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Rositto – the better Risotto
August 9, 2007 | 32 Comments
We have very few main-course rice dishes on our blog. We’re partial to wheat, but end up eating rice three to four times a week. What to do, it’s in our “South Indian blood only” 
. So it’s going to be raining rice here over the next few days.
One of our favourite ways to cook rice is risotto – firm grains that have absorbed all the flavours from the creamy, velvety base.
Risotto is traditionally prepared with a short-grain glutinous rice from the Po valley of northern Italy. The main varieties are Vialone Nano (a slightly shorter grain, mainly used in fishy risottos), Carnaroli (a longer grain, mostly used in vegetable risottos), and Arborio, which can be used in most dishes.
This recipe is from Gusto Italiano, featuring vegetarian Italian cooking by one of our favourite cookbook authors – Ursula Ferrigno (see review HERE).
It’s rustic Italian cooking at its best, replete with tales from her childhood at her father’s farm. Then there are Jason Lowe’s glorious pictures of food as it is grown and consumed in the Italian countryside.
Don’t be deterred by the generous lashings of of olive oil, butter and cream in her dishes. Lower-fat versions turn out just fine.
Ursula Ferrigno knows a thing or two about risottos. She has a book dedicated to this dish. (Risotto by Ursula Ferrigno and Jason Lowe.)
Five easy recipes from that book. We made Risotto Con I Funghi - a mushroom version from Gusto Italiano, but the link above has a delicious variation with mushrooms, cognac and cream.
While Italian rice recipes are top notch, the rices themselves are over-rated. In our book, red and brown rices beat white rice hands down in the flavour (and nutrition) department. If we are consuming white rice, it had better be delicate and aromatic like basmati, jasmine rice, or sona masoori.
Why would someone use arborio or any other polished rice when one has a healthier, tastier, cheaper, equally creamy option in one’s pantry?
We’re referring to Rose Matta, the babe from Kerala with rosy cheeks and a buxom figure. Mr. Risotto fell head over heels in love with her. Soon after, Rositto was born. This glutinous variety is perfect for this dish.
More about Rose Matta rice HERE.
Check out how the pros make Risotto
The author’s tip:
The secret of a good risotto is not to stop stirring, which helps develop the starch and make the risotto authentically and deliciously creamy. Warm plates are important too, because otherwise the hot rice would adhere to the cold plate, ruining its consistency, which must remain “wavy”: all’onda.
Kinda like this ??
7 ounces edible wild mushrooms (like oyster mushrooms , chestnut mushrooms, girolles, porcinis)
** we soaked and rehydrated a one-ounce pack of dried Shiitake mushrooms in hot water
1.5 cups Vialone Nano risotto rice
** we used Rose Matta rice
½ cup unsalted butter
**we used 1/4 cup transfat-free margarine
2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
6 shallots, finely chopped
1 sprig (about 1.5 tbsps) fresh rosemary, finely chopped
4.5 cups hot vegetable stock
**We ended up using 5 cups. For stock, we dissolved 2 tsps Better than Bouillon Mushroom Base in hot water
½ cup dry white wine
a handlful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 oz. Parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra for serving
sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
1. If using dried mushrooms, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, squeeze dry and reserve the liquid. Add the liquid to the stock liquid. If using fresh mushrooms, clean and chop them.
2. In a heavy saucepan, saute the garlic and onion in half the butter until translucent, Add the mushrooms, pepper and rosemary.
3. Add the rice, stir to coat in the mixture. Add a ladelful of hot stock and stir at a slow boil until it is absorbed by the rice. Keep adding the stock in this manner, a ladleful at a time until the stock is used up stirring continuously – about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in some salt (if you’re using bouillon, it’s salty, so keep that in mind), the wine, parsley, remaining butter and Parmesan. Add more pepper if necessary.
5. Cover and let it stand for a minute for the rice to rest. Serve on hot plates, with extra grated Parmesan if desired.
Rositto, the better Risotto is being despatched to dear Sharmi @ Neivedyam for Jihva for Rice - an event conceived by Indira @ Mahanandi.
- Jai and Bee
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Books, Mushroom, Parmesan, Parsley, Rice, Risotto, rose-matta-rice, Rosemary, rositto, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, white-wine
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32 Comments
How did you make that picture look wavy?
by electrocuting the dish.
it’s just a filter on photoshop. – b
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….need i say more??
ooo you made my day! :yes:i was just thinking what i could i prepare with rosematta rice which is loved by both me and my h and here you are with risoto. thanks for sharing :horn:. but would want to see the picture without that filter ;;)
OK, I am sold on this one… :huh:now tell me where I can find Rose Mata in Bombay??
any mallu shop should carry it. try matunga or chembur. if you end up in a mallu shop ask for kuthari. goa rice could be a good substitute.
Hey while reading about the risotto I got so interested, thought I was halucinating when I saw the wavy dish until you declared it!
. Good one.
Rositto I like that :laugh: :horn: :bow:
:hmm:
Kuthari – Ok I’ll remember that and report once i get a bag!
pronounced kuthu as in punching someone in tamil + ari as in ari_nellikkai in tamil
-j
That brownie risotto…. err rositto looks nice!
Lovely pic! I am gonna try this version next time.
That picture’s funny! :laugh: Pl post the unfunny one too.
Oops, you did, it didn’t load fast enough, I guess!
Looks lovely…but u’re wavy pic made me confused :nono: So What can I substitute for the wine?
Yummy looking dish…but I have never tasted wine. let me know what can i substitute!
This is the 3rd time I am posting my comment. some probem Bee! Wud like to try this yummy dish…let me know what can i substitute for the wine!
Ah! The pleasure of stirring…
i hate stirring. some recipes are just strange. when they say ‘stir until you forget your name’, we ignore it. and it works out fine. – b.
I love mushrooms with my risotto too. I actually have a great Jamie Oliver Recipe on my blog too. I love the wavy risotto. LOL!
yeah, i remember that. both j and i i love jamie. – b.
hahaha….I like that ‘the babe from Kerala with rosy cheeks and a buxom figure. Mr. Risotto fell head over heels in love with her. Soon after, Rositto was born. “…hilarious…..thanks for the inner info… :laugh:
and your wavy effect is absolutely rocking…another enjoyable one to read…thanks..
Srivalli
http://www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com
you have so many rice varieties in your pantry!!! I loved the way you have described rose matta as babe
You sure have different rice varieties in your pantry.
And that Risotto is electrifying
*“South Indian blood only”* It makes me laugh every time I hear this “only” or read it anywhere!:D
Trish doesn’t like rice which I cook twice a week,she prefers Parathas but don’t like oily Poories.She IS a south Indian American for God’s sake!!;D
Never tried Matta rice,looked for it in Indian store last week.No luck in Gujarati store.They might have in Cary,they are from Andhra.
Rissoto looks great,love the wavy pic!:))
Hmm, i like that “wave” of flavours
I would make this with regular brown rice, because the regular Indian stores here do not have Rose Matta rice!
Love the picture!!! I loved the idea of making it with rosematta rice. Simply superb!
I love Italian food (not the boring marinara that gets passed of as the only Italian sauce though) and was looking for a total veggie book to buy. Thank you soo much for finally ending my quest. :dance:
and I still dint know if it was done :hammer:
And I got brown rice on my trip to the store this time…can I use that for risotto. Also whats the best way to cook it..I use the microwave generally for cooking rice. But 1/2 a cup of brown rice took ages to cook
you need a very glutinous rice for a creamy risotto. regular brown rice may not work. use a pressure cooker for brown rice, or a rice cooker, use 2.25 to 2.5 cups of water per cup of rice and cook it for slightly longer than white rice. – b.
Rositto is making waves
Great recipe…great picture.
That rice I have! I can finally make risotto that will be closer to authentic!
“In our “South Indian blood only” LOL!!! I have to buy a bag of rosematta now. I’ve never seen it in Mumbai but plenty here! But you used fungii in it!!!!Tch, tch.
I have rosematta rice (I think so rather, since it has a deeper red colour than the one in your picture). Had no idea that it could be used as a substitute for arborio – that’s neat. I’ve tried rissoto once before with average results. I ought to try with this rice and mushrooms… Yours looks great!
:bow: why did i never think of using rosematta for risotto… dough!!!! :yes:
how do you manage to make the pic so pretty. anytime i try to photograph rice, it just shows me its silly and ugly side to me. anyway, looks really amazing
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