Passport & Plate - Nostalgic Risotto
Italy | Monday, January 27, 2014 | 2 photos
Ingredients
500g arborio rice
1l chicken stock
250ml white wine
1 diced white onion
200g baby spinach
250g gorgonzola (or other blue cheese)
salt
white pepper
olive oil
fresh thyme
How to prepare this recipeFirst, bring the chicken stock to the boil. In a separate pot, heat up about two table spoons of olive oil and add the diced onion. Make sure you're using a big pot, because the rice doubles up, ok? One more thing: keep it in a low heat, because you want the rice to cook, not fry, later on.
Once the onions have 'sweat' (transparent look, but not golden), add the rice. Sauté it a little bit, and make sure all of it gets covered in olive oil. Don't worry if it starts sticking a bit - you'll add the white wine now, to deglaze the pot and get all of those sticky flavors! Stir it constantly until the alcohol has evaporated and you get a fine stock with the rice.
Now comes the patience test: adding the stock! It's simple: add half a cup of the boiling stock to the rice and stir it through until it's been absorbed. Keep doing it! It should take about 20 minutes. This process works with the natural starch within the rice, and creates the lovely, creamy texture a good risotto has.
So now the base of the risotto it's done, time to add its theme! In this case, spinach and gorgonzola. Before adding the last cup of stock, add the baby spinach to the pot. You can chop it with you want, but I prefer to use the whole leaves for a rustic look. Once they're in, add the last cup of stock and stir it through. You should have now a broth with the rice - it's easy to over do it (you want nice and creamy risotto, not porridge!), so turn the heat off before it goes too thick. The cheese will make it richer, and as the temperature lowers, it thickens the risotto as well - so the best thing it's to leave it thinner, just in case. Taste the rice - it should be al dente: soft, but with a bite to it.
Ok, rice al dente, creamy stock, heat off. Add the gorgonzola and stir it through. See how it's thicker already? Season it with salt and white pepper, and serve it hot with a touch of fresh thyme and olive oil. Mama mia!
The story behind this recipeThis recipe was given and taught to me by my grandma. She married an Italian from Verona, and his favorite recipe was risotto! I never got to meet him (he passed away before I was born), yet somehow cooking this with her makes me think I got to know him a bit. To me, risotto is the ultimate comfort food, served warm with its creamy texture... Yum!
Growing up with this recipe also taught me the pleasure to cook for my family - something that's part of the Italian culture, I guess. Specially when cooking risotto: it takes time, patience and love (I know it might sound cheesy, but it's true!). Seeing the happy faces after their first bite makes it worth it for sure. This recipe became even more important to me after I moved out my parents' house, to São Paulo. Cooking this made me happy when I was feeling homesick, but also was the reason lots of friends got together in my new place: I'd cook risotto, they'd bring wine and we'd all talk through the night. Now I've moved again, away from my friends and family in London, and I still cook it to myself when I need a little pick me up. I guess it's a plate that evokes family in different ways, and to me it's amazing how food can mean so much more than just feeding oneself. I think that's something the Italians are very aware of, and I'd love to discover more about it. Not only would I know more about my own origins, but I'd also understand more about the power of food, so to speak, not to mention the amount of new recipes, spices and tricks to try on back home, with my family and friends. Food is about sharing too, isn't it?
