Over the years, I've tried my share of novel tricks for outsmarting risotto—like oven-baking, and what I can only call carbonara-ifying—and always wandered back to something akin to the traditional method of ladling and stirring, ladling and stirring.
Even though the very ethos of Genius Recipes is to question the cooking rules we’ve been taught—why truss our chickens if we don’t need to? why simmer tomato sauce all day?—I’ve never fallen for any risotto technique that bucked tradition*, though I’ve certainly tried. Maybe it's because following tradition here isn’t that much of a burden (what's an active 30 minutes, anyway?)—and it’s actually pretty fun, in that witch-over-a-bubbling-cauldron sort of way.
So when former Food52 editor and Genius-sniffer-outer Sarah Jampel sent me this risotto from Judy Rodgers, the late chef and driving force behind San Francisco’s Zuni Café, I was game to give it a go like any other, but didn't expect it to change my routine. Instead of the usual sautéed mushrooms or peas, the recipe called for chunks of fresh grapefruit and lime that dissolve into colorful flecks. Huh! Well, okay! But as I kept reading, that wasn’t nearly the most shocking part.
Firstly, in The Zuni Cafe Cookbook’s section on risotto, Rodgers wrote that, for years, she had added just-simmering stock to hers, as tradition would dictate. “Then, after I casually made a fine risotto using room temperature stock, I started experimenting with cold, warm, and hot stock and found I could make a creamy risotto with any one.”
So there goes one rule. This means from now on, in perpetuity, you can grab any stock out of your fridge or pantry and get your risotto going right away, without waiting for a pot to simmer, saving yourself burner space and a pan to wash. Your dinner can be truly one-pot, without any compromise. “This convenient heresy alarms even longtime cooks at Zuni,” she continued, “but it has not failed me.”
Unlike traditional teachings, Rodgers also wasn’t concerned about how frequently you add more stock, or how much it absorbs along the way, as long as the grains don’t completely dry out. “It is only the final doses that require thoughtful judgment, to make sure you don’t add more stock than an al dente grain needs.”
Rodgers was a methodical chef and recipe developer, who famously taught us the benefits of salting our ingredients, then sticking them in the fridge to wait hours or days until they’re the best versions of themselves. She helmed one legendary restaurant for 26 years and wrote just one book, a thoughtful, 500-plus-page opus containing innumerable lessons on deeply-considered cooking. She doesn’t strike me as a sucker for time-saving hacks. I've been making risotto her streamlined way ever since and it hasn't failed me yet, either.
Perhaps I should have heard these rules debunked long ago, but why do so many recipes and technique videos continue to call for hot stock to be added bit by little bit—maybe it’s because we secretly like doing it? Or because we like to test our fellow cooks’ commitment levels? Or because enough recipe writers just haven’t questioned what they’d been taught. We can’t question everything, after all. But I’m glad that someone did.
| 1 to 2 medium grapefruit, to yield 3/4 cup sections (about 16 small sections) plus juice | |
| 1 lime, to yield a scant 1/4 cup sections (about 8 sections) | |
| 2 tablespoons unsalted butter | |
| 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion (2 ounces) | |
| Salt | |
| 2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice | |
| 4 to 5 cups chicken stock | |
| 1/4 cup mascarpone |
| 1 to 2 medium grapefruit, to yield 3/4 cup sections (about 16 small sections) plus juice | |
| 1 lime, to yield a scant 1/4 cup sections (about 8 sections) | |
| 2 tablespoons unsalted butter | |
| 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion (2 ounces) |
| Salt | |
| 2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice | |
| 4 to 5 cups chicken stock | |
| 1/4 cup mascarpone |
*Except that one time, with the sunflower seeds. But that was just good fun!
Photos by Julia Gartland
Got a genius recipe to share—from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at genius@food52.com—thank you to the one and only Sarah Jampel for this one!
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21 Comments
No way am I interested in standing over a pot for 30 minutes :-)
Just picked up an incredible cooking book in Italy called La Cucina Regionale Italina. It's over 1600 pages and breaks down recipes by every region of Italy. A bargain at 9.90 euros. Only catch is you have to be able to read Italian. There's over 50 risotto recipes-how about Risotto a La Rane (Veneto)?
What could actually make a difference is dumping in all of your liquid at once vs. adding it little by little. But _this_ is tricky, as many factors can determine how much and how fast the rice will absorb - type of rice, presence of other "wet" ingredients (say spinach, mushrooms, etc.), temp of the liquid, heat level, and so on - making it difficult to state from the start how much liquid you will need.
www.clairescookingclub.com
Thank you,
Claire Berger
She uses Quaker Grits, Old Fashioned, not Quick. For two servings, she puts 1 cup chicken stock in a sauce pan, brings it to a boil, then adds ¼ cup of the grits. When it comes to a boil again, she turns the heat way down, covers the pot, and cooks it until the grits start to thicken a little. For me this usually takes about ten minutes. Then she stirs the mixture and starts mounting the it with heavy cream, adding it slowly, but for a long time. She keeps the burner low, adds a little cream, stirs. She does not cover the pot at this point, and she keeps doing this for at least 20 minutes, but I have done it over a very low flame for longer. You would be surprised how much cream you can add. When it's the consistency you like - I like it so thick it doesn't spread on the plate but is still creamy - you can go crazy and add a pat of butter (or not). It's delicious and goes well with LOTS of dishes.
LOVE, LOVE FOOD 52!!!! You guys do a fantastic job! Congratulations on a very great job! 👍🏼❤️
OK, lets try it out....Except, no details given for what Gas/temp' oven should be at; or for how long to cook, which also means getting the pot in & out of the oven to check state of the risotto (unless this is an in-built-aerobic excerise plan as well)?
We maybe all cook it traditionally because that is the Italian way to do it, Slow Food rules! As well as being able to feel the rice and taste for ideal cooking period...yeah or nay?
🤓
Like Julie above, I've been cooking risotto this way for years and it works fine. I tend to make up my stock with boiling water if I'm using dry cubes/powder, or defrosting home made frozen stock "ice cubes". Ive never thought about adding fruit however. I'll see whats at the farmers market this w/end citrus wise.
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