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I've always appreciated the food blogs and threads on Teamliquid, and considering I've been
a student of a culinary school for a year now, I thought it's about time and only right
that I start a food blog myself. Going to try to be equally as informative as entertaining
when I write hopefully! I'm not really the best writer, but I'm going to try and make it
worth sharing.
I am going to try and have "themed" blogs. For example, this blog is going to be about
risotto, which will include a bit of information about it, the cooking method(risotto is
actually the name of the method and the dish), and some of the preparations. Everything and
anything eggs was going to be what I was going to start with, but that's going to be next,
probably! Gonna go a little crazy with some various egg preparations. :D
As with most classical cuisine and cooking, most of it is most definitely not too healthy
for you, but is super delish. Anyway... here we go!
Risotto is a classic Italian dish that is comprised of a short grain rice(mainly Arborio,
although Carnaroli and various other rices can be used. Your typical grocery store is going
to have Arborio.) cooked in wine and then any kind of broth of your liking in a pan. I like
to try and make a broth of whatever the main ingredient is going to be in the Risotto. For
example, if it's going to contain shrimp, then I'll peel the shrimp and use the peels, with
a little bit of shrimp meat, for a shrimp broth w/ some mirepoix(1/2 parts onions, 1/4
celery, 1/4 carrots.), and a standard sachet(parsley stems, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf.)
Risotto is also a very nice vegetarian and vegan friendly dish. You can use vegetable stock, nutritional yeast( it has a nutty, cheesy flavor, and it is used to replace Parmesan cheese for vegans.), and a vegan-friendly margarine.
A friend of mine makes packaged risotto and I try to tell them how easy it is to make! It's
really quite a simple dish and very versitile. It's also a great way to use up leftovers,
since once you have the basic understanding of making it, you can add just about anything.
The fall is such a great season, and I decided to kick it in with an acorn squash risotto!
Acorn squash ready to be diced!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/OtfUs.jpg)
Whenever cooking, an excellent mise en place is essential. Still have to dice the squash and mince the parsley.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/xD742.jpg)
Roasting the squash in order to have it ready for the finished risotto. Oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley mixed with the squash.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/YCJpY.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ZwtAt.jpg)
In the oven just ready to be roasted.
Once you have your mise en place you want to then have a hot pan with butter and olive oil(I prefer this, but you can have either or.), along with a pot of heated up broth ready to be ladled into your rice.
This!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Kuvai.jpg)
Butter knob looks like it just got shot in the head actually. Butter knob murder scene!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/AVbqF.jpg)
Pan is ready for the shallots and garlic! Place said items in and let them sweat. Rice is coming up next.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/RSUES.jpg)
Shallots and garlic just hanging out and cooking while awaiting their Arborio rice buddy to join them.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6CMqL.jpg)
Arborio rice in a ramekin ready to take a dive! Pour into the pan and let the rice get coated with all of the fat. At this point you’re going to be “toasting” the rice. You’re not cooking it for too long, or browning. It’s going to be a couple of minutes and what you’re doing is essentially cracking the rice to allow moisture to seep in a lot easier. You want to cook it until it’s too hot too touch. Touch it!
After those couple of minutes, you’ll want to pour in the wine now and simmer it until it’s just about dry(au sec).
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TbQXf.jpg)
The wine pouring.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Cposr.jpg)
You also always want to just cover your rice, and not drench it too much. You also want to let all of your liquid almost be gone before adding more. Look at those two rebellious rice kernels!
Sometimes you just have to deglaze your mouth and stomach with some wine yourself.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/u7z48.jpg)
Don’t sleep and drink. I really am awake, I swear! XD
Back to cooking! *Serious face*
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8jrlo.jpg)
Your rice after the wine has been almost cooked/absorbed all the way.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hvAOz.jpg)
Ladle in your chicken stock a bit at a time, letting it absorb before adding in more. Oh yeah, also, Risotto is pretty much a 3:1 ratio rice. 3 parts liquid(2 is stock/broth and 1 wine.)to one part rice.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wCVYM.jpg)
I should have put the sprig of thyme in earlier, but I obviously slacked, and just remembered a little too late. No big deal though! It’s always fun tossing the risotto with it. Missed out a little bit on that.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/B9rVq.jpg)
You should be tasting and testing the consistency of the rice several times throughout cooking to gauge the seasoning and how the rice is cooked, depending on your likings.
Once you have reached what you’re satisfied with or close to it, butter and the parmesan cheese make their appearance!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/idekY.jpg)
Stir and/or toss that up.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7Zcg4.jpg)
Also throw in the arugula, parsley, and squash! Season to taste w/ salt and pepper. We’re ready to plate, baby.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/U0MXf.jpg)
Initial plating! Shake and turn incoming. Once you put it on a plate you want to shake the plate, turn it 90 degrees and shake again to spread.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/X2nUn.jpg)
Finished product! Enjoy. 
This experience has also let me know how bad I am at using a camera. There was quite a few pictures that looked super terrible. I’m going to try and improve on that for sure.
If you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to try and answer them. ^_^
Comments and criticism are more than welcome also! See you next time Teamliquid.
Edit: Fixed image size problem. Sorry TL. Duly noted to use the "Upload Image".
 
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United States10328 Posts
wow, awesome. It would be nice if you made the pictures smaller though ^^
also, what are the differences between shallots and red onion?
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Those pictures are HUGE! perhaps spoilers are in order? It becomes a hassle to right click veiw all of them, while reading in between the pictures, i also request a recipe! (nothing exact cuz well.. yeah. More like a list of ingredients).
I love risotto. You can do so much with it. I have never had it with arugula and squash tho. Not a big squash fan to begin with. But risotto is by far my favorite thing, but can also be my most hated. Nothing, and i mean nothing, is worse than under or over cooked risotto. Makes me cry. My friend, and current sous chef is possibly the best ive ever seen at making riso, its just such a great dish! Saffron with it is epic. Your dish looks yummy tho, maybe a little under done? imma go make some food now lol. Ive edited this post enough now. >.<
I have been a cook for about 3? ish years now. No culinary school and i find ppl right out of culinary school know more dishes than me, more names of french nonsense i dont truly care about, and more strict ways of doing things, but cant work the line as well for quite some time, mostly to do with speed and other things culinary school teaches you that aren't always practical. especially since every chef does things differently. If a chef does something one way, and you were told in culinary school to NEVER do it any other way than what they told you well... listen to the chef, it will anger him if you say thats not correct lol. There never one way to do anything, there is the ways that turn out good, and the ways that fail.
I am actually exiting cooking here shortly for full-time school in another field. I dunno, i just feel culinary school gets you out of doing dish pit for a year... that's about it in the real restaurant situation. If it was my end all be all passion i would deff go to a culinary school, but after working for quite some time. Nothing pains me more than seeing someone who thinks they will be passionate about food, only to make 10 dollars an hour (less then i make at the age of 20), out of culinary school while in debt. Then changing their mind about it. Its brutal sometimes.
Its good if your absolutely clueless about how to cook i guess, but cooking at home and cooks on tv well, its not the same as an actually busy restaurant! Make sure to work on your speed as well as execution, because speed is huge. Best of luck in the field! there is a lot of very dumb ppl working in kitchens, eventually you'll move up and work at a nice place that doesnt deal with them. Its just too easy of a field to get into D:
not to mention servers, if they get tipped 5 dollars an hour(just 1 table!), make more money than i do after min wage. Lol its an aggravating realization (i have yet to work in a place that tips the kitchen).
Oh and never, ever, ever, EVER, work at a corporate place if you can help it, unless its a hotel or something huge and really nice. Even anthonys is horrid compared to smaller owned, upscale places. But i guess you have to start somewhere. i was lucky enough to start out at one of the nice upscale places in my town. and down with sysco + FSA!! D:
This is just my 2cents on the field of your choice after 4 years of working in it (about a year of dish pit under my belt), cooking is amazing! and i will always love doing it. I dont have a $250 hattori chef knife for nothing lol.
]343[ United States. September 29 2011 17:19. Posts 5586 PM Profile Blog Quote #
wow, awesome. It would be nice if you made the pictures smaller though ^^
also, what are the differences between shallots and red onion?
Shallots > all onions in most cooking. They dont overpower anything and have a more unique taste than yellow or red onions. Red onions are much more powerful than the shallot, but are the substitute if you run out of shallot and need something on the fly. Shallot is used probably in almost every sauce/pasta/ well dish youve had at a restaurant. Garlic Shallot, Herbs. Win.
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/360880/you-gonna-deglaze-that
awesome clip from southpark,
The guy below me is that said sous chef. :D
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One VERY important thing to keep in mind when cooking risotto is to keep the heat LOW
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oh wow, ty ty I'll be going to book mark your blog now =]]
can we get a meat dish next? :D
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On September 29 2011 17:47 omisa wrote:
One VERY important thing to keep in mind when cooking risotto is to keep the heat LOW
No it's not. You keep it on med-high. It would take an hour to cook aborio rice on low. You should be able to finish a risotto in 18 minutes.
To OP:
What culinary school are you attending? Are you working anywhere?
my 2cents: I don't know why people make risottos with a certain garnish, ie squash/arugula and only add pieces of it. You could add another layer of favor by adding some of that roasted squash pureed to finish. Or you could blanch/puree arugula and finish the dish with that. Otherwise it'll be more like parm risotto with squash garnish and not truely a "squash" risotto. It would also make the riso more creamier which is also welcomed. Anytime you can add another depth of flavor, do it especially if you're making a blog about it.
No onion is better than another. There are just different uses for each onion. Shallots are milder than white onions, but sometimes you want that onion flavor to be more pronounced in some dishes. Salsa's don't have much zing with shallots/white onion than a red onion. It just depends on what you are making. But saying one onion (shallots are actually more related to the garlic family) is better than others is nonsense and taking things out of context.
Not trying to bash your blog, but just wanted to share what I know as someone who works in the industry as well. You'll find it a habit of everyone to share their knowledge with others.
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On September 29 2011 18:06 kikimama wrote:Show nested quote +On September 29 2011 17:47 omisa wrote:
One VERY important thing to keep in mind when cooking risotto is to keep the heat LOW No it's not. You keep it on med-high. It would take an hour to cook aborio rice on low. You should be able to finish a risotto in 18 minutes.
I sincerely hope that is blatant sarcasm.
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On September 29 2011 18:08 omisa wrote:Show nested quote +On September 29 2011 18:06 kikimama wrote:On September 29 2011 17:47 omisa wrote:
One VERY important thing to keep in mind when cooking risotto is to keep the heat LOW No it's not. You keep it on med-high. It would take an hour to cook aborio rice on low. You should be able to finish a risotto in 18 minutes. I sincerely hope that is blatant sarcasm.
Le Bernardin's cookbook states, after sauting onion/garlic, to add wine and bring to a boil. Then cook the rice at a simmer. I don't think that is achievable using low heat.
It says the same thing in the French Laundry cookbook.
But I guess the top two restaurants in America are just being sarcastic.
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On September 29 2011 18:29 kikimama wrote:Show nested quote +On September 29 2011 18:08 omisa wrote:On September 29 2011 18:06 kikimama wrote:On September 29 2011 17:47 omisa wrote:
One VERY important thing to keep in mind when cooking risotto is to keep the heat LOW No it's not. You keep it on med-high. It would take an hour to cook aborio rice on low. You should be able to finish a risotto in 18 minutes. I sincerely hope that is blatant sarcasm. Le Bernardin's cookbook states, after sauting onion/garlic, to add wine and bring to a boil. Then cook the rice at a simmer. I don't think that is achievable using low heat. It says the same thing in the French Laundry cookbook. But I guess the top two restaurants in America are just being sarcastic.
..... when you simmer you do what? thats right, you put it at a low heat....
Simmering is a food preparation technique in which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept at or just below the boiling point of water, but higher than poaching temperature. To keep a pot simmering, one brings it to a boil and then reduces the heat to a point where the formation of steam bubbles has all but ceased, typically a water temperature of about 94°C (200°F).
Dunno about you, but when i simmer something, i put it on a low heat after its to temp. I dont boil it on a high temp. and med-high can boil water. At least on my stove.
Hell the back of boxed foods or things like taco seasoning tells you once at boil simmer on low temp.
To each their own i suppose.
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On September 29 2011 18:29 kikimama wrote:Show nested quote +On September 29 2011 18:08 omisa wrote:On September 29 2011 18:06 kikimama wrote:On September 29 2011 17:47 omisa wrote:
One VERY important thing to keep in mind when cooking risotto is to keep the heat LOW No it's not. You keep it on med-high. It would take an hour to cook aborio rice on low. You should be able to finish a risotto in 18 minutes. I sincerely hope that is blatant sarcasm. Le Bernardin's cookbook states, after sauting onion/garlic, to add wine and bring to a boil. Then cook the rice at a simmer. I don't think that is achievable using low heat. It says the same thing in the French Laundry cookbook. But I guess the top two restaurants in America are just being sarcastic.
Yes actually you simmer things on low heat... You can quote all the cookbooks you wish, but it is obvious you know very little of what you say. I wont derail this blog with pointless argument, feel free to pm me with questions regarding the subject. 
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I don't know how much risotto you're making but obviously 1 cup of risotto won't take much heat to simmer. But anyone whose worked in a french background restaurant knows, you don't just make 1 cup of risotto. With that said, I stand by what I said. Yes, low is a relative term but you don't make risotto on low. Simmering is not low. Simmer anything is at the minimum, medium heat.
The point I was making was that it's not important to cook risotto on low. You can cook it at a higher temp with the same results. You guys must have long ass ticket times or take forever to prep your risotto rice. That doesn't cut it at most places.
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On September 29 2011 18:58 kikimama wrote:
I don't know how much risotto you're making but obviously 1 cup of risotto won't take much heat to simmer. But anyone whose worked in a french background restaurant knows, you don't just make 1 cup of risotto. With that said, I stand by what I said. Yes, low is a relative term but you don't make risotto on low. Simmering is not low. Simmer anything is at the minimum, medium heat.
The point I was making was that it's not important to cook risotto on low. You can cook it at a higher temp with the same results. You guys must have long ass ticket times or take forever to prep your risotto rice. That doesn't cut it at most places.
Are you talking about home cooking, because on my piece of shit stove i have at home yeah it takes medium heat to simmer a can of soup, but in a professional kitchen especially a classical french kitchen you would probably get fired for cooking your risotto on high. If you have ever worked in fine dining you would know that prep times and ticket times can be quite long compared to casual dining, hence courses. There is a reason i get to work at 10am, dinner starts at 4pm and im there till close, and its because cooking things properly takes time. You have much to learn if you think there is no difference between making risotto on low or high. That is a major fault in most line cooks, they think faster is better, thats why most of you never make it long at a nice place.
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Did you really buy boxed parmesan for it... and boxed wine :-(? Makes my heart bleed even as half Italian. Always get fresh parmesan (parmigiano reggiano) and wine as the quality difference is usually really high.
Might not be for the wine as it is absorbed / cooked but definately for the cheese. Other than that, looks good.
To the low heat discussion - simmering means excatly that. If you put it on med-high you will never have a good risotto.
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The discussion here is wayyyyy over my head TT
BTW for the roasted squash, how long do you roast them and at what temperature?
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Mushroom risotto is one of my favorite things ever, served with steak or something.
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I would really be interested in a blog about culinary school and how demanding it is, what you learn, how much is theory and how much practice, etc. It all seems really interesting to me. Awesome guide!
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16950 Posts
On September 29 2011 18:06 kikimama wrote:
shallots are actually more related to the garlic family
That's false, shallots are botanically cultivars of common onions. Onions and garlic are in the same genus, but onions and shallots are the same species, Allium cepa.
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FuDDx
United States5007 Posts
Ill second Nokarot and say I love mushroom risotto preferably wild mushroom risotto with truffle oil and sweet potatoes!!
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Boxed parmesan....boxed wine....cooking school....???
Vegans can't eat parmesan, or they shouldn't anyway because vegans don't eat or use animal by-products.
also lol @ simmer discussion.
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FuDDx
United States5007 Posts
Boxed stuff is all the rage ya know?
Maybe him being a young lad (living on own/ with roomies?) going to school he may not have the time to spend making stock,grate parm etc. Maybe also a good import food store or similar is not close. That is going to be my assumption !!
Having said that In my area the local community college/and the Cordon Blu accredited school turns out complete rubbish cooks here in my area. Its usually better/ learn more when you start in a good restaurant and work up IMO. Though usually you have to do some sort of internship stuff for school anyway. Acks post just got my posting juices flowing a bit.
Edit haha In booth post I meant to say Looks tasty!!!
Edit 2 : @ simmer discussion I think there is a bit of disconnect from Culinary school/clinical cooking and real world applications of that stuff. Class you can usually "relax" "take your time". Real world your having to keep up with the rest of the line while making sure your food is hitting the table when it should and how it should. There is going to be shortcuts and things never taught in a school going on. and stuff happens.
Would love to be able to work somewhere where all we had was 10 covers all night but you worked that food like it was 350-400 that would be sweet!
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EPT
