precooking risotto

[phoebe]

I've always cooked risotto completely once I'd started, but I've never made it for company before. I don't want to stand stirring for 30 minutes while my friends watch if I don't have to. Don't some restaurants precook or partially cook the risotto and then finish it for each order? How far is it precooked? Does this affect the flavour or the consistency? If so, I'll stand or take shifts with my husband.
Also, Marcella H. says to boil asparagus and then add it to the shallot saute at the beginning. With all that liquid being added, couldn't you just chop up the raw asparagus and saute it with the shallots and then let the liquid finish the cooking?

thanks for your help!

[paisan]

Sure you can....in the retaurant, we cant spare the cooking space to spend the 22 or so minutes it takes to cook it out. Cook it about 2/3 of the way,and then spread it out on a sheet pan to cool and reserve until service. Now the asparagus...im assuming this is going into the risotto? The last time I made it, i did the risotto ahead of time, so I blanched the asparagus quickly and then shocked it. When it came time to finish the risotto, i added the asparagus right to the pan along with some recostituted porcini and added the rest of the cooking liquid to finish it off. Hope this helps!

Ciao....paisan

[cape chef]

Phoebe,

Paisons info is spot on.

This is common practice in restaurants to par the rice (for me about 1/2 cooked) then spread on the sheet pan and cooled.

We then keep simmering stock on the stove and finish the risotto to order with stock,some parm and some butter.

[phoebe]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the help. And, if you folks can bear with me, I'll probably be asking more ahead-of-time prep questions in the future.

[davewarne]

Hi,

Thanks for the posting, it's a question I always wanted the answer to.
By coincidence we are doing crisp fried risotto cakes on the menu at the moment. Uses up left over cold risotto. Just add a bit of parmesan and fry in ring in olive oil.
Great.

Dave

[mofo1]

Here's an idea that I like. Have you ever tasted roasted asparagus? A ittle olive oil, some kosher salt, roast in hot oven until crisp-tender and then finish your risotto with that. Yum.

[pollyg]

Yes! Roast asparagus is lovely...
Here's what I was thinking:
It's nice to have some asp cooked in the base because then you get more of it's flavour through the risotto, but you will lose the crispness and bright green of lightly cooked asparagus. ( Plus, long cooked and short cooked asparagus have very different flavours)
So it could be good to make your base with some asp. and also to finish it off with some lightly blanched or roasted asparagus.
That way you get the benefit of both flavours and textures.
Happy cooking...

[paisan]

Yep....you could use the stems to cook throughout the whole process, and add the tips at the end since they make for a nice presentation.

Ciao....paisan

[shroomgirl]

I've seen chefs finish risotto off with cream, to be decadent I use mascarpone....a few years ago I made shrimp creole arincini for a Cajun contest, turn out well. Pretty labor intensive though.