Risotto a la Minute

Risotto is one of those comforting foods that just about everyone loves: buttery, creamy, cheesy rice studded with delicious vegetables and topped...with more cheese! It isn't difficult to make or challenging to master, but it is one of those things that requires attention and monitoring, making it (for me anyways) something I usually never served to guests because I couldn't also make the starter, finish the salad, fill the water glasses; that is, address all of the other parts of the meal. Then I stumbled upon the idea of baking risotto and I wondered if it could possibly be as good. Well, after trying it in enough iterations to cause my partner to grouse, "risotto, again?" in the tone of an petulant child being served spinach from a can, I can say this master recipe is simple, delicious and as good as the one you make stirring at the stover for thirty minutes.

The premise is simple, you start this risotto as you would any other, by sautéing onion until it is translucent, stirring in the rice then whie wine and cooking it until it's evaporated, but instead of stirring in a little bit of broth at a time and stirring and stirring, you add it all at once, pop it in the oven and then go on about the business of your dinner. About 25 minutes later, you remove it from the oven, stir in the Parmesan cheese, stir in the butter, stir in whatever else you are adding and you have delicious, creamy risotto. I have made it with lemon and peas, asparagus and mushroom, plain cheese, butternut squash...you can flavor it however you like. Or better yet, create a risotto bar with a variety of additions and just let your guests stir in whatever they like! The recipe below serves eight people or four people with leftovers. And you want leftovers to make risotto cake, squash stuffed with risotto or arancini, so if it's a big party you'll want to double it.

Recipe: Oven-Baked Risotto

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, (optional)
• 5 to 5 1/2 cups homemade or low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In an ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring to coat the grains with oil, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in the wine and cook until it has completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in the stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to the oven, and bake, until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Remove from oven. Stir in 1/2 cup or more of stock (the consistency of the risotto should be creamy), the butter and cheese. Serve immediately.

Ideas: 

• Peas, lemon juice and lemon zest.
• Sauteed mushrooms and roasted asparagus.
• Butternut squash: shred half and add to rice while it cooks; dice the rest and roast to toss in at the end. 
• Milanese with saffron and peas. 
• Fresh spinach! 
• Whatever else you love...what isn't delicious with rice?

Quisotto Milanese

I've seen several recipes lately that us quinoa in place of arborio rice to make a "quisotto." This version is based on the classic risotto Milanese and features saffron, lemon and peas. It's a vegan preparation, but you could stir in some Parmesan cheese at the end if prefer. Mitchell said, "it doesn't look like risotto." But, it was still very yummy and a different way to prepare quinoa.

Ingredients

• Two lemons, zeste and juiced. 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
• 2 chopped shallots
• 1 cup chopped shiitake caps
• 1 ½ cups white quinoa (although a black version could be quite dramatic!)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• ½ cup dry white wine or water
• 4 cups vegetarian chick stock (or vegetable stock), warmed
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon Smart Balance spread
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/8 tsp saffron threads  

Directions 

1. Add the lemon juice to the warmed stock. Place the butter or oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the shallots and shiitakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softening and shiitakes begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add about one teaspoon of salt, stir to combine. 

2. Add the quinoa, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s glossy and coated with the oil. Add the wine, scraping up any yummy burnt bits of mushroom or shallot, and cook until it is evaporated, stirring often. 

3. Add one cup of the stock, stirring until it is combined. Then, as the stock evaporates, continue to add it 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and maintaining a simmer. Stir frequently and don't let the quinoa dry out completely, adding more stock when the previous addition is gone. 

4. After about 20 minutes, taste the quinoa; it should be tender and the little bran should be released. Stir in the peas, saffron, lemon zest, nutritional yeast and Smart Balance, cooking for two to three more minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let the quisotto stand for five minutes; stir again, season with salt and pepper--then serve!

Makes: four servings.