VEGETARIAN
This is a very basic Risotto recipe to make a plain, white Risotto. You can use this as a base for other risotto's if you wish, for example the Mushroom Risotto on this website
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE RISOTTO 6 oz (170 g) Arborio Rice 6 oz (170 g) Finely Chopped Onion 2 Cloves of Garlic Finely Chopped 1/2 oz (15 g)Unsalted Butter 2 Tablespoons (28 ml) Dry White Wine Olive Oil 1 1/2 Pints (840 ml) Vegetable Stock 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese FOR THE VEGETABLE STOCK 1 Medium Sized Potato 1 Medium Sized Carrot 1 Medium Sized Onion 2 Cloves of Garlic 1 Stick Of Celery 1 Bay Leaf 1 Small Bunch of Parsley 12 Black Peppercorns 10 Fl. oz (300 ml) Dry White Wine 2 Pints (1.2 Litres) Water
PREPARATION
THE RISOTTO Start by chopping everything first. Once you start, you will need all the ingredients to hand, as you will need to stir the risotto continuously. Also, do not wash the rice. In a large pan, gently fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil. We need them to be soft, and translucent. In a separate pan, bring the Vegetable stock to simmering point. If you haven't already made some, the recipe is at the end of this page. Now add the rice to the onions and stir so the grains are well coated with the oil, which should take a couple of minutes only. Add the white wine and stir until absorbed. You can now start adding the hot stock one ladle at a time, waiting until each ladle full has been absorbed before adding the next. Stir continuously. It is important that the stock is hot, otherwise the rice will stop cooking when you add it. After about 15 minutes the rice should be cooked and the risotto should have a soft, creamy consistency. Season to taste. Add the butter and parmesan and stir vigorously to incorporate. The risotto should then look creamy and shiny. Serve with more parmesan to sprinkle over the top. VEGETABLE STOCK
You do not have to be exact about quantities here, use what is at hand. Roughly chop everything and put in a pan with the water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the wine, bring back to the boil briefly to drive off the alcohol, and leave to cool. You can use this straight away, but if you can leave it sitting around for a few hours but if you can leave it sitting around for a few hours before straining the liquid from the vegetables, the flavour will improve. PASTA SERVES 2 AS A MAIN COURSE A Classic recipe from the Lazio region of Italy, found on most Italian restaurant menu's the world over. Traditionally it is made with Guanciale, which is dried pigs cheek. As this is a little difficult to find in our local supermarket, we substitute pancetta, which you should be able to find in your local delicatessen. As the eggs in the recipe are barely cooked, be careful who you serve this to. Not to pregnant ladies, children or other people who may be at risk. INGREDIENTS 7 oz (200 g) Spaghetti 2 Eggs 2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese 4 or 5 Slices of Pancetta 3 fl. oz Double Cream 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper PREPARATION This all happens very quickly, so put some water on the heat for the pasta. With lots of salt. When it is boiling rapidly, add the pasta, bring back to the boil and cook for however long it says on the packet. Usually 8 to 10 minutes. Cube the Pancetta, and fry gently in the olive oil until crisp. Remember that to get any type of bacon crisp, you don't turn the heat up, you fry gently. This should take about 7 to 10 minutes. Beat together the eggs, grated parmesan and the cream. Season with salt and pepper. When the pancetta is crisp, take it off the heat, let it stand for a moment, then stir it and the oil into the beaten egg mixture. Drain the pasta when ready, and then combine with the sauce. The idea is that the sauce coats the pasta, but the eggs do not cook, so stir quite vigorously to get rid of some heat from the pan. The last thing we need is scrambled eggs. Serve with extra parmesan separately. Pancetta Pancetta is a sort of Italian bacon, made from cured belly pork. If you can't find it, you could use Streaky Bacon, although it really isn't the same.