Risotto Rice
- Thread starter CCOVICH
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Max Hopper
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[broken link removed]. Several brands.
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Try St.George's Street Arcade. There is a shop/stall that sells all sorts of rice, I've bought risotto rice there before. It's pretty much in the middle of the arcade on the left hand side if you enter the arcade from George's Steet (or the right if you come from CastleMarket).
You need to cook it on a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring almost constantly and adding hot stock 4 or 5 times as its absorbed by the rice. Chicken or vegetable stock is best. Marks & Spencer sell jars of concentrated stock that much better than the dry packet mixes, making your own is even better if you have the time. The stirring causes the rice to release starch which gives teh creamy texture. Making risotto is very labour intensive, certainly not a quick 5 minute job, but well worth the effort when you get it right!
DaveD is right - worth the effort if you get it right!
Here's a favourite recipe of ours to get you started:
Courgette & Thyme Risotto (serves 4 - 6)
25g (1oz) butter
1 small onion finely chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme
200g (7oz) Arborio rice
Pinch of turmeric
Approx. 400ml (14fl oz) chicken stock (you can use a Knorr stock cube)
250g (9oz) small courgettes, trimmed and cubed
50ml (2fl oz) dry white wine (don't use sweet or semi-sweet)
knob of butter
freshly grated Parmesal cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Melt 25g butter in saucepan (pref. non-stick).
Add 1 small onion and sprig of thyme and cook gently without colouring for 2-3 mins.
Add the rice stirring to coat the rice throughly with butter using a wooden spoon. Don't let anything brown.
Add 150ml of the stock and begin stirring. The rice will immediately start to become creamy as the starch is released.
Over a medium heat, keep adding the stock in small quantities to retain the creamy consistency as the rice absorbs the stock.
Add the courgettes and stir continually, adding gradually less stock, until the rice is ready (soft outside, but with inner firmness) which will take about 15 minutes altogether.
Add the white wine just a few seconds before you judge the rice to be ready. This stops the cooking. Remove from heat.
Stir in a knob of butter with some grated parmesan.
Check the risotto - the stock should have flavoured it and the parmesal is quite salty - add salt and pepper accordingly.
Serve with additional grated parmesan on the side.
(We usually add some saffron at the beginning with the stock to give the risotto that golden yellow colour)
Good Luck!
Here's a favourite recipe of ours to get you started:
Courgette & Thyme Risotto (serves 4 - 6)
25g (1oz) butter
1 small onion finely chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme
200g (7oz) Arborio rice
Pinch of turmeric
Approx. 400ml (14fl oz) chicken stock (you can use a Knorr stock cube)
250g (9oz) small courgettes, trimmed and cubed
50ml (2fl oz) dry white wine (don't use sweet or semi-sweet)
knob of butter
freshly grated Parmesal cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Melt 25g butter in saucepan (pref. non-stick).
Add 1 small onion and sprig of thyme and cook gently without colouring for 2-3 mins.
Add the rice stirring to coat the rice throughly with butter using a wooden spoon. Don't let anything brown.
Add 150ml of the stock and begin stirring. The rice will immediately start to become creamy as the starch is released.
Over a medium heat, keep adding the stock in small quantities to retain the creamy consistency as the rice absorbs the stock.
Add the courgettes and stir continually, adding gradually less stock, until the rice is ready (soft outside, but with inner firmness) which will take about 15 minutes altogether.
Add the white wine just a few seconds before you judge the rice to be ready. This stops the cooking. Remove from heat.
Stir in a knob of butter with some grated parmesan.
Check the risotto - the stock should have flavoured it and the parmesal is quite salty - add salt and pepper accordingly.
Serve with additional grated parmesan on the side.
(We usually add some saffron at the beginning with the stock to give the risotto that golden yellow colour)
Good Luck!
tallpaul said:
I agree that Tilda is the best for Basmati rice however I ran out and ended up buying the Dunnes Stores Brand Basmati rice and it was just as good. Use the directions on the Tilda pack for the Dunnes rice and it turns out perfect and not at all sticky like a lot of other brands.
I also love the Dunnes brown rice.
Cahir: not sure if you live in Dublin, if so the Asia Market off Chatham Street sells Tilda rice and for considerably less than Dunnes. IIRC it is €3 for a 1 kg bag in the Asia Market compared to €4.70 in Dunnes for the same amount. The Asia Market also sell it in 2kg bags (which I usually get) or if you are really worried about running out, they sell it in 25kg sacks!!!
How would you store that much rice? I keep meaning to buy one of the big bags but I never have my car in town with me and don't fancy carrying it on the train.
Slightly off topic, but does anyone know where I can get tins of artichoke hearts? I'm sure they used to be available in Supermarkets but I've searched everywhere for weeks and all I can find is M&S artichoke hearts with herbs in oil so they're not exactly perfect for the recipe I use.
Slightly off topic, but does anyone know where I can get tins of artichoke hearts? I'm sure they used to be available in Supermarkets but I've searched everywhere for weeks and all I can find is M&S artichoke hearts with herbs in oil so they're not exactly perfect for the recipe I use.
I can usually get tinned artichokes in my local Tesco (Prussia st) so I guess try other Tesco's.
The other thing I find really hard to get now is tined lentils - Tesco used to do them but seem to have stopped. I can only get them by going to the halal and medditeranian type shops
The other thing I find really hard to get now is tined lentils - Tesco used to do them but seem to have stopped. I can only get them by going to the halal and medditeranian type shops