Contemporary Classics: Righteous Rice

Risotto complements cultures, seasons, flavors and price points

By Margaret Sheridan, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 5/1/2004

Chef Andrea Curto-Randazzo combines squash, mushrooms and sausage in the risotto she serves at Talula.

Risotto goes beyond its Italian pedigree. It has global reach. “Every chef, every culture has a variation,’’ says Edward Lee, chef-owner of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Ky., recalling a savory seaweed risotto he enjoyed in Japan.

The dish appeals to diners with its smooth, creamy texture while operators value its versatility. Risotto adapts to seasonal ingredients and multiple flavor combinations and garnishes. It fits most menu slots, even breakfast.

Lee relies on the pungency of fresh Greek oregano and feta cheese to sharpen the taste of chicken-sausage risotto. He lightens goat-cheese-and-bacon risotto with crème fraîche instead of butter, for an acidic edge that contrasts with the sweet and salty tastes of golden raisins and bacon.

For an Asian-inspired party menu at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., Executive Chef Robert Harbison used lemon and orange essences in a sweet risotto. Served warm in a balloon wine glass with crème anglaise, it was garnished with candied lemongrass.

Customers’ craving for fresh seafood led Silvia Bianco to create an untraditional risotto. The caterer and author, and former chef-owner of Biscotti, a 50-seat restaurant in Ridgefield, Conn., sautés shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams separately, then uses them as topping for 2-ounce portions of Parmesan risotto.

Rite of rice
Using rice with high starch content is essential. Many chefs insist the best risotto requires Italian arborio rice, whose short, plump grains maintain texture after cooking. Due to the level of amylopectin starch, found in some short- or medium-grain rice, it absorbs and holds liquids resulting in the characteristic creamy texture.

Risotto's flexibility—it can take near endless combinations of proteins and vegetables—makes it a foodservice favorite.

At Risotteria in New York City, Chef-owner Joseph Pace uses imported and domestic short-grain rice with excellent results. Both contain enough starch to properly thicken risotto, he says. His inventory depends on what’s available since he buys rice in 4,000-pound lots.

Pace speeds up cooking with 10 induction burners and two designated risotto cooks. The technology reduces cooking time from 20 minutes to four. He rotates 45 risotto variations on the menu. Menu prices for a 12-ounce portion range from $8.95 for classic Parmesan to $15.50 for seafood and sausage; food costs average 30%. The kitchen produces 275 to 350 orders a day.

“There’s nothing I can’t do with risotto,’’ he says.

Skill set
Timing risotto preparations is tricky, says Bianco, because rice varieties differ in absorbency. She uses seafood broth, fish stock, and white wine or marinara sauce as liquids. If additional ingredients, such as seafood or proteins, have high moisture content, she undercooks the rice by five minutes when combining hot ingredients; residual heat finishes the cooking.

Her unconventional approach to topping risotto with seafood sautés enables her to better control the cooking temperature of each seafood ingredient. She calculates menu price based on perceived value to customers plus food costs, which she tries to keep at 25% to 30%. A dish priced at $18.95 costs around $4 to prepare.

Squash, Mushroom and Sausage Risotto with Asiago Cheese
Chef Andrea Curto-Randazzo, Talula Restaurant, Miami Beach, Fla.

Yield: 12 servings

Olive oil, divided use	4 Tbsp.
Unsalted butter, divided use	12 oz.
Mushrooms (shiitake, portobello, oyster, crimini or combination), trimmed, sliced lengthwise	2 lb.
Salt and white pepper to taste
Italian sausage links	1½ lb.
Winter squash (calabaza or butternut), peeled, seeded, ½-inch dice	2½ cups
Medium onions, diced	2
Arborio rice	1½ lb.
Bay leaves	2
White wine	2 cups
Vegetable or chicken stock	1½ gal.
Chopped chives	3 Tbsp.
Lime zest	2½ Tbsp.
Asiago cheese, grated	1¼ cups
Truffle oil (black or white)	2 to 3 Tbsp.

Preheat large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter to heated pan; melt. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Roast sausage in 350F oven for 20 minutes or until just cooked through. Slice into ¼-inch-thick disks, then in half circles. Add to mushrooms.
In medium pot, heat enough salted water to cover squash cubes. Simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool immediately; set aside.
Preheat a deep pan. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 3 Tbsp. butter. When butter is melted, add onions; sauté over medium heat until tender and translucent. Add rice and bay leaves; stir with wooden spoon until rice is coated with butter. Add wine; simmer until wine is absorbed.
Add hot stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring until absorbed. Continue to slowly add stock until rice is tender and creamy.
Add mushroom-sausage mixture, squash, chives, lime zest, cheese and remaining butter to rice. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with truffle oil.
Divide among 12 warm soup plates. Serve immediately.

Menu Scan

Risotto fills almost any menu slot, from 1-ounce appetizer serving to 3-ounce side or 12-ounce entrée.

Casa Mia, New York City
Risotto with rock shrimp, fresh peas and saffron broth

Chef’s Station, Evanston, Ill.
Lobster risotto with white-truffle oil

The Council House Hotel, Racine, Wis.
Lemon risotto with shrimp and spinach

Jae’s, Boston
Chicken breast teriyaki with garlic brown rice risotto

Masa’s, San Francisco
Risotto with sea urchin

Metrohealth System, Cleveland
Wild-mushroom risotto

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, Calif.
Seared-greens risotto

Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, La.
Fresh rosemary risotto

University Club, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Parmesan risotto with fresh pineapple

Grains of Wisdom

Short- and medium-grain rice can be used interchangeably, but not long-grain.
Arborio rice expands fivefold in weight in liquid while regular rice expands threefold.
Use a wooden spoon or fork for stirring. Metal is more likely to bruise or break rice grains.
Use a broad, heavy, shallow pan, such as copper or stainless steel. Allow enough space for even distribution of grains. If the pan is too small and high, rice gets submerged in liquid and will boil. For four servings, use a 12-inch sauté pan.
When preparing a large quantity, cook risotto halfway, about eight to 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Place risotto on a cool sheet pan to stop cooking. Before serving, refresh on heat with hot liquid, stir and serve immediately.
Overstirring results in a mashed texture and an overly starchy consistency similar to porridge.