Hey, misfits, have I ever told you guys about the time I accidentally got covered, head-to-toe, in fresh risotto? And then, how I shamefully ate a full cup of it off of myself before trying to clean up? And after that, how I used to dab myself behind the ears with risotto before going out for dates and special occasions, just to duplicate the scent?! No?! I haven’t?!
Well, thanksfully, that never happened. But I not-so-secretly wish that it had.
I’m a big fan of risotto, especially now that I’ve devised a few shortcuts for when you’re dog-tired, don’t feel like a trip to the store (time that could be spent drinking, people!), and aren’t fussy about making risotto the “real” way. First, I start with rice that I’ve pre-cooked in seasoned broth.
Calm down, you purists, you!
Second, I do not use arborio rice, as plain old brown rice works just fine.
Oh, relax!
While these two steps are not authentic and will probably not please the risotto authorities that be, you will end up with a damn fine dinner, and if they help you to consume larger quantities of risotto, then by golly, who do these risotto purists think they are?! Who?!
No, seriously…who are the purists? And where do they hang out? I always wanted to meet one. (Are they different from Puritans? Do they not dance? Dance a little? Dance only by the book? Is there a dancing book?)
This isn’t to say that recipes and cookbooks and rules and such don’t have a place–of course they do. I have what the DSM IV would probably call a clinical addiction to cookbooks. And if you don’t approach a new food with a bit of humility, you won’t learn something new, and it’ll be harder to strike out on your own with confidence. But if you have a tendency to let perfectionism paralyze you, you’ll have to make a conscious effort to keep your sense of fun and adventure about you as you cook.
After all, no one ever shed serious tears over a cookie that had way more than the recommended dosage of chocolate chips in it. Or if there are such people…they must be way boring to party with, no?
And remember, you can just forget what the purists say about risotto–it can, and does, make one hell of a perfume!
Shortcut Pumpkin Bacon Risotto
Makes about 4 servings if you don’t ladle it over yourself, substantially fewer if you do
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked rice
3-5 cups seasoned broth (or do as I do and use half broth, half wine)
olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
3 thick slices all-natural, nitrite-free bacon, diced
About 1 cup pureed pumpkin (I roasted and pureed my own pumpkin, but canned will work fine as well)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. Jamaican Allspice (preferably from The Spice House)
1/4 tsp. Saigon Cinnamon (preferably from The Spice House)
1/2 Tablespoon dried parsley
salt
pepper
Directions:
Put the broth in a pot on the stove and keep it at a nice, gentle simmer. In a large saucepan, heat a small splash of olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bacon, and sautee, stirring occasionally, until the bacon begins to render its fat, but before it’s crispy or dark.
At this point, stir in the rice and cook it, stirring constantly, until the rice takes on a golden color. Add two ladles or so of hot stock, and stir constantly until the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid. Add another ladle-full and repeat the process. When the rice mixture is just short of creamy (see picture; you may or may not have to add another ladle to get it there, depending on the rice you used), add your pumpkin and another ladleful of stock.
Stir gently to combine, and add the allspice, cinnamon, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to stir until the risotto has a creamy and tender (though not mushy) consistency. You’re done! We actually topped this with a drizzle of black truffle oil, but it’s delicious as is, served along with a bowl of delicate greens.
I make a faux-risotto with arborio, but stock and wine instead of water. Quicker to cook than risotto, but much better than short-grain, water, salt, pat-of-butter.
This looks delicious. As good as it looks, bacon can only make it better.
Thanks for the panko! Got it on Thursday, I think, but this is the first time I’ve been able to grab a chance to say thanks!
Oh, that’s a great idea–I never seem to be able to keep arborio on hand–either I use an entire package on one batch and don’t re-stock, or I get too lazy to buy it in the first place ;). Thanks for the comment–and you’re welcome on the panko! If you come up with any other creative uses for it, do let me know–I used it to top a casserole the other night, and it was fabulous!
Genevieve
Gen,
I would have to say I’m partial to the wine and stock with arborio as well (fine, use the word purist if you must); however, the pumpkin and bacon combo sounds fascinating! Thanks for the idea!
By the way, is your diagnosis classified in the DSM-IV as Cookbook Addiction-Predominantly Baking Type, Predominantly Cooking Type or Combined Type?
Haha–okay, okay, purists, you’ve dragged it out of me–I’ll offer up a dirty secret of my own! I, too, am partial to using arborio rice and wine/stock for risotto, and do fairly often. I also do, however, experience mid-week risotto cravings that simply cannot wait for a trip to the grocer to be satisfied! It is then that I must compromise and use short-grain rice. But I find that any culinary compromise can be smoothed over through the addition of bacon.
And I’d have to say that I’m combined type–you see, the experts had a go at examining my head and my bookshelves, and they decided that despite my decidedly pro-cooking slant on the blog, I have an alarming number of cupcake recipes in my possession!
Actually, stay tuned for a holiday stollen recipe this week.
Thanks so much for the comments, Amy! You are too funny. 😀 Hope to see you soon.
Gen
Carnaroli is the rice you want to use!!! And no shortcuts – stirring risotto for 30 minutes is therapeutic. Especially if you are sipping wine at the same time.
Mmm, carnaroli is delicious–I like how the long grain makes the finished product extra elegant. And it is starchier, so you really don’t even have to try too hard to get it super creamy. It can be hard to find at times, though.
Ah, yes, there is a distinct pleasure that comes with taking the time to do things the most authentic way, with making a labor of love, cranking up some Sinatra, and enjoying a glass or four of wine. But I hesitate to discourage anyone from making risotto more often by claiming that it won’t be worth his/her time if it’s not made according to traditional guidelines. I think this is one of those “you make the call” sort of situations. If you’d rather have only the most authentic risotto every now and then, there are plenty of risotto gudebooks out there (I own one!); but if you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of authenticity to enjoy it on a more regular basis, then you know what to do.
Who knew risotto would spark such a fascinating interchange?! You guys are great! Let’s compromise and come up with a new name for the “fake” risotto…Riz-oto? The Boy’s oh-so-commercial suggestion: RIZ? Ris-no-no? Any other suggestions? 😀
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How about a compromise – let’s go with “Riz-OH-NO” 🙂
Bonus points for making me laugh out loud, you risotto snob, you! 😀
Gen
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