WHAT IS RISOTTO RICE OR PASTA RECIPES

Steps:

• In a saucepan, sauté onion, butter, and olive oil for a few minutes. Do this until the onions become soft and a bit golden.
• Add the rice and mix well. Make sure to coat all the rice grains with the butter and oil. So toast the rice with the mixture for a couple of minutes or so. This technique is called tostatura in Italian.
• Then, slowly add the wine into the mix. Let this simmer over medium low heat until the wine is absorbed by the rice. The wine will add a deliciously decadent flavor to your rice. This is what makes risotto dishes quite flavorful.
• Here, it gets a bit tricky. Once the wine is almost all gone, slowly add a small amount of the broth. Stir until the broth is absorbed by the rice.
• Once the liquid looks like most of it has been absorbed, add a bit more of the broth again. Do this several times, and in small amounts, until the rice is cooked and the surrounding mixture looks creamy.
• Remove from heat and add cubes of butter and some grated Parmesan cheese. Let that settle for a few minutes before stirring it. And if you prefer, you can also add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve on a warm flat plate and garnish with a few dashes more of Parmesan cheese.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3.
  2. Blanch the tomatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice-cold water and peel the skins. Tip into a medium roasting tray.
  3. Peel and slice the garlic, pick the rosemary leaves and scatter over the tomatoes. Drizzle over a little oil, then toss to coat and space them out in a single layer. Roast for 40 minutes, or until golden.
  4. Remove the heads and tails from the langoustines, then peel the skin and roughly chop the sweet meat. Check the mussels and sort through the clams, giving any that aren’t tightly closed a tap. If they don’t close, discard them. Finely slice the squid and reserve for later. Pick through the crab meat, removing any shell.
  5. Put the saffron in a small bowl, cover with 50ml of freshly boiled water and leave to infuse.
  6. For the risotto, peel and finely chop the onion, celery and fennel, reserving any nice leaves and herby tops for garnish, then place in a large, high-sided pan on a medium heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for 15 minutes, or until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally, then stir in the rice to toast for 2 minutes.
  7. Pour in the wine, and stir until absorbed. Add a ladleful of stock and wait until it’s been fully absorbed before adding another, stirring for around 10 seconds every minute and continuing to add ladlefuls of stock until the rice is soft and a pleasure to eat, but retains its shape and a tiny bit of bite. It will need 16 to 18 minutes,
  8. Add the saffron and its soaking liquid, then stir in the mussels and clams.
  9. When the mussels are just starting to open up, go in with the squid, crab and langoustine. Beat in the butter, finely grate and and beat in the Parmesan, then season to perfection and turn the heat off. Cover the pan and leave to relax for 1 to 2 minutes so the risotto becomes creamy and oozy. Beat again, adding a little extra stock if necessary.
  10. Carefully pour the risotto onto a large platter and discard any mussels or clams that remain closed. Dot over the roasted tomatoes, scatter over the reserved celery leaves and herby fennel tops, then drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Dish up and enjoy!