COMBINING STYLES AND BAKING RISOTTO

A typical meal in Italian meals is still served in courses, as opposed to the good ole American everything-on-the-table-at-once style. When we have picnics or serve a typical American meal we serve it American style, and for the most part our Italian guests go with the flow. The American style can create problems when you’re trying to get multiple dishes on the table, all hot and ready to eat. I really like the fact that in Italy, most vegetables don’t go on the table piping hot, meaning that I can prepare them in advance and serve them warm or even at room temperature.

Serving a pasta dish is challenging for any cook, and in Italy there’s a saying…’Pasta waits for no man”, meaning that when your plate of pasta arrives at the table, you start eating. No being polite, waiting for everyone to be served…..pasta really doesn’t wait…and it does cool off quickly. When I cook for guests I usually prefer to make a pasta dish that’s baked in the oven so that I’m not chained to the stove while everyone else is nibbling on the antipasti and chatting. Of course I do break this rule from time to time, but in general I like to be able to sit during a dinner party as much as possible, with only short breaks from the table.

Because of my preference to be more of a guest and less of a cook/server, I’ve never prepared risotto for company. To be honest I don’t make it all that often even for us…all that standing and stirring, and adding and stirring, and stirring and stirring……just way too time-consuming for me. And then the other night, watching the same DELIA SMITH show I mentioned previously, she made a mushroom risotto……IN THE OVEN!!!!! Woohoo! I couldn’t wait to try the technique!

After taking a look around on Delia’s WEBSITE (where some recipes are free and others require a paid subscription), I also found a recipe for Risotto Carbonara, and since I didn’t have any fresh mushrooms on hand, I decided to test the oven-baking technique with this recipe.

I don’t know much about Delia Smith, and have only seen her shows a few times, but I like her very relaxed, informative and chatty style on television, but I do NOT like the way the recipes are listed on her website. I want a recipe to be VERY simply written…easy to follow and logical. The recipes on Delia’s site are too chatty for me, so I’ve made quite a few changes to the directions, although the ingredients remain the same. Well, I do have to confess that for the following recipe I used Parmesan instead of Pecorino, regular cream instead of crème fraîche, 2 whole eggs instead of the combination, and I also used half chicken stock, half vegetable stock. Although the flavor of the stock doesn’t come through, I think it’s really important to use stock rather than just water, because it gives the rice extra richness.

The most important thing to remember for both these dishes is to put your baking pan into the oven while it preheats! Once the risotto is hot on the stove-top you don’t want to stop the cooking process by putting it into a cold pan!

Oven-baked Risotto Carbonara Serves 2-3

Ingredients
1 cup (225 ml) carnaroli or arborio rice
4½ oz (125 g) cubetti pancetta or chopped bacon
1 oz (25 g) butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups (725 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
3 oz (75 g) finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus extra for sprinkling
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 heaping tablespoon crème fraîche
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
You will also need a round ovenproof 9” x 2” deep, placed in the oven while it's pre-heating.

In a large, hot frying pan over a medium heat, fry the pancetta for 4-5 minutes, until it's crisp and golden, then remove it to a plate. Next add the butter to the pan, then the onion, turn the heat down to gentle and let the onion soften in the butter for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the stock in a small saucepan. Then return the pancetta or bacon to the frying pan and stir in the rice and move it around until all the grains get a good coating of the buttery juices. Add the hot stock to the rice, along with some salt and freshly milled black pepper. Let it all come up to a gentle simmer, then transfer the whole lot to the warmed dish, stir it once and then bake, without covering, on the centre shelf of the oven for 20 minutes.

When the time is up, gently stir in the Pecorino, folding and turning the rice grains over, and bake for 15 minutes more. Meanwhile, whisk the egg, egg yolks and crème fraîche together, then remove the risotto from the oven and gently stir in this mixture, making sure it’s well mixed.

Let the risotto sit for about 2 minutes, by which time the eggs and crème fraîche will have thickened – but no longer, as it will get too thick. Serve on warm plates with some more Pecorino Romano sprinkled over.


Not surprisingly, I forgot to take pictures, but the risotto turned out perfectly…creamy and delicious! I baked it in an oval glazed pot that our friend Jane gave to me before she moved back to the states, and I want to tell her “Thank You!”, because it was the perfect container for this dish.

I definitely plan to try the mushroom risotto, but just in case you want to try it before I do, here’s that recipe, also simplified:

Oven-baked Wild Mushroom Risotto Serves 6 as a starter

Ingredients
½ oz (10g) dried porcini mushrooms
8 oz (225 g) fresh dark-gilled mushrooms
2½ oz (60 g) butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 oz (175 g) Italian carnaroli or arborio rice
5 fl oz (150 ml) dry Madeira
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 oz extra, shaved into flakes
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 300° with a 9” baking pan warming up inside.

Soak the dried mushrooms by placing them in a bowl and pour 10 oz. of boiling water over them. Leave them to soak for about half an hour. Meanwhile, chop the fresh mushrooms into ½ inch chunks – not too small, as they shrink down quite a bit in the cooking.

Next melt the butter in a medium saucepan, add the onion and let it cook over a gentle heat for about 5 minutes, then add the fresh mushrooms, stir well and leave on one side while you deal with the porcini.

When they have had their half-hour soak, place a sieve over a bowl, line the sieve with a double sheet of kitchen paper and strain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Squeeze any excess liquid out of them, then chop them finely and transfer to the pan with the other mushrooms and the onion. Keep the heat low and let the onions and mushrooms sweat gently and release their juices – about 20 minutes.

Now add the rice and stir it around to get a good coating of butter, then add the Madeira, followed by the strained mushroom soaking liquid. Add a level teaspoon of salt and some freshly milled black pepper, bring up to simmering point, then transfer everything from the pan to the baking dish. Stir once, then place it on the center shelf of the oven. Bake UNcovered for exactly 20 minutes.

Gently stir in the grated Parmesan, turning the rice grains over. Bake for 15 minutes more, then remove from the oven and let it sit for just a minute or two. Like soufflés, risottos won't wait, so serve quickly on warmed plates and sprinkle with shavings of Parmesan.