Porcini Risotto with Chicken - Porcini Risotto med Kyckling

When one watches too much Top Chef or Gordan Ramsey's shows, you will not be unfamiliar with the standards exacted on this dish. Risotto is normally introduced as a starter but personally I feel its a meal by itself. I remember my first risotto was at Prego in Singapore (which we last had a very unpleasant experience with the last time I was there with my friends) but I thought it was like a 'Ang Mo'(or western) porridge. They have porridge in Sweden too but its a dessert where the rice is mixed with lots of cream and sugar. Very different.

Anyway, this was my second time making this, the first was prawn and peas risotto from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Italy. The addition of chicken was Johan's idea and I kinda of improvised along the way but this time it turns out quite well. Risotto should have a slight bite to it when its perfectly cooked and try to think of it as a kind of pasta rather than rice, so it should have a small white center as the final presentation.

När man tittar för mycket Top Chef eller Gordan Ramseys tv program, du kommer att vet viken standard de har för den rätt. Jag tycker det är nog för en varmrätt, inte bara förrätt. Jag minns min först risotto var i en restaurang Prego i Singapore (men vi inte har trevlig tid när vi var sista där). Jag tror det var en västerländsk gröt. I Sverige finns gröt också men det är inte likna till kinesiska gröt för att de använder grädde och socker. Mycket olika.

I alla fall, det är min andra gängen jag laga risotto, den först var med råkor och ärtar. Johan tänker på det idé och jag improviserar på det. För bra risotto man måste har de al dente och de ska ha en små vit center när de är färdig.

Risotto Bianco (Serves 3) - this is the basic recipe for risotto

550ml stock

1 tablespoon olive oil

a knob of butter

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped

200g risotto rice

1 wineglass of white wine

salt and pepper to taste

35g butter

60g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

20g dried porcini mushroom, rehydrate in 300ml of boiling water (remember to keep this soaking water!)

150g of chicken fillet, sliced and marinated in salt, pepper and fresh rosemary for at least 30 minutes.

Steps

1. Pan fry the chicken slices in some olive oil, once done, set aside and let it cool while you prepare the risotto.
   
   
   
   
2. Stage 1: Heat the stock, put the olive oil and knob of butter in a separate pan, add the onion, garlic and celery and cook very slowly for about 15 minutes over low-medium heat. Do not let it be browned but when they have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.
3. Stage 2: The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute, it will look slightly translucent then add the white wine and keep stirring.
4. Stage 3: Once the wine has been cooked into the rice and the alcohol flavours have evaporate, add in the mushrooms and your first ladle of stock (mixed with the soaking water from the mushroom) along with a pinch of salt. Turn down the heat so it is simmering and keep adding the stock and stirring the rice, making sure the liquid is absorbed before adding the next ladle. This may take 15-25 minutes and taste the rice to check if it is cooked. Continue adding the stock or hot water if you ran out of stock until the rice is soft with a slight bite.
   
   
   
5. Stage 4: Remove from the heat and add the remaining butter and Parmesan cheese and stir well. Cover it with a lid and let it rest for 2 minutes before serving. Serve by topping it with chicken and more Parmesan cheese.