{"id":10096,"date":"2012-01-10T18:29:46","date_gmt":"2012-01-10T23:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/?p=10096"},"modified":"2019-08-20T22:51:29","modified_gmt":"2019-08-21T02:51:29","slug":"cook-in-the-moment-risotto-rosso-with-red-wine-radicchio-smoked-mozzarella","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/cook-in-the-moment-risotto-rosso-with-red-wine-radicchio-smoked-mozzarella\/","title":{"rendered":"Risotto Rosso with Red Wine, Radicchio & Smoked Mozzarella"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Risotto<\/p>\n

Each week I contribute a column to the Whole Foods Market Cooking Boulder Website<\/a> expanding on one of the 10 Ways Tuesday<\/a> ideas. Below is the original article from this week, a recipe for Risotto Rosso with Red Wine, Radicchio, and Smoked Mozzarella.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This week at La Domestique is dedicated to risotto, a method for cooking rice invented by the Italians. A fat, short-grain rice is necessary to achieve the creamy texture of risotto. Any of three rice varieties can be used: Arborio, carneroli, or vialone nano. One of my favorite risotto recipes, Risotto Rosso with Red Wine, Radicchio, and Smoked Mozzarella<\/a>, comes from the Urban Italian cookbook<\/a>, by Andrew Carmellini.<\/div>\n

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Chef Carmellini takes risotto seriously. In the book, he shares stories about differences between risotto cooked by his Italian American family and the risotto he learned while working in restaurants in the old country. His conclusion: everyone has their own opinion on the right way to make risotto. Chef Carmellini uses Arborio rice for a heavier winter risotto, like the recipe here, because it\u2019s higher in starch and gives the risotto a rich, silky texture. Though the dish has a reputation for being labor-intense, and we picture hours spent stirring a pot, carefully ladling stock in a little at a time, this version can be on the table in less than half an hour. I found his method of pouring in half the stock at the beginning of the recipe, allowing the rice to completely absorb the liquid over about 7 minutes, then adding the other half of the stock to finish the risotto, yields the same results as carefully ladling in stock a little at a time.<\/div>\n

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Another tip I learned in Urban Italian is the importance of keeping your stock at a boil. Cooking risotto hot and stirring constantly is key to releasing starch from the rice. How do you know when the risotto is done? How do you identify that magical moment when balance between dry and soupy, undercooked and overcooked, has been achieved? The old Italian adage is that the risotto should move in waves, like the ocean, when stirred in the pot. Pourable but not soupy, is the way Alice Waters describes a finished risotto in Chez Panisse Vegetables<\/a>. At this point, the risotto is taken off the heat and often doctored with butter and grated cheese. According to Chef Carmellini, this technique is called mantecare, and it\u2019s essential for bringing the dish together.<\/div>\n

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Take what you\u2019ve learned today and give Risotto Rosso with Red Wine, Radicchio, and Smoked Mozzarella<\/em>a try. The slightly bitter flavor of radicchio, a leafy red vegetable from the chicory family, is quintessentially Italian and happens to be in season right now. Red wine turns the rice a deep burgundy color that makes the dish feel special, even a little romantic. Smoked mozzarella melts beautifully into the rice, adding depth of flavor. It\u2019s a hearty winter meal and a fine example of why risotto rice belongs in every pantry.<\/div>\n

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\"Risotto<\/div>\n
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Risotto Rosso with Red Wine, Radicchio, and Smoked Mozzarella<\/h4>\n

from Urban Italian<\/a>\u00a0by Andrew Carmellini<\/p>\n

serves 4-6<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/h5>\n