Wine pairing with mushroom risotto

[Stan_Y]

@Bill Klapp

if you have a top-notch rice (Carnaroli, for instance), rich stock and some good mushrooms…

In addition to good rice, the one thing that makes the biggest difference, by far, with getting a good result is starting with a homemade stock. I haven’t had anything that comes in a box or can in my market that approaches what can be done with homemade, at least with what’s available here. I’m jealous of you guys who can just go out and buy great stock as it takes time to prepare.

[Peter_Kleban]

@John Morris

@Arv R

This might be heathenistic, but I find risotto made in my pressure cooker is about 85% as good as risotto made the officially correct way. It also tends to work a touch better if one is using dried porcinis or other dried mushrooms.

I’d heard that.

@Arv R

And its much easier, if one is accustomed the quirks of cooking under high pressure. I’m the only one in my household/family that is comfortable with it. Everyone else is suspicious, because of an unfortunate split pea soup accident in a different era. .

This is just crying out for a visual…

[Russell_Faulkner]

It was another forumite who gave this advice, but I agree.

If you don’t have proper stock use water, the results with water are beter than any powdered stock.

Easy enough to knock up a quick veg stock with trimmings though…

[Andrew_Demaree]

@John Morris

@Andrew Demaree

As others have pointed out, Mr. Klapp nailed it.

By the way, John, your Gorgonzola Dolce idea is making me hungry. If you have a recipe you’d be willing to share, I’d be super appreciative of a PM.

For three servings, I use a sauce pan that’s about 8" across and has 1 1/2" sides. You want a reasonable amount of surface area or the stock won’t reduce as much.

1. Heat up some good chicken stock until it is simmering but not boiling. (Zabar’s here in NYC has a really thick stock, obviously made with bones. Avoid stocks with a lot of spices, as you will be reducing the stock and these could come to dominate the flavor. Whole Foods’ stock in the waxed cardboard cartons is pretty good, too, though not as thick as Zabar’s. Swanson’s in cans will work if you can’t find anything else.)
2. Saute some diced onion in butter and/or olive oil (maybe one small onion for a cup of rice).
3. Remove the onion from the pan, add a little butter and oil and warm up.
4. Put in one cup of arborio or other risotto rice and stir in the butter and oil to coat.
5. Turn up the heat under the pan a bit and splash in ~1/2 cup of dry white wine, ideally one with good acidity (cheap French and Italian wines typically do). Stir the rice in that, reduce the wine and then lower the heat. (Coating the rice with the fat and then cooking in a thin, acidic liquid helps thicken the final risotto, as I recall.)
6. Ladle in enough hot stock to slightly more than cover the rice and adjust the heat so it’s just slightly bubbling. Stir a bit.
7. Keep ladling as the stock is reduced so the rice is always just covered. Stir every couple of minutes.
8. Many recipes say to cook the rice for 17-18 minutes. I used to find that a good guideline but now find it typically takes more than 20 minutes. It will vary with the humidity (hence the dryness of the rice), the shape of the pan (hence the reduction rate of the stock). Test for texture. It should be slightly al dente – not mushy.
9. Have some grated Parmesan ready: 4-6 tablespoons for a cup of rice.
10. When the rice is almost done and you’re almost ready to turn off the burner, stir in the Parmesan thoroughly, then 3 tablespoons of Gorgonzola Dolce. It should turn to cream almost immediately. Turn off the burner (and if your stove is electric, take the pot off the burner).

For a bit of color, you can sprinkle chopped chives or parsley. Or I sometimes slice some raddichio and add that ~3 minutes before the end. (Any longer and it will turn gray.)

This will yield two ample servings of a rich risotto and leave one portion leftover.

I find the slight bitterness of the soft, young blue cheese is a good foil for tannic wines like nebbiolo.

Thanks, John. I look forward to giving it a try!

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

@Stan Y.

@Bill Klapp

if you have a top-notch rice (Carnaroli, for instance), rich stock and some good mushrooms…

In addition to good rice, the one thing that makes the biggest difference, by far, with getting a good result is starting with a homemade stock. I haven’t had anything that comes in a box or can in my market that approaches what can be done with homemade, at least with what’s available here. I’m jealous of you guys who can just go out and buy great stock as it takes time to prepare.

Indeed. And if homemade meat stocks are daunting, what with needing to find bones in the 21st century, vegetable stock is quick and easy. I heartily recommend the classic Italian cookbook Silver Spoon (pricey, but available in English) for such things, as well as great renditions of all the great Italian pasta recipes and much, much more. The recipes are, by and large, simple and easy to execute, as most of the classic Italian dishes have relatively few ingredients…