Read Online Cooking Rice with an Italian Accent! by Giuseppe Orsini - Free Book Online

surprise they found that the French suffer less coronary disease than most Europeans, except Southern Italians. It seems that the bacteria and enzymes in cheese render the cholesterol in fresh whole milk harmless. They also said that the daily consumption of red wine may be an additional important factor in preventing heart disease. I think that’s great news for cheese and red-wine lovers. It made me very happy. I was even happier when I had it for dinner.
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 tablespoon butter
    1 small onion, thinly sliced
    1 large clove garlic, crushed
    1½ cups Arborio rice
    Â½ cup dry white wine
    1 quart boiling hot chicken stock
    Salt and pepper to taste
    1 heaping tablespoon mascarpone or cream cheese
    2 heaping tablespoons Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
    1 heaping tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    In a large saucepan, melt butter in oil on gentle heat. Sauté onion and garlic for five minutes. Add rice and stir three minutes. Add wine, adjust heat to moderate, and cook until it evaporates. Add hot stock, cup by cup, constantly stirring, until rice absorbs all the liquid (about eighteen minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add the three cheeses. Mix vigorously. Transfer to serving bowl and bring to table. Eat to your heart’s content.
    RECOMMENDED WINES:
    AMARONE, BAROLO
    Â 
    Risotto al Cumino
    (FRESH CUMIN RISOTTO)
    SERVES 4
    Cumin is a small, grassy plant that produces seeds that are used in making the liqueur kümmel and much used in Latin-American cooking. This risotto absolutely requires fresh cumin, which grows abundantly in spring on the plateau of Asiago. If you can’t get fresh cumin, just skip this recipe. There are no satisfactory substitutes.
    1 medium onion, thinly sliced
    3 tablespoons butter
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    1 cup chopped fresh cumin
    1 cup dry white wine
    1½ cups Arborio rice
    1 quart boiling hot beef stock
    Pinch of salt
    2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese
    Sauté onion in 1½ tablespoons of butter and the oil in a large saucepan on gentle heat for five minutes. Add chopped cumin, stir, and sauté three minutes. Add wine and cook for five minutes. Add rice, stir to coat the grains with fat. Over moderate heat, add hot broth, cup by cup, stirring constantly, until all the broth is totally absorbed by the rice. (This should take eighteen minutes from the first cup of stock to the last.) Add pinch of salt. Add the remaining 1½ tablespoons of butter and grated cheese. Give a last stir and bring immediately to the table.
    RECOMMENDED WINES:
    BARBARESCO, GATTINARA
    Â 
    Risotto con Funghi alla Mia Maniera
    (MUSHROOM RISOTTO MY WAY)
    SERVES 4
    Frank Sinatra made the song “My Way” one of the most successful popular songs in modern musical history. Although it was written by Paul Anka, “My Way” was and is always associated with “Old Blue Eyes.” Whoever invented this recipe, did it “their way.” I am sure you will claim it for yourself.
    1 cup dried porcini mushrooms reconstituted in a cup of warm water for ½ hour. Drain, pour the soaking liquid through a fine wire mesh sieve lined with two layers of paper towels, and reserve the liquid.
    3 tablespoons butter
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    Salt and pepper to taste
    Â½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
    1 small clove garlic, minced
    1 small onion, minced
    1½ cups Arborio rice
    Â½ cup dry white wine
    1 quart boiling hot beef stock
    3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
    Wash the mushrooms under cold running water. Chop mushrooms and sauté in one tablespoon of butter and olive oil in small skillet on moderate heat for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add parsley and garlic. Cook five more minutes. Set aside. In a large saucepan, sauté onion in one tablespoon of butter on gentle heat for five minutes. Add rice and stir for three minutes. Add wine and cook until it evaporates. Add reserved mushroom liquid and cook until it