Risotto in the microwave is easy to tweak. What flavors do you like?
From
| April 07, 2010
In Coffee and Convo, Kitchen Basics
Featured Recipe: Risotto with Ham and Asparagus
Risotto is really just a formula. You need a certain ratio of liquid to short-grain rice (aborio, click here), a bit of fat, some heat, and in the old days, lots of stirring. But thanks to the microwave oven, risotto can be easy enough even for a harried weeknight.
Credit for discovering this microwave risotto technique goes to cookbook author Barbara Kafka in Microwave Gourmet. She says the very technology that makes microwaving starchy dishes generally unacceptable is exactly what makes the microwave work so well for risotto.
“Starch absorbs liquid slowly in the microwave oven, and it also absorbs too much,” Kafka writes. “That is exactly what you want the rice to do in a risotto.”
Our recipe for Risotto with Ham and Asparagus is a great basic recipe to tinker with. (Click here for more information about making risotto in the microwave.) You could replace the asparagus with steamed green beans, and in place of ham, why not stir in some crabmeat or poached salmon chunks at the very end? The possibilities are endless. What types of risotto have you enjoyed, either at home or in restaurants?
Comments
From Bonnie - April 11, 2010
I have a great squash risotto that I make in the fall. I refer to it as the equivalent of "mac and cheese for adults." And, I love the stirring. Give me a glass of wine, and I love to see the risotto develop while I'm stirring. I certainly don't have time to stand there every evening, but there's a great zen about cooking that risotto that makes me very happy.
Related Recipes
Risotto with Ham and Asparagus
May 13, 2009
What has has people talking -- in a tone of sheer reverence -- is the fact that risotto cooked in a microwave turns out exactly like the dish you expect in restaurants. And it’s foolproof.
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Crock Pot Risotto with Gourmet Mushrooms
April 29, 2009
Traditional risotto requires stirring for half an hour. Now all you have to do is cook some onions, give the rice a quick sauté, dump everything into the Crock Pot and leave the room.
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From Melinda Neely - April 08, 2010
I love risotto, especially with mushrooms, but don't have the patience to cook it on the stove top. Thanks for the suggestion - I will give the microwave a try!