Carnaroli Rice Risotto
Carnaroli rice risotto, hydrated little by little with very hot stock and finished with mantecatura: an emulsion of cold butter, poached onion and reduced wine that gives it the shine and creaminess of a restaurant risotto.
- 330 g (11.6 oz) Carnaroli rice (115 g per person)
- ~1,400 g (6 cups) chicken stock, at a boil
- 25 g (0.9 oz) grated parmesan
- 65 g (2.3 oz) mantecatura (from the batch you make below; freeze the rest) For the mantecatura (make it ahead: this batch yields several uses, and needs at least 20 minutes in the freezer)
- 8 g (0.3 oz) butter, separate (just to lubricate the pan before poaching the onion)
- 200 g (7 oz) unsalted butter, very cold, cubed
- 80 g (2.8 oz) onion or shallot, in brunoise (a bit less than 1 onion; discarded afterward)
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine
- 50 ml (3.5 tbsp) white wine vinegar
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1
Mantecatura: cut and poach the onion
Cut the onion into small cubes (brunoise). In a small pan, put the 8 g of butter (separate from the 200 g below) over the lowest heat, just to lubricate the pan. Once melted, add the 80 g of onion. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, without letting it take on color: it needs to turn soft and translucent, not golden.
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2
Reduce with wine and vinegar
Add the 150 ml of white wine and the 50 ml of vinegar to the same pan, with the onion still in it. Over the lowest heat, let it reduce until it becomes a concentrated, syrup-like liquid: about 10 ml, almost nothing. The liquid needs to evaporate almost completely.
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3
Work in the cold butter
Off the heat, add the 200 g of very cold, cubed butter directly into the same pan with the onion and the reduction. Stir well until it forms an even paste.
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4
Strain
Pass everything through a strainer, pressing the onion well with a spoon to get all the juice and fat out. That strained paste is the mantecatura; discard the onion (the solids left in the strainer).
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5
Freeze
Put the mantecatura in the freezer until it's completely firm, like a hard block: at least 20 minutes, though you can leave it longer without any issue. This batch yields about 200 g, enough for about 3 times you make this recipe (65 g each time): cut it into cubes and only use what you need, keeping the rest frozen for next time.
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6
Dry-toast the rice
Put the 330 g of rice in the hot pot, with no oil or fat, and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the grains feel very hot, almost to the point of burning to the touch.
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7
Gradual hydration
Add the boiling stock 2 or 3 ladles at a time. Only add more once the previous batch is nearly absorbed, stirring often over medium-high heat. Up to 16 minutes total: it should be al dente with a bit of liquid left, not dry.
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8
Rest for 2 minutes
Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 2 minutes without touching it.
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9
Mantecatura and cheese, with a wave motion
As soon as the 2 minutes are up, add the 65 g of frozen mantecatura along with the parmesan. Swirl the pan in a wave motion (mantecare) for 60 to 90 seconds, without adding anything else, until it turns creamy and glossy.
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10
Serve right away
Serve on a hot, flat plate the moment it's ready. The risotto should spread out on its own, without mounding up or pooling liquid.
- Use a wide, shallow pan, not a deep pot: that way the rice evaporates evenly and you control the texture better.
- The stock needs to be at a boil the whole time, right next to the pot. Adding it cold stops the rice from cooking properly.
- The mantecatura needs to be very cold, almost frozen, when you add it at the end: that's what gives the shine and creaminess without the sauce breaking.
- Warm the plate ahead of time: risotto cools down fast and needs to reach the table hot.
- No need to make mantecatura every time you cook risotto: this batch yields about 3 uses (65 g each time) — cut it into frozen cubes and only take out what you need.
- You can add shrimp: remove the dark intestinal vein along the back before cooking them, or they'll leave an unpleasant taste and texture.
- Adding the mantecatura hot or lukewarm
- Not stirring enough during cooking: the rice needs friction to release its starch
- Letting the rice go dry, with no liquid left at all
- Serving it in a deep bowl: the risotto keeps cooking in its own heat and overshoots the point