FOOD: RICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT

Aug 19 2007 Michael Kilkie

If you've been to Italy on holiday, one thing you will have been guaranteed is fantastic food.

For me Italy has the strongest food culture of all holiday destinations.

Like Spain, eating in Italy is an integral part of life, as much about the company as the food.

When you think of Italian food a few things instantly come to mind, notably pasta and pizza.

When you actually taste the real thing in Italy, it will change your perception of the so-called Italian food we buy here.

I doubt you'll find ham and pineapple on your pizza in many Italian pizzerias. Another prominent dish is risotto which is simple to make and the recipe is easy to build on once you have mastered the basic art.

It's basically rice cooked in small amounts of stock at a time.

The rice absorbs the stock until the grains are plump and the risotto lovely and creamy, created by the starch in the rice and the addition of butter and parmesan at the end of cooking.

Italian cooking varies greatly from region to region and that includes risotto.

Some prefer it drier and thicker, others prefer it looser and wetter. I like it somewhere in the middle - not too thick, not too wet. A basic risotto is made from a handful of ingredients, risotto rice, onion, white wine, stock, butter and parmesan.

These ingredients form the base of almost all risottos.

Making risotto needs your constant attention for about 20 minutes with almost continual stirring required for perfect results.

Another important part of the process is allowing it to rest in the pan for a few minutes.

This is called mantecare.

As with all dishes, use the best quality ingredients you can get your hands on.

For dishes like this, an Italian deli or the speciality section of your local supermarket is often the best bet.

Risotto primavera

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

1 onion

1 clove garlic crushed or finely chopped

400g risotto rice (see below)

1 glass dry white wine

100g butter

1.2 litres veg or chicken stock (see below)

ngreen vegetables such as asparagus, peas, broad beans and sugar snap peas

80g freshly grated parmesan small handful fresh shredded mint (optional)

METHOD: Cook green veg individually. Place in iced water and set aside. Fry onion and garlic in half the butter until softened, about 5 mins. Add rice, turn the heat right up and allow the rice to toast for about 1 min. Add the wine and reduce until it's almost all gone. Simmer and add stock a ladleful at a time. Stir continually until the stock is all absorbed before adding another ladleful. (Have stock on the heat so stock and risotto are at roughly the same temperature ). After 17 or 18 mins check the risotto. You want a little bite in each piece of rice and the texture to be thick and velvety. When almost there add the veg and allow to warm through for a minute then stir in rest of the butter and parmesan and the mint if using. Cover and allow to rest for 2-3 mins. Great on its own or with fish.