Risotto with Ground Meat and Veg
A Chinese flavor spin on Iron Chef Michael Symon's risotto method, first presented on Instagram series #SymonDinners
Equipment
- Dutch oven, or saute pan, or other heavy bottom pot
Ingredients
- 3 cups stock or broth warmed
- 4 oz dry white wine like Sauvignon blanc
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 lb ground meat like ground pork or sausage with casings removed
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cup arborio rice
- frozen vegetables like spinach and/or peas
- ½ cup cilantro chopped, or parsley or other soft herbs
- 1 tsp citrus zest preferably orange
- ½ tsp vinegar Chinkiang (Chinese black) vinegar, rice wine vinegar, lemon juice
Instructions
Browning forms flavor
- Heat a Dutch oven to medium heat and add oil. Brown the ground meat on all sides, and break it up
- Once the meat is browned and starting to caramelize, add the onions and cook for ~2 minutes until the onion starts turning golden.
- Add the arborio rice and toast. Stir the contents of the pot well so that the rice is coated in the rendered fat.
Simmer... save some effort
- Deglaze: pour in the white wine and scrape up the fond. Keep stirring until the rice has fully absorbed the white wine.
- Add 1.5 cups of stock, stirring well. Bring the liquid to a boil, turn the heat down to low, and simmer with the lid on until the stock is fully absorbed (~8 minutes).
Back to the traditional risotto method
- Take the lid off and turn the heat back to medium. Keep adding stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently after each addition until absorbed.
- The risotto is done when the rice is al dente — toothsome but not crunchy — about 20 minutes starting from the first addition of stock. Feel free to add more stock and cook longer if you prefer it softer.
Finish
- Add the frozen vegetables and cook until they are warmed through, stirring to distribute. Finish with 1 tsp of orange zest and 1/2 tsp of black Chinese (Chinkiang) vinegar to cut through the richness. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro.
- Serve alongside Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans
