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| Photo: Sarah LeTrent. |
Traditionally a very simple Italian dish, when risotto is coupled with top-notch red wine and beef broth, it becomes something quite dignified. Parmesan adds a delightfully salty tang to the finished product.
Despite its reputation as a "restaurant dish," it's not difficult to make a good risotto. You do have to give it constant attention -- risotto is an act of love. When cooking for one, it's calming, even therapeutic after a long day of work, to stand over the stove and stir. And the idea of enjoying a glass of the leftover wine while tending to the risotto on a cool autumn night is a way to schedule some "me time" into a busy week.
Red Wine Risotto
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb. ground beef
3/4 cup arborio rice
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil and butter in a small or medium sauce pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onion until translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add in the ground beef and cook until browned. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the arborio rice to coat it with the beef, garlic and onion mixture. Add 1/2 cup wine, stirring until the wine absorbs, about 1 minute.
Stir in 1/4 cup beef broth, allowing the rice to absorb it. Add the remaining wine and broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring regularly and allowing each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until the risotto is tender, about 20 minutes. The risotto should be creamy but still have some visible liquid.
Remove from the heat and serve immediately, topped with grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
10-08-2009 @10:24PM Divine Bird Jenny said... Forgive me if this is a super basic question, but is the rice cooked beforehand?? I have never made risotto and I can't seem to find out if it uses raw or semi-cooked rice. Thank you!!
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10-09-2009 @12:10AM juggler314 said... raw rice, i'm not that much of a cook, but generally if a recipe calls for "rice" it's raw, in my experience if something is supposed to be cooked first it says "cooked rice" - like making stuffed peppers the recipe would call for cooked rice amongst all the other things you might mash together and stuff in a pepper and then bake.
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10-09-2009 @3:26PM Sarah LeTrent said... Divine Bird Jenny,
The rice is not cooked beforehand.
Good luck making the risotto! Would love to hear how it turns out for you.
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10-09-2009 @4:43PM Divine Bird Jenny said... Thanks, you guys! That helps me a lot. I will definitely be trying this recipe. :D
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10-10-2009 @3:31PM chefwest said... I made something similar a couple of weeks ago for the Italian Chamber of Commerce here in my par of China, except, I didn't use beef, I added a big handful of black truffles, pecorino instead of parmesan and I used about half a bottle of good Chianti. I was fabulous.
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10-10-2009 @4:52PM Michele said... Uncooked arborio rice is the best rice to use for risotto. Unlike rice you boil, you toast the rice in the mixture of onions, etc., you've sauteed, and when you add the wine it brings out the starch that makes the dish so comforting. (Remember browning the rice mixture in Rice-a-Roni? It's sort of like that, only with much better results.)
I've never had this beef and red wine version, but I've learned to make the standard white wine version and it's quickly become my daughter's comfort food. It isn't difficult to make, only labor intensive. In other words, sign off on your IM before you start. : )
Another thing I've learned is, go with a strong parmesan (Grana Padano, for example), rather than a milder cheese. Otherwise, it becomes a bit bland and boring.
Thanks for this recipe; I can't wait to try it.
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