WHITE RICE IDEAS RECIPES

Steps:

• You will need a small pot with a lid. A capacity of 1 to 3 quarts is good.
• Bring the water to a strong boil at highest temperature.
• Add the rice to the boiling water. Swirl the rice once with a spoon so that it covers the bottom of the pot uniformly.
• Watch the rice boil until you see the bubbles form a pock-marked pattern with its vigorous boiling. This takes 1 to 2 minutes.
• Lower the heat to simmer. About 2.5 out of 10 on the dial is about right on my stove. Your stove may need to be set slightly higher or lower. You want the heat to be high enough so that steam is always being formed in the pot, but not so hot that the rice scorches on the bottom of the pot.
• When the boiling dies down a bit, cover the pot and set the timer to 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid of the pot, and your rice is done. For your first batch, test the rice with a fork and give it a taste test. It should be fluffy and tender.
• (The texture of fried rice benefits from a firmer rice kernel. Use 1 1/2 cups of water instead of 1 2/3 cups of water to achieve this texture. When it is done, leave the lid off the pot and allow the rice to cool. Then use the cooled rice in your fried rice recipe. The cooling is optional.).

Steps:

• 1. Heat the stock. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Trim and finely chop the celery.
  2. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the knob of butter into a separate pan, add the onion, garlic and celery, and cook very slowly for about 15 minutes without colouring. This is called a soffrito. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.
  3. The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the vermouth or wine and keep stirring – it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.
  4. Once the vermouth or wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of sea salt. Turn the heat down to a simmer so the rice doesn't cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes.
  5. Taste the rice to check if it’s cooked. If not, carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.
  6. Remove from the heat and add the 70g butter and grate in the Parmesan. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes amazingly creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat it as soon as possible, while it retains its beautiful texture.