Risotto with Peas and Prosciutto
I grew up in an Italian neighbourhood and went to a Roman Catholic school where a majority of the student population had an Italian background, so I was often exposed to the delicious foods that my neighbours and classmates got to enjoy. My mom's dishes seemed so plain and boring in comparison. However, my longings were mostly directed towards their pastries and desserts. It took a while for me to come to appreciate things like the classic rice dish, 'risotto'.
Made with a short grained rice sometimes just called risotto rice (Arborio and Carnaroli are well known names) a good risotto is one of those 'technique' based recipes that I've feared for some time. I've only made it once... a three mushroom risotto using dried porcini, cremini, and white button mushrooms. It was very tasty but I didn't use white wine, only chicken stock which is a good substitute if you don't want/can't have or just don't have wine, and I felt that something was lacking. More recently, I've gotten fixated on making another Italian rice dish, 'arancini' or rice balls.
As with the Indian dish, 'butter chicken', where the first step is to make 'tandoori chicken' and then cut it up and add it to the butter sauce; for arancini, you have to make risotto, let it cool and then turn it into a new dish with a surprise filling. More on arancini later.
I found this recipe by Laura Vitale on the web and after, watching her prepare it, and several other risotto variations on YouTube, I decided it was the one I wanted to use as a stand alone dish and as the foundation for the rice balls. I've rewritten the cooking instructions to make them a bit clearer for the risotto novice.
Risotto with Peas and Prosciutto
Closeup of finished risotto - note the creamy almost 'sauce-like' consistency of the risotto
Mise en place - only the stock is not there as it's simmering on the stove
Risotto with Peas and Prosciutto - serves 2 as a main course
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced finely
1 cup arborio rice
2 oz prosciutto, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp olive oil
handful freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano
1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 cup peas, defrosted if frozen (cooked asparagus is great as well)
A few leaves fresh chopped basil
Note: Use the best quality chicken stock that you can afford if you don't want to make your own. Taste it to determine how salty it is. The salt will concentrate into the rice during cooking so you won't want to add too much additional salt at the beginning.
In a small pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Do not let it boil as it will evaporate and reduce. You may want to place a lid over the pot.
Place a large saucepan on burner set to medium heat. Add the diced prosciutto and 1 tbsp oil. Cook for about 30 seconds. Remove the prosciutto to a plate and reserve for later.
TIP #1: If possible use a pan that's wider than it is tall to allow for a lot of surface area. You'll be less inclined to get unevenly cooked rice or to mash it up as the stock reduces.
Retain the oil in the pan and add the remaining oil and chopped onion cooking until the onion is soft and translucent (~ 5 to 7 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the rice to the onion-garlic mixture and cook for a minute or so coating the rice in oil. Add the wine and cook for a few minutes until the wine has been absorbed but do not let the rice get dry. Grind a few turns of black pepper over the rice and add a few pinches of salt.
TIP #2: You may want to set a timer to 25 minutes, once you pour in your wine, so that you can keep track of how long it takes to cook your rice for next time. It will help keep track of when to add the next ladle of stock to the rice while stirring. Usually that will be every 2-3 minutes. About 15 minutes into the cooking process, taste a few grains of the rice every few minutes so you can judge the doneness of the rice. You want the finished rice grains to still have some resistance to the tooth when you bite into them but NOT to be crunchy.
Add a ladleful of hot stock to the rice, stir constantly and continue adding stock one ladleful at a time, waiting for the rice to soak it all up before adding the next ladleful. Continue until the rice is about 5 minutes away from being cooked. (I know ... that's confusing but for now, use 20 minutes as your time frame.)
Taste for seasoning, remembering that you will be adding some Parmesan cheese at the end.
TIP #3: If you run out of stock and your rice isn't done, DO NOT PANIC. Bring a cup or two of plain water to a simmer and use that to finish cooking your risotto.
When the rice is just about done, add the peas, along with another ladleful of stock. Once the rice is fully cooked turn the heat off. (The consistency should be creamy and loose not stiff and dry.) With the heat off, add the prosciutto back in and a good amount of parmiggiano reggiano. Taste for seasoning, add in the butter and fresh chopped basil.
Serve immediately!
When describing the perfect consistency of risotto, the term, "all'onda" or "on the wave" is often mentioned. The meaning is a bit vague but can be best seen by running the flat edge of a wooden spatula through the middle of your risotto. Like Moses parting the Red Sea, a clear path is left behind and if you start counting ... 1, 2, 3 and 4, between the counts of 3 and 4, the rice will flow back and close the path. If it's too soupy, the path will not form, and if it's too dry, the path will not close.
"On the wave" or "like a wave" - clear path is left behind
Rice is flowing back to close the path
Made with a short grained rice sometimes just called risotto rice (Arborio and Carnaroli are well known names) a good risotto is one of those 'technique' based recipes that I've feared for some time. I've only made it once... a three mushroom risotto using dried porcini, cremini, and white button mushrooms. It was very tasty but I didn't use white wine, only chicken stock which is a good substitute if you don't want/can't have or just don't have wine, and I felt that something was lacking. More recently, I've gotten fixated on making another Italian rice dish, 'arancini' or rice balls.
As with the Indian dish, 'butter chicken', where the first step is to make 'tandoori chicken' and then cut it up and add it to the butter sauce; for arancini, you have to make risotto, let it cool and then turn it into a new dish with a surprise filling. More on arancini later.
I found this recipe by Laura Vitale on the web and after, watching her prepare it, and several other risotto variations on YouTube, I decided it was the one I wanted to use as a stand alone dish and as the foundation for the rice balls. I've rewritten the cooking instructions to make them a bit clearer for the risotto novice.
Risotto with Peas and Prosciutto
Closeup of finished risotto - note the creamy almost 'sauce-like' consistency of the risotto
Mise en place - only the stock is not there as it's simmering on the stove
Risotto with Peas and Prosciutto - serves 2 as a main course
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced finely
1 cup arborio rice
2 oz prosciutto, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp olive oil
handful freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano
1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 cup peas, defrosted if frozen (cooked asparagus is great as well)
A few leaves fresh chopped basil
Note: Use the best quality chicken stock that you can afford if you don't want to make your own. Taste it to determine how salty it is. The salt will concentrate into the rice during cooking so you won't want to add too much additional salt at the beginning.
In a small pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Do not let it boil as it will evaporate and reduce. You may want to place a lid over the pot.
Place a large saucepan on burner set to medium heat. Add the diced prosciutto and 1 tbsp oil. Cook for about 30 seconds. Remove the prosciutto to a plate and reserve for later.
TIP #1: If possible use a pan that's wider than it is tall to allow for a lot of surface area. You'll be less inclined to get unevenly cooked rice or to mash it up as the stock reduces.
Retain the oil in the pan and add the remaining oil and chopped onion cooking until the onion is soft and translucent (~ 5 to 7 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the rice to the onion-garlic mixture and cook for a minute or so coating the rice in oil. Add the wine and cook for a few minutes until the wine has been absorbed but do not let the rice get dry. Grind a few turns of black pepper over the rice and add a few pinches of salt.
TIP #2: You may want to set a timer to 25 minutes, once you pour in your wine, so that you can keep track of how long it takes to cook your rice for next time. It will help keep track of when to add the next ladle of stock to the rice while stirring. Usually that will be every 2-3 minutes. About 15 minutes into the cooking process, taste a few grains of the rice every few minutes so you can judge the doneness of the rice. You want the finished rice grains to still have some resistance to the tooth when you bite into them but NOT to be crunchy.
Add a ladleful of hot stock to the rice, stir constantly and continue adding stock one ladleful at a time, waiting for the rice to soak it all up before adding the next ladleful. Continue until the rice is about 5 minutes away from being cooked. (I know ... that's confusing but for now, use 20 minutes as your time frame.)
Taste for seasoning, remembering that you will be adding some Parmesan cheese at the end.
TIP #3: If you run out of stock and your rice isn't done, DO NOT PANIC. Bring a cup or two of plain water to a simmer and use that to finish cooking your risotto.
When the rice is just about done, add the peas, along with another ladleful of stock. Once the rice is fully cooked turn the heat off. (The consistency should be creamy and loose not stiff and dry.) With the heat off, add the prosciutto back in and a good amount of parmiggiano reggiano. Taste for seasoning, add in the butter and fresh chopped basil.
Serve immediately!
When describing the perfect consistency of risotto, the term, "all'onda" or "on the wave" is often mentioned. The meaning is a bit vague but can be best seen by running the flat edge of a wooden spatula through the middle of your risotto. Like Moses parting the Red Sea, a clear path is left behind and if you start counting ... 1, 2, 3 and 4, between the counts of 3 and 4, the rice will flow back and close the path. If it's too soupy, the path will not form, and if it's too dry, the path will not close.
"On the wave" or "like a wave" - clear path is left behind
Rice is flowing back to close the path