recipes

Valentine's Day Recipes: Lucio Palazzo's master risotto

"There's something sexy about it, must be all the stirring."

Photo courtesy of Lucio Palazzo risotto on Instagram

Lucio Palazzo and his wife, Sally
Neal Santos

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching and decent Saturday night reservations dropping like flies, we're thinking that in this point of the game cooking a romantic dinner at home is looking for and more appealing. We've got a handful of recipes from the likes of Mike Solomonov, joe Cicala, Brad Spence and Marcie Turney already lined up for you and here's another one to add to your Valentine's Day menu courtesy of chef Lucio Palazzo, who recently left Taqueria Feliz to embark on his own new restaurant endeavor. Palazzo's master risotto is infinitely customizable so you can tweak it to include all of your SO's most beloved ingredients. Here's What he has to sat about this sexy-because-of-the-stirring recipe:

So I'm veering a little out of my niche to give you a recipe for risotto. There's something sexy about it, must be all the stirring. Plus this is a master recipe that works well with just about any inclusion. This is something I make at home whenever I feel the need to really knock a dish out of the park, and it's quick and easy. Plus, I feel like risotto is one of those restaurant dishes that is frequently better at home.

Master Risotto 

For the rice:

• 2 cups Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice.  Arborio can be used, but the result is less creamy.
• 1/4 onion, diced as small as a grain of rice
• 2 stalks celery, peeled, diced as small as a grain of rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)  (also, red wine risottos are very delicious with the right add-ons)
• At least four cups very hot stock (chicken, vegetable, seafood) mixed with water.  You don't want the stock to be too strong, or it will overpower the flavor of the rice and the inclusions.  Keep this on the stove with a ladle.  The stock you will use will match the inclusions (veg with veg, chicken or beef with meat, seafood with seafood.)  Makes sense, right?
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (less or omit if making a seafood situation.)
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• Olive oil as necessary
• Herbs to finish (parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon, whatever!)

For the inclusions:

• Vegetables: Cut some of your vegetable of choice into the tiniest dice possible, no bigger than a grain of rice. Make a simple puree with the scraps and maybe a little more of the veg by blanching until tender, shocking in some ice water, and blending until very smooth. This step is optional, but that's what restaurants do to tint your risotto the color of the featured inclusion.
• Seafood: Clean your seafood of choice, cut into bite size morsels.  For most items, there is no need to precook (lobster, shrimp, fish.)  If using clams or mussels, you may either add them in the shell for a paella like appeal, or steam them and pick them out of the shell.
• Meat: Use common sense. I really love crumbled sausage in risotto Milanese.

In a comfortable sauce pot, slowly sweat the onion and celery with a little salt in a bit of olive oil and a tablespoon or so of butter. In three minutes, they will be translucent. Add your rice, and a bit more fat if the onions and celery appear dry.

In the same pot with the celery and onions gently toast the rice, stirring constantly on medium high heat, until the grains begin to turn translucent around the edges. Be careful not to get any color on the rice.

Turn the heat up to high. Deglaze with the wine, if using. I actually prefer it without wine for most uses. The liquid should boil violently. When the liquid has been absorbed, always stirring, add two ladles of the stock, and keep the rice stirring. It will boil violently again, then get absorbed. You will see the creamy starch begin to release from the rice. Keep stirring, and repeat the liquid addition several times, for about eight minutes. Season with a few grains of salt every other addition of liquid.

After eight minutes, add your inclusion (but not the puree, if using.) Continue adding liquid and stirring, for about another eight minutes. At this point your veg will be cooked, and your rice will have a firm bite, and will be very creamy. Add your cold butter, cheese, herbs, and veg puree (if using.) Cover the pot tightly and let it sit for exactly two minutes (set a timer.)

Remove the lid, and stir like crazy for another thirty seconds. Taste the rice for texture and adjust seasoning. If the rice is a little two tough, stir it for another minute or so. Remember, it will continue to cook on the plate a bit.

Best served on a hot from a 200F oven wide, shallow plate, so that the rice rests in a thin layer, to best show off your hard work.  Garnish as you please and crack some black pepper if you're into that sort of thing. I am.