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Cooking Notes
Annette
I grew up on Risotto....my family comes northern Italy. they never used that much butter.....only enough to coat rice. I have changed to half butter & half olive oil. I usually make 2 cups rice.
olive oil to start 1 to 2 tbsp and 1 to 2 tbsp butter when risotto is finish...just before adding the parmesan.
MsBlucher
Agreed! I've cooked pearled barley risotto-style and while its stirring time can be a touch longer than rice's, the end result is toothsome and delicious. I like to use chicken or vegetable stock as well as water, maybe a bay leaf, and will sometimes toast the barley lightly in a dry pan first for an additional flavor tweak.
And I respectfully suggest you consider advising the purists that while you support and admire their newfound commitment(s), it's THEIR turn to cook...!
Stacy
Thanks for helpful comments. I used 2 cups of arugula instead of lettuce, and entire bulb of fennel, and added roasted chestnuts in the end. I found the Annette's comments helpful regarding using olive oil to cook the onions, fennel, and arugula, and to finish the dish with butter.
Marcie
We make risotto with barley - faster and really delicious. The cheese makes it creamy so you won't miss the mouth feel of traditional risotto.
MsBlucher
Celery, especially the milder, paler inside stalks, could work in terms of adding both texture and non-overwhelming flavor.
Sam Sifton
Yes, of course!
Gregory
Risotto with water? No, it should be cooked it broth. E.g. the mushroom broth from step 1. Why does this recipe say to reserve that mushroom broth for "another purpose", and then proceed to cook the risotto with water? Absurd. Cooking a risotto with water will produce only a anemic, bland result.
Kulani
This recipe was a great base for taking some liberties with vegetable risotto. I used fresh shiitake mushrooms, a shallot (not an onion), and instead of lettuce I used swiss chard. Swapped one half cup of water with 3/4 cup dry white wine. Lastly, went for about 3x fresh parm because what else am I supposed to do?
R
If you want more filling risotto, use carnaroli rice.
topacho
I almost always make risotto with the pressure cooker: 7 minutes cooking from beginning of whistle (or rocking) to pressure release. 7 minutes is for most large-grain risotto rices (Arborio or Carnaroli), 6 minutes for Vialone Nano, which is smaller. 1 part rice, 3 parts liquid (by weight, not volume), e.g. 5 oz dry rice, 15/16 oz of broth.
Steve
Always takes me at least 45 min to make risotto -- constant stirring -- pain in the rear. It's always good -- never made a bad batch -- but I consider it a weekend meal. I agree with the last poster that the mushroom broth should go in for flavor
anne
Switch to Carnaroli rice from Italy. It is the preferred rice in Italy for risotto.
white wine added!
For some added flavor I poured in a splash of white wine after the onions had turned transluscent
Sapelo
We didn't have dried mushrooms so we used fresh ones and chicken stock. Aslo, fearfully, we used an entire small head of lettuce rather than just five leaves. It was delicious. No one knew that they were eating lettuce. The flavor and texture of the sauteed greens was fantastic. Like others we did use a mix of butter and olive oil in the cooking but otherwise followed exactly as written. Will absolutely make again.
Gregory
Risotto with water? No, it should be cooked it broth. E.g. the mushroom broth from step 1. Why does this recipe say to reserve that mushroom broth for "another purpose", and then proceed to cook the risotto with water? Absurd. Cooking a risotto with water will produce only a anemic, bland result.
Marian from Denver
Why wouldn't you use the mushroom liquid as some/all of the cooking liquid instead of just water?
Brian
Definitely needs more than the four cups of water mentioned here. I would also consider adding some tougher leaf vegetables than lettuce for texture (e.g., Kale, spinach). Also consider increasing amount of fennel - flavor didn't really come through.
MaryAlice
I found this to be bland and wish I'd used olive oil and more vegetable. I used ice berg because I had it on hand and am cleaning out the refrigerator. Maybe it was too bland. I will use more fennel in the future, too.
I had a hard time getting a sense of what the flavor was to be. I often read recipes and know what they will taste like and that was not the case here.
Stacy
Thanks for helpful comments. I used 2 cups of arugula instead of lettuce, and entire bulb of fennel, and added roasted chestnuts in the end. I found the Annette's comments helpful regarding using olive oil to cook the onions, fennel, and arugula, and to finish the dish with butter.
Annette
I grew up on Risotto....my family comes northern Italy. they never used that much butter.....only enough to coat rice. I have changed to half butter & half olive oil. I usually make 2 cups rice.
olive oil to start 1 to 2 tbsp and 1 to 2 tbsp butter when risotto is finish...just before adding the parmesan.
Abby
Could this be done with fresh mushrooms, cooked down first?
Sam Sifton
Yes, of course!
Martha
Fennel is just not my favorite. What would be a good substitute? Really want to try this because of the lettuce. Very intriguing.
Barbara
How about extra lettuce? Or a different variety? Radicchio?
MsBlucher
Celery, especially the milder, paler inside stalks, could work in terms of adding both texture and non-overwhelming flavor.
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