Risotto

from Ann Giletti, November 2002

Figure on 100g per person; all recipes are for 400g, so you have to divide/multiply most ingredients depending on how many you are. These recipes take 30 min to cook once the veg has been prepared (artichokes and pumpkin need to be cleaned and chopped); pumpkin takes a bit longer to cook. You can fry in olive oil, though pumpkin tastes richer with butter. My instinct is: oil for radicchio, butter for pumpkin, and half oil/half butter for artichokes. I always wash the rice because Nonna says to.

Risotto ai carciofi (artichokes)

400g alborio rice, washed in a strainer
6 artichokes, with outer leaves removed, leaving only the hearts; if you have stems, peel and slice them
1 lemon's juice
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
50g pancetta (thick bacon w/fat), chopped
1 litre broth (more or less one litre)
some parsley, chopped
parm
salt and pepper

Put artichoke hearts in a bowl of water with juice of one lemon to keep from discoloring. In large pot, sauté onion and garlic; after a few minutes, add pancetta. Sauté till it's all golden and mushy. Meanwhile, slice the artichoke hearts into pieces you could get in your mouth happily in front of guests (one heart into six pie slices, usually). Chuck them into the pot and cook till getting soft. Add salt and pepper. Then add rice (perhaps with a cup of broth to keep it from sticking, but you want it to get immediate access to the flavor you've made). Cook for a few minutes to let rice absorb flavor, then add cupfuls of broth periodically, letting the rice absorb each amount before adding more. Keep the amounts small (don't soak the rice) so the rice gets the flavor of the artichokes, etc.

When the rice is al dente, turn off the heat, add parsley and parm. Let stand, covered, for a few minutes before serving.

Risotto con il radicchio

400g rice
4 heads radicchio, washed and sliced thinly
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup wine (I use white)
1 litre broth (more or less)
parsley
parm
Salt and pepper

In large pot, sauté onion and garlic for a few minutes; then add radicchio. Let cook for a few minutes covered (radicchio melts down). Add rice and let it absorb this flavor for a minute or two. Add wine and let alcohol evaporate (no lid). Add salt and pepper.

Cook for a few minutes to let rice absorb flavor, then add cupfuls of broth periodically, letting the rice absorb each amount before adding more. Keep the amounts small (don't soak the rice) so the rice gets the flavor of the radicchio, etc.

When rice is al dente, turn off heat, add parsley and parm, and let stand, covered, for a few minutes before serving.

Risotto con la zucca (pumpkin)

400g rice
500g pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed not chopped (you remove it later)
3 sage leaves, chopped (optional, but it's nice)
1 litre salted boiling water (not broth); how much salt? add a table
spoon? not sure; not too salty but enough for flavour
{1/4 tsp nutmeg (or less) - my suggestion; probably WRONG, BAD and UNOFFICIAL but it makes it taste really good} butter parm salt and pepper

In a large pot, fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes; then add pumpkin and sage {and nutmeg, if you support me in my heresy}. Let cook till pumpkin is soft (fork goes through it; 15 min approx). Remove the garlic (don't agonize about it). Add salt and pepper. And here you can do another evil but effective thing: add a pinch of sugar (brings out the pumpkin flavour); again, this is part of my heresy.

(Because this risotto takes a little longer to prepare, you can prepare to this point and leave it to finish another time; I've actually put the mixture in tupperware in the fridge overnight and finished making the rice the next day and it was fine.)

Now mush the pumpkin mixture with a spoon to make a lumpy puree. No need to make a perfect puree. Add a cupful of salty water. Add the rice and let it absorb the flavour for a few minutes. After that add salty water in cupfuls as above.

When the rice is al dente, turn off the heat, add a piece of butter, some parm and some pepper. Let sit, covered, for a few minutes before serving.