DinnerInTenMinutes.com

Here’s another dinner in ten minutes.  A traditional Italian rice dish.  How to make Risotto – in ten minutes!

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  How on earth can you make risotto in ten minutes?  Don’t you have to stand and stir it for hours and hours?  Well, of course a professional chef might tell you so, but remember I’m not a professional chef – and I’ve found a very quick way of  how to make  risotto, without the stand-and-stir, and my hungry teenage boys and husband can’t tell the difference!  You’ll have this prepared in ten minutes or less, then you can put your feet up and relax (right?) while it cooks – without the stir.

To make things really simple, I’m using a cup measurement for this risotto recipe.  Any standard cup will do (not a mug).  It should hold approx 8 fl ozs or 250 ml – but don’t be too fussy.  Just use the same cup to measure everything.  It will serve approx 4 hungry adults.

Here goes:-

How to make Risotto – Basic Ingredients

• 1 onion – chopped
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves – crushed
• Oil for frying (I use olive oil)- approx 2 Tablespoons
• 2 cups risotto rice – arborio rice
• 4 cups boiling water (or chicken/veggie stock if you have some handy)
• Approx 2 cups chopped tomatoes from a tin – heated to just about boiling in a saucepan
• Small tin anchovies (approx 15 anchovies) – chopped
• To Serve – Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley, wedges of fresh lemon and cracked pepper

By the way – if you don’t want your risotto tomato based, just substitute with extra water or chicken/veggie stock

How to make Risotto – Extra Ingredients

Your choice here – I don’t mean for you to add them all:-

• Add a couple of handfuls of cooked or raw prawns (not frozen)
• Add a couple of small white fish fillets (no bones) – chopped
• Add a cup full of chopped feta or firm goat’s cheese
• Add a cup full of frozen peas or corn
• Add a couple of handfuls of chopped mushrooms (use different varieties)
• Fry some scallops and place on top (see photo)
• Use your imagination and try other things too

Method

1. Set oven to a moderate heat
2. Using a large saucepan, fry the onion in oil until soft
3. Add garlic and fry for another minute
4. With heat quite high, add the rice and stir for a good minute or two
5. Carefully add the boiling water and heated up chopped tomatoes and stir
6. Carefully pour the mixture into a casserole dish (the risotto will double in size, so make sure the dish is big enough)
7. Cover with lid and cook in oven for about 10 minutes – until most of the liquid is absorbed
8. Remove from the oven and add anchovies  – and whatever extra ingredients you have decided to use – give the mixture a good stir
9. Return to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes – until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice and extra ingredients are cooked

Tip – if you think the risotto is looking a bit too dry, or the rice is not quite cooked, just add some extra boiling water and cook for a few extra minutes.

Another Tip – if you’re adding chopped feta or firm goat’s cheese, do this at the very end – otherwise the cheese will completely melt.

Serve at the table with Parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley, fresh lemon wedges and cracked pepper.

So, there you have it – how to make risotto in ten minutes.

By the way, if you like garlic bread, it goes particularly well with Risotto.  You can make your own – in less than ten minutes!  Just go to Garlic Bread in Ten Minutes.

Of course, if you have the time one day, I suggest you give the traditional method of how to make risotto a go.  You can then compare results – and see if your family notices the difference.  Instead of adding all the liquid to the rice in one go, add it a cup full at a time and keep stirring until the liquid has been absorbed before you add the next cup full.  It’s useful to have the boiling water and heated chopped tomatoes in a saucepan next to you on the stove.  Keep it on the boil and gradually add to rice.  The process should take about 15-20 minutes.  It’s done when the rice is soft, with a tiny hard bit in the center of the rice – but don’t get too fussy about it.  Does it taste good?  Well then, it’s done!

Let me know how you go with how to make risotto – in ten minutes.  Can your family notice the difference?

Thanks for reading another dinner in ten minutes.