home cooking recipes – no fear risottos – 3 regal risottos in 30 minutes

A good risotto is rich and creamy. It is Italian comfort food at its very finest. That’s why a truffle and mushroom risotto has been on our café menu forever.

Making good risotto is about coaxing the rice to release its starch which binds the dish together in a lush sauce. The ingredients in the pan must keep moving while keeping just the right amount of liquid, so its not dry nor mushy. Short-grain, starchy and robust rice, such as Arborio and Carnaroli, from Northern Italy are ideal to make risottos. You’ll find them at your nearest Jones store or online. Getting good at risotto is about being a patient and attentive cook.

PUMPKIN – ASPARAGUS – TRUFFLE MUSHROOM – 3 FAB RISOTTOS, 1 BASE RECIPE

BASE INGREDIENTS

2 diced onions

1 celery stick

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

2 tbsp Jones extra virgin olive oil

400g Seggiano organic arborio or carnaroli rice

1 lemon – juiced

1 litre hot vegetable stock

CHOOSE YOUR PRIMARY FLAVOUR

200g diced pumpkin, baked until soft in a 180C oven

OR

400g forest mushrooms

OR

120g of each, asparagus cut in 3, peas and spinach

GARNISHING INGREDIENTS

75g grated Grana Padano cheese

1tbs fresh mascarpone cheese

15g butter

Halen Môn salt and Montosco black peppercorns for seasoning

1tbs Tartuflanghe truffle oil (for mushroom risotto)

MAKING THE RISOTTO BASE:

1. Sweat the onion, celery and garlic along with the primary

ingredients of your choice over a low heat for about 10 minutes.

2. Turn up the heat and throw in the rice.

3. Stir the rice gently making sure the rice does not stick. Squeeze in

the lemon juice and cook for 20 seconds.

4. Turn the heat to medium and slowly add the stock one ladle at a

time. Keep stirring, massaging the creamy starch out of the rice.

Allow each ladle to be absorbed before adding the next. This

should take about 10 minutes.

5. Keep adding stock and, if you run out of a stock, a little

boiling water, until the rice is cooked with a slight bite, and the

consistency of the risotto is nice and creamy.

MAKE IT YOURS!

For Pumpkin Risotto: Stir in the soft pumpkin after step 5, and garnish

with Grana Padano, butter and marscarpone and seasoning before

serving.

For Asparagus Risotto: Stir in the asparagus, peas and spinach

at the beginning of step 5. Then garnish with Grana Padano,

marscarpone, butter and seasoning before serving.

For Truffle Mushroom Risotto: Stir in the forest mushrooms when

sweating the onions at the start of step 1. Then, once you have

followed all the steps, garnish with Grana Padano, marscarpone,

butter and seasoning. Drizzle over the Tartuflflanghe trufflfle oil just

before serving.