I’m a fan of Hell’s Kitchen. I’m a foodie, what can I say!
At each of the dinner services they offer Risotto as an appetizer. David and I had no idea what Risotto was, but I was going to find out. Risotto is a creamy rice dish made with a special Risotto rice. It’s a recipe that you have to pay close attention to as you are preparing. In Hell’s Kitchen if you mess up the Risotto, Chef Ramsey calls you a ‘Donkey‘!
I have created a Real Texas Risotto, and it is so delicious! And David didn’t call me a ‘Donkey‘!
A full version of the recipe is available to download and print, just click on the hyperlink below:
Real Texas Risotto
Ingredients
1 Shallot, finely minced
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
5 cups Chicken Stock
1 Jalapeno, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 cup Arborio Rice, (Risotto Rice)
2 + 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
1/4 cup extra dry Vermouth
Garnish
2 Roasted Jalapeños
3 tablespoons Pecans, chopped
Real Texas Cha-Cha Sauce
Directions
Roasting Jalapeños
Cover the bottom tray of a broiler pan with foil. Spray the top tray and Jalapeños with pam, or other oil.Turn the oven toaster on broil and place the tray inside. Charbroil the skin on all sides.
To sweat the peppers, take a paper towel and dampen it. Wrap the Jalapeños in the paper towel and place in a zip lock bag for about 5 minutes, just to cool so you can handle. In 2 1/2 minutes turn them over so that they will cool off on the bottom.
Put gloves on and remove the Jalapeños from the paper towel. Start anywhere and peel off the outside skin. Don’t run this under water. You will lose all the Jalapeño oil and the flavor.Pinch off the top, split open the Jalapeño and remove the seeds. Again, don’t run under water.
Slice the jalapeños, and chop them. Place them in a bowl and set aside.
Bring chicken broth to a boil in a sauce pan. Turn down to low to keep hot at all times. You don’t want to add cold chicken broth to the rice!
Sweating Shallots
Heat olive oil; add shallots, and a pinch of salt. Sweat the shallots using medium to medium high heat, and stirring constantly. Sweat the shallots between 3 to 5 minutes or until the shallots are translucent but not toasted. Add about a 1/4 cup of hot chicken broth. This will soften the shal-lots a little bit more. Turn heat to medium high. Evaporate the chicken broth that you have just added.
Toasting the Rice
The rice you will use is different rice, called ‘Arborio Rice’. This is different rice from the white regular grain rice. It’s used for Risotto.
Add all of the rice. With the heat on medium high, stir until you coat the all rice with the oil. Toast the rice until it’s translucent.
Deglazing the Rice
Add garlic, and Jalapeños. Stir until it becomes fragrant, ap-proximately for about 30 seconds. Don’t burn the rice. Add the extra dried Vermouth, and stir continually. This is called de-glazing the rice. Evaporate all of the Vermouth.
Cooking the Risotto
Add 1 cup of chicken broth. Stir the rice mixture frequently, heating all of the rice evenly. The way to tell your Risotto is ready to add more chicken broth is when you can actually pull a track through the rice and it doesn’t have liquid in the track.
Add a couple more ladles of your chicken broth (1 cup of broth) and continue to stir. Repeat this for 3 more times or a total of 5 times. Taste your rice to see when it’s cooked to your preference. You also will test if you want a little more salt. As your adding your chicken broth, make sure you stir the Risotto frequently. The reason you stir frequently is to make sure the rice all receives the same amount of heat and cooks evenly.
When you are at your 3rd to 4th cup of broth, or at about the 15 minute mark, start tasting the Risotto quite frequently because the rice then will be close to being cooked to your preference. Taste to see if you need to add more salt.
When the Risotto is cooked to your preference. Add just a little more broth and stir. Turn the heat off and continue to stir the Risotto so it doesn’t burn. Drizzle the Olive Oil, stir and cover the pan with a lid.
Let rest for 1 to 2 minutes.
Garnishing the Risotto
Spoon some Risotto on a plate. The way you can tell your Risotto has the perfect texture, is that when you shake, it will spread out just a little bit. Top with some of the roasted Jalapeños. Drizzle with some Real Texas Cha-Cha Sauce. Sprinkle with some pecans.
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Great step by step guide to making the Risotto – text + video = a WIN! I, too, haven’t heard of this dish before, which has got me excited and curious to try it out. I do a little cooking on my own during weekends. Beats having to eat out or order in, plus it makes me have something new to learn. Thanks! 😀