperatures are still lingering but one day soon these lazy days of summer will only be a distant memory. As the cool morning air is nipping at our noses this invasion of our senses means the resurrection of comfort foods in my kitchen. I can hardly control myself from jumping right into pumpkin and apple recipes with the beginning of my favourite season. You will be inundated with pumpkin and apple recipes on these pages soon enough.
Comfort foods nourish the soul as well as our bodies. They tend to be familiar foods that remind us of simpler times. The gastronomic version of a warm sweater or a kiss on the forehead. While an oven baked meatloaf with mashed potatoes, cheesy macaroni and cheese, or a steaming cinnamon infused apple pie are cold weather reminders for many of us, for some of us comfort food may include a delicious gooey lasagna, a complex curry, earthy borscht or udon noodles. No matter what evokes these feelings of comfort in each of us an ideal comfort food should "stick to the ribs," meaning it supplies a sense of fullness and satisfaction long after it is only just a memory.
It is not uncommon in early fall for my home to be filled with warm, fragrant and earthy aromas of a slow cooked roast or bubbling crock pot, but, there is absolutely nothing as simple and as comforting to a "wanna be" Italian than a hearty dish of risotto.
Italians have been growing rice for a very long time. It was introduced to Italy by the Arabs who dominated Sicily and parts of the Southern mainland in the late Middle Ages, but, proved best suited to the vast marshy regions of the Po Valley. Here it was enthusiastically adopted by the residents of the Veneto region, Lombardia and Piemonte.
Risotto done right is absolutely sublime! Rich and luxurious with just a touch of toothsomeness. Despite its reputation for being fussy or time-intensive, it’s actually much easier to prepare than you might think, and is extraordinarily versatile. While you do need to attend to the pot while you’re making risotto it is a labour of love and the time invested in making risotto is time well spent.
All you need are a few choice ingredients and less than an hour and you’ll have a pot of creamy risotto that an Italian nonna would be proud of. Making a good risotto is like riding a bicycle. You need to learn how to do it in the beginning and it requires a certain amount of concentration thereafter.
There are many risotto recipes that suit a myriad of taste buds and we love this great Italian dish in all its disguises. Although risotto is a very simple dish to make there are some very important factors to avoid disappointment:
First of all it goes without saying that the quality of your ingredients is very important to the outcome of your dish. Our Italian non no would have plucked fresh ingredients from her garden and into the pot.
Choosing your rice to make a risotto is of great importance also. Choose short-grained round or semi-round rice. Among the best rices for making risotto are Arborio, Vialone Nano, and Carnaroli. I have a special affinity to Carnaroli myself. Other short-grained rices such as Originario will also work. Long grained rice such as Patna will not, because the grains will stay separate. Nor should you use Minute Rice. I know how your mind works. Smile.
Ideally make sure that your ingredients are at room temperature such as the wine and the butter. Nothing should allow the risotto to cool down during the cooking process for premium results.
Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth remains steaming, but is not simmering. Adding chilly stock to a hot pan will cool everything down and mess up the cooking process. Everything needs to remain hot so it cooks evenly.
Despite what you have been told, don't be a slave to the stove. Stirring the rice constantly will add air into the risotto, cooling it down and giving your dish an undesirable gluey texture (as will using too wide of a pan). But if you don’t stir enough, the rice will stick to the bottom and burn. Maybe a little practice is required there but I assure you it is like riding a bicycle. Agitating the rice is important, because risotto’s creaminess comes from the starch generated when grains of rice rub against each other. So stir it often, but feel free to give your arms (and the rice) a break. I'm strongly convinced that the myth of constant stirring only exists because nonna used risotto as an excuse to either keep an unnecessary kitchen helper occupied for half an hour, or as an excuse to escape from the rest of the family for a while. Risotto is very sensitive to timing but with a little know how you can make this easy, peasy dish perfectly over and over again.
Risotto is one of Italy's true comfort foods. For several weeks I have been dreaming of a creamy local artichoke risotto enjoyed with a sip of wine and engaging company on the patio of my good friend Dina of Olive Oil and Lemons. I played hooky from work in the middle of the day and attended a casual Italian language class from local entrepreneur Gian Marco Litrico of The Olive Oil Merchant in her outdoor kitchen. At each class they make seasonal risotto or pizza while sipping local wines, dreaming of Italy and practicing their Italian. It's the closest you can get to Italy without the expense of airfare.
Since my head is in the clouds of Italy this week making risotto seemed like the perfect muse. After a busy work week a little kitchen therapy was in order with this creamy, pale yellow corn risotto. It is based on a recipe I found in the New York Times, but as always I changed it up and made it my own. Studded with chewy fresh corn kernels, it makes for a nice mix of textures. Making your own corn broth deepens the flavour of this dish, but if you do not have the time, chicken stock will work just as well. The dish is also pleasingly light for a risotto. The dish is finished off of the stove by folding in the finely grated Parmesan cheese and incorporating a dollop of butter that adds richness without adding heft.
I think we all deserve a warm, comforting dish. The rich flavours and warming textures of this dish evokes memories of pure happiness. There's something very satisfying about making recipes from scratch in your own kitchen from start to finish; and using up all those bits and pieces in the refrigerator is just another bonus. What I love about risotto is that you can take a simple, basic recipe and create a fulfilling dish with whatever is in season.
**Corn Risotto**
Corn Broth (Optional since you can also use chicken broth)
2 corn cobs (kernels removed and reserved for risotto)
1 onion, cut into quarters
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 celery rib, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
Dark green leaves from 1 leek (reserve white and light green parts for risotto)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Risotto
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 leek, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
6 cups hot corn broth or chicken broth
1 ½ cups raw corn kernels (from about 2 ears corn)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced chives (optional)
For the Broth: (If you are using chicken or vegetable broth omit this step). Combine all broth ingredients with 6 cups water in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat so liquid is simmering; cover pot and let simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. In a small saucepan add enough water to bring liquid up to 6 cups and simmer.
For the risotto: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide, high-sided sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add chopped leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add rice and stir to coat, Cook, stirring, until grains look slightly translucent.
Pour in wine and cook, stirring, until it has all been absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Add a ladleful of hot corn broth to the rice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until rice has absorbed all of the broth. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed. If you dump in the stock all at once, you’re just boiling rice. By slowly adding stock, you allow the rice to bump up against each other, creating that creamy starch. Continue to cook on medium-low, adding broth in 1/2-cup increments whenever rice mixture looks dry. Wait until the rice absorbs all the stock to add some more.
When half the broth has been added, stir in the corn kernels. Continue cooking until all of the broth is incorporated, corn is tender and rice is creamy and tender, about 30 to 40 minutes total. Like pasta, the rice should be al dente–just cooked, with a little bite to it. If you can mold a risotto into a shape (yes, like some restaurants do) you’ve cooked it too much. Risotto should have body, but not be overly mushy and starchy. You’re not making rice pudding!
Remove risotto from heat and stir in Parmesan and remaining tablespoon of butter (always add a little more). Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and serve.
Serves 4 as a main
Thank you for joining me on my journey.
