The European version of hearty rice cereal main courses is risotto.
Risotto differs from oriental pilaf in absolutely everything - components, cooking style, taste. But to say that some kind of food is tastier is impossible - both options have a lot of advantages.
If you have not ordered a specific dish, then you can always surprise consumers.
Having learned how to cook pilaf, be sure to master risotto as well, so you will receive two delicious dishes in your piggy bank of recipes - diverse, hearty and very tasty.
Risotto with vegetables - general principles of preparation
• For risotto, you need to choose starchy rice varieties, "Arborio" is the most famous of them, and it is easiest to find in supermarkets. You can take rice grits, on the packaging of which it is written - rice for risotto. It is quite permissible to take round-grain, varieties "Krasnodar".
• The liquid base of the risotto may be a vegetable broth or broth. It all depends on which components, in addition to vegetables, will be added to the dish. A broth or broth can be replaced with just water. The use of bouillon cubes is extremely undesirable, they are able to interrupt the main taste of the dish.
• Any liquid (broth, water, broth) should be added to the rice gradually, in small portions and only after the previously added is completely absorbed. One part of rice will need 3-4 parts of a liquid base. The dish will be ideal if you take 400 grams of rice and two liters of liquid to cook it.
• Wine is one of the main ingredients of Italian risotto. It should be white and only dry. Fortified, as well as red and pink wines will not work. However, if you do not want to add alcohol, you can simply omit it.
• Cheese, like wine, is not always added, but it is present in the original Italian recipe. It is introduced into the risotto at the end, on its own or mixed with butter. In the original, Parmesan is used, in the home kitchen it can be replaced with any hard cheese.
• As for vegetables, there are almost no restrictions. Zucchini, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower or white cabbage, carrots, onions, tomatoes - any will do. They can be both fresh and frozen. In risotto with vegetables, you can add seafood: shrimp, mussels, squid. Often a dish is prepared with chicken or meat (minced meat).
• Properly prepared risotto should have a delicate, creamy consistency. This is a cross between pilaf and porridge - not boiled rice, only slightly glued together. To achieve this, it is advisable to cook the risotto in a deep thick-walled pan or double-bottom stewpan. Rice should be regularly mixed while simmering in a liquid base, do not let it boil, and constantly monitor so that it is not digested.
Classic Risotto Recipe with Vegetables
Ingredients:
• one eggplant;
• rice - 250 gr.;
• 800 ml of chicken stock;
• 20 gr. butter;
• dry white wine - 200 ml;
• onion head (preferably sweet);
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. l .;
• 250 gr. tomatoes, canned in tomato;
• peeled shrimp - 100 gr.;
• 60 gr. cheese;
• capers - 30 gr.
Cooking method:
1. We cut the eggplant into small cubes, put into a colander and substitute a deep bowl under it. Slightly add, leave for a quarter of an hour. Then we wash the eggplants well from the salt and leave them in a colander so that the water comes off.
2. We put on a medium heat a thick-walled pan, pour oil into it, warm it well.
3. Finely chop the sweet onion and put it together with the eggplant in a hot oil. If the fat is not warmed up in advance, the eggplant will immediately absorb it. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
4. Add capers, tomatoes and thawed shrimp to vegetables, mix. We stand the vegetable mixture over low heat for a minute, remove from the stove.
5. In a deeper pan, melt the butter and immediately pour rice into it. Cook for about 7 minutes on low heat, stirring until rice grains become transparent.
6. Pour the wine to the rice, and as soon as it absorbs it, we begin to add the broth. Each time we scoop a little less than a ladle and, before adding a new portion, wait until the rice absorbs all the moisture well.
7. We try a few rice sticks, if they are dense and do not creak on our teeth, we introduce tomato dressing from vegetables. After five minutes, add coarsely grated cheese. Stir the risotto well and set aside for five minutes. We serve.
Mushroom risotto with vegetables and fresh champignons
Ingredients:
• fresh, preferably young, champignons - 400 gr.;
• one and a half glasses of rice cereal;
• medium sized onion;
• half a glass of wine (dry white);
• one zucchini;
• olive oil - 60 ml;
• 50 gr. Parmesan cheese;
• homemade butter - 30 gr;
• a liter of vegetable broth or chicken broth.
Cooking method:
1. We clean the remains of the earth from the mushrooms, wash, dry well and cut into thin plates. We shift it into a pan, add a little olive oil and fry it - first for two minutes on intense heat, then about a quarter of an hour on low heat. Do not cover and mix regularly.
2. After waiting for all the moisture to evaporate, add the chopped onion. Fry with mushrooms until soft. We put small zucchini cubes into the pan and continue cooking. Remove from the plate when its slices become soft. Do not overdo it, they should not fall apart.
3. In the melted butter in a pan, lower the rice. Fry the cereal over low heat for three minutes, add wine. Cook without stirring until the moisture evaporates. Pour the broth or vegetable broth to the rice so that it only covers the cereal a little. We cover the pan with a lid and continue cooking for 20 minutes, pouring the remaining liquid. Do not let the rice boil, otherwise the rice will boil and lose shape.
4. We transfer the mushrooms fried with vegetables to the finished rice. Slightly add salt, add a little ground pepper and mix well, bring the risotto to readiness - simmer for five minutes with low heat.
5. On a fine grater we rub cheese. Mix it with softened butter and spread it in an even layer on the already prepared risotto.
Risotto with vegetables and chicken
Ingredients:
• two large chicken legs;
• large carrot;
• sweet pepper, preferably red;
• two tomatoes;
• bitter onion - 2 heads;
• round-grain rice - 2 glasses;
• high-quality oil;
• garlic;
• a small lemon - 1/4 of the fruit.
Cooking method:
1. First you need to cook the broth. We wash the legs with running water, cut off all the excess, and, pouring four glasses of water, put on an intense fire. Without letting foam gather on the broth surface, bring to a boil. Then, reducing the heat, cook the chicken for about 50 minutes until cooked.
2. We take out the leg from the broth, letting it cool slightly, remove the meat from the stones. Cut and fry lightly in vegetable oil. We spread the meat in a plate, do not drain the fat from the pan.
3. While the broth cools, we are preparing vegetables. Grind carrots with a coarse grater. We cut the pulp of sweet pepper and tomatoes into small pieces, the lemon into thin rings, chop the onions finely.
4. We sort out the rice and fill it with water without rinsing. Set aside.
5. We put on a small fire a pan in which the meat was fried and the remaining fat in it is well heated. First, dip the onion in it, and after its slices become transparent - carrot. Fry until golden, add sweet pepper, and when it begins to soften - tomatoes. Stew all together for no more than two minutes.
6. We strain water from rice. For vegetables, lower the fried chicken and stir well, lay the rice. Add broth, at least 4 glasses, set the maximum fire. When the broth begins to boil, reduce heat and sprinkle rice with chopped garlic. Three small cloves will be enough. Spread lemon mugs evenly on top and leave to languish under the lid.
7. After 40 minutes, remove the lemon and mix the rice well with vegetables and meat, remove the sample. If the cereal is not steamed enough, pour a little more broth and bring to readiness.
Risotto with vegetables - "Dietary"
Ingredients:
• fresh cabbage, squirrel - 250 gr.;
• 130 gr. round grain rice groats;
• two tablespoons of tomato puree;
• 200 gr. chicken fillet (breast);
• a small carrot;
• two large garlic cloves;
• seasoning mix "For vegetable dishes".
Cooking method:
1. Shred the cabbage in thin strips, coarsely rub the carrots. We spread the vegetables in a deep pan and pour water. There should not be much liquid, it is enough that it only covers vegetables a little. Turn on a little heat and leave to simmer under the lid until half-ready cabbage.
2. Rinse the fillet with water and cut into small, oblong-shaped pieces or strips.
3. Fill the cabbage with tomato, mix and immediately fall asleep the sorted rice, add water. It should completely cover the cereal and even be slightly higher so that the rice grains have time to steam.
4. Salt, add a few spices, mix well and put the risotto on a small fire.
5. After about 25 minutes, we check the rice - if ready, turn off the heat.
Meat risotto with vegetables (with minced meat)
Ingredients:
• low-fat, preferably beef, minced meat - 250 gr.;
• onion large onion;
• a glass of rice cereal;
• two bunches of green onion feathers;
• large young zucchini;
• small eggplant;
• refined oil;
• four glasses of water.
Cooking method:
1. Peel the onion, chop it finely. Spread in a pan with warmed butter and fry until golden.
2. Cut medium-sized zucchini and eggplant, spread the vegetables to the onion. Add a glass of water, a little salt. Cover with a lid and turn on the minimum heat, simmer for ten minutes.
3. Add the minced meat to the vegetables, season it with pepper and add only a little. Following the meat, we send the green onion feathers chopped into rings into the pan. Cook another 10 minutes.
4. Pour rice, pour half a liter of water, continue cooking under the lid, until all the liquid is absorbed. After that, mix well, add another glass of water and all the same, with the lid closed, bring to readiness.
Risotto with vegetables
Ingredients:
• six small cauliflower inflorescences;
• half a glass of frozen green peas;
• large sweet carrots;
• 150 gram zucchini;
• 40 ml of good vegetable oil;
• a small onion head;
• 230 gr. dry rice;
• oregano, dried mint, rosemary, basil - 1 tsp each;
• garlic;
• frozen mussels and squid - 200 gr.;
• 70 gr. Parmesan or hard cheese of your choice;
• half a glass of Aligote or Rkatsiteli.
Cooking method:
1. With the exception of onions, all vegetables are cut into small cubes. We put everything in the pan, pour 2 liters. water and quickly bring to a boil. We put the peas and with medium heat bring the vegetables to half-ready. Leave the pan on the very minimum heat.
2. Put on a medium heat a thick-walled pan (stewpan), pour oil and dip two garlic cloves into it, after crushing them. Warming up no more than a minute, take out the garlic.
3. In the "garlic" oil, dip the chopped onion and let it lightly brown, but not fry. When the onion pieces become amber, add the rice groats and, stirring, fry the groats until the rice is transparent. Pour the wine, continue cooking until complete evaporation.
4. From the broth with a slotted spoon we transfer all the vegetables to the rice. Add spices and mix everything thoroughly.
5. Salt the vegetable broth and begin to gradually add it to the rice. At a time we pour no more than a scoop and wait until it is completely absorbed. Before introducing the last portion of the broth, spread the squid, mussels, cut into strips, over the rice and mix well.
6. After broaching at the lowest possible temperature until the liquid has completely evaporated, we introduce grated cheese into the risotto.
Vegetable risotto - cooking tips and tricks
• Natural butter - it is on such a product that it is desirable to fry rice. Use only olive oil for sautéing vegetables. In its absence, vegetable, but only the highest degree of purification, is suitable.
• Do not let the rice boil vigorously and cook only under the lid. Otherwise, the rice will boil quickly and instead of the risotto you get porridge. Ideally, when the contents of the pan, when languishing over a small fire, is raised by "waves".
• Rice groats are only sorted before being used in risotto. Rinse is not recommended, so as not to wash out the starch necessary for this dish.
