Repetitive motions

Mushroom risotto and salmon are the perfect dinner combination. It's so perfect that anyone that eats this combination is reduced to a bowl-licking, lip-smacking state. That's how good a salmon and risotto dinner is (in all seriousness, the dog is just killing the risotto leftovers in that picture to the right. Still though, you get my point).

Of course, while it's always nice to put something green on the plate in addition to those meats and starches, like Pinky's string beans or some slow cooked collard greens, really all you need is salmon and risotto to make you happy...and maybe a glass of wine. A couple of glasses a wine, in fact, and a cell-phone that never goes off, and manipulative people that never call to offer unwanted advice. I don't have any tricks for cooking salmon, as in general, I lack skills in the fish cookery department. I do, however, hold true to the broiler, and find it hard-pressed to find any other method better than broiling when it comes to salmon filets and steak (mmm steak). My salmon recipe isn't really even worth writing in a list format. All it consists of is salmon sprinkled with salt and pepper, maybe finished off with some lemon pepper, and then broiled until crispy on top and around the edges (or if you like a cut other than filets, until the skin peels off the sides). Pinky's Chambers stove has a master broiler, and that in itself makes the Chambers stove the best stove in the entire world.

Risotto, on the other hand, is a more complicated matter. The reason I'm writing this now, even though this salmon dinner occurred so long ago and even though I've made risotto god knows how many times before, is that I'm in a transitional state, meaning, I'm not quite sure where in the timeline of past and future I fall...or where in the timeline my decisions should be based. Everything is so hypothetical. In so being, I tend to need matters and people  around me to keep me in the moment, which keeps my cortisone levels lower, and stops my mind from running off into a future that seems inevitably sad to me. Solid things, things that won't let my thought processes wander, a reality that is filled with tangible good things rather than jarring cold logic. Risotto is just that kind of thing. You stand and you stir and stir and stir and watch it slowly come together, just 30 minutes of your time devoted to one simple thing that you can't just put aside and wait, because if you do, it'll burn. It's warm and homey and more filling than stew, and simple enough where I don't have to think but I do still have to pay attention. It's also indicative of my life, filled with repetitive motions of what I want rather than what I should. I should be eating a salad, but instead, I'd rather stir and stir and eat something full of flavor (not that salads can't be tasty)...but how's that for a metaphor.

Stirring risotto is also a better stirring experience than making candied peanuts, I promise you, because you're not worried that the deathly burning hot sugar is going go come flying out of the pan and scar you forever. Another digression for another day. A couple of notes though. Use arborio rice. I've tried making "risotto" using long grain rice and glutinous rice, and the texture at the end just isn't quite the same, the level of starchiness is off a bit, and overall, it's just not as good. Tip two. Watch the salt level. I usually dilute my broth with water because I'd rather undersalt than oversalt, especially since I tend to use salted butter. Tip three. Use a spatula to stir, unless you're truly okay with scraping up the bottom of the pot, and use a pot (not a pan). I got into risotto because one of my Dutch-French-American friends loves it, and she sent me a recipe, shown below. It's similar to the recipe I use, or rather, I adapted it based on what was in my refrigerator, but if you can zoom in on it, it's worth checking out.

Mushroom Risotto

makes about 4 heaping servings 

1 1/2 C of arborio rice
1/2 C of fresh shitake mushrooms, diced
1/2 C of dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated, diced
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 stalks of scallions (or use chives if you'd like) diced fine
butter and oil, to cook
5-6 C of broth or cooking liquid (beef or chicken, I prefer beef)
2 handfuls of grated parmesan
salt & pepper

Prepare your liquid first, and by prepare, I mean bring your broth/water mixture to a boil on a nearby stove and then lower to a simmer. The process of risotto is relatively easy one, in the sense that you slowly add increments of hot liquid to your dry rice, stirring and cooking the rice until it absorbs the liquid. At some point, the rice will absorb enough liquid and in the process release its creamy starches, and become al dente enough to be edible. You have to add hot liquid to the rice, not cold. If you add cold liquid, then the rice will not absorb the liquid as well and you'll end up with partially cooked rice kernels, which are not that great to eat, and when it does finish cooking, your rice will be mushy. So, heat your broth to a simmer first.

Heat up the oil or butter in your pot, and saute the mushrooms on medium heat until soft, lightly salting to taste as you toss them around in the pan.  If you have some white wine on hand, feel free to toss some of that in there too. Once the mushrooms are cooked through, remove from heat and reserve for later.

In the same pot, slide in a tbsp of butter and add your onions, cooking on medium heat until translucent. Then add your dry arborio rice, tossing and stirring the dry rice, pretty much frying it in the butter. I don't remember why this is important, but probably because it helps prepare the rice for taking on the liquid and adds flavor. Do not, however, burn or brown the  rice during this process. After the rice is thoroughly coated in butter, start ladling in the broth in increments. I like to start with 3 ladlefuls of broth, stirring the risotto until the liquid is absorbed. As the risotto gets closer and closer to being done, however, reduce the amount of liquid you add, it will take more and more time for it to be absorbed.  Also, remember to taste and monitor saltiness throughout the process, to know when you should stop using broth and just start using boiling water instead.

How do you know the risotto is done? Once the rice starts to hit al dente, I slow down and add back into the rice the mushroom bits. Then I continue adding 1 ladle at a time of liquid and stirring until the risotto jiggles and looks like it's all holding together, meaning that if it is poured on a plate, it will pour like lava and hold together on the plate (not clump down in thick bits or puddle like a soup). I think someone on the Food Network once said that you know risotto is done when it jiggles like a woman's breast on a plate, so when it's moving like that, is when you add in your parmesan and scallions, stirring until all is evenly incorporated. Cover the pot and let the risotto sit for 5 minutes or so. If you let it sit too long, it'll be less jiggly (as the starch has time to seep out and solidify more), so if you reheat you can add more liquid or just eat as is.

I've only ever made mushroom risotto, but I can see one day maybe doing a risotto with bacon or something else. You can't beat the classics though, and mushroom risotto definitely is a classic.