Risoto/orzo
- Thread starter PaulieS
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Len Dennis
TVWBB Diamond Member
Two different products: one is a recipe, the other you eat. What are you trying to do?
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Tom Golden
TVWBB Pro
Risotto is rice; orzo is wheat based pasta as Len says. Both can be wicked good. I especially like lemon orzo with lamb.
Tom Golden
TVWBB Pro
Orzo is like any other pasta - should be cooked el dente. Risotto rice is a bit more like sticky rice than say, long grain. It is best in, well, risotto. 
Here is a an easier version: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-parmesan-risotto-recipe.html but I prefer the more traditional method which means lots more stirring.
Here is a an easier version: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-parmesan-risotto-recipe.html but I prefer the more traditional method which means lots more stirring.
Len Dennis
TVWBB Diamond Member
Not to be smart but you can't have "some of both". Saying risotto is rice is like saying a souffle is an egg.
Risotto is a side dish usually made with arborio (Italian) rice. It can also be made with orzo. The texture will be different . You can use regular rice also but again, it won't be the same as arborio.
Just substitute your orzo for the arborio. You will need to use less stock. Use same amount of wine.
Here is a simple recipe that will help
http://www.realsimple.com/m/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/low-maintenance-risotto
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Tom Golden
TVWBB Pro
Since he was talking about orzo as an ingredient, I made the same assumption as to the risotto being (usually) arborio rice. Orzo IME does not make a good risotto (the dish). It tends to overcook way too easy and take on a cheesy gruel personality. Waste of good cheese. OTOH, pot barley makes an awesome risotto that I actually prefer better than traditional rice-base risotto and easier to make as well.
Tom Golden
TVWBB Pro
I have a nice "easy risotto" recipe but it still needs some care. I think it is worth it. But try barley risotto - it is awesome! And less work.
Paulie, orzo is a pasta made from durum wheat and "risotto," while usually made from rice (preferably a short-grain starchy rice such as Arborio), it can also be a method. You can cook a risotto using barley or another grain using the risotto method. There are variations to the approach but classically, risotto is made by stirring a small amount of pre-measured hot stock into lightly sauteed rice and stirring almost constantly until that amount of stock has been absorbed. Then you add another ladle of stock, stirring until that has been absorbed, etc. until most of the stock is used up. This usually takes in the ballpark of 20 minutes or so. Any remaining stock is used to adjust consistency.
Orzo, as others have said, is a pasta, shaped like rice grains (often called riso or rici). It can be cooked like pasta in abundant water or it can be cooked "risotto-style" by sauteing it in butter until lightly toasted (often with minced onions), then adding just enough stock to cook it to tenderness just as all of the stock has been absorbed. It can be stirred often to loosen the starch on the outside of each kernel, which will result in a small amount of lightly thickened, almost creamy, sauce - not enough to be soupy. Some folks add all the broth at once and others use the classic risotto technique I described. I stir fairly frequently and vigorously, especially near the end of cooking to activate as much starch as I can. At the end of cooking, a little butter and Parmesan cheese is stirred in. Risotto-style orzo is very good. You might Google for "risotto style orzo" or "orzo risotto" for some recipes.
Pam Anderson, in "How To Cook Without a Book," has a very good (and easy) recipe with a bunch of delicious variations that you might enjoy. She does not stir and it is still very good. Maybe your library has this book available.
Rita
Orzo, as others have said, is a pasta, shaped like rice grains (often called riso or rici). It can be cooked like pasta in abundant water or it can be cooked "risotto-style" by sauteing it in butter until lightly toasted (often with minced onions), then adding just enough stock to cook it to tenderness just as all of the stock has been absorbed. It can be stirred often to loosen the starch on the outside of each kernel, which will result in a small amount of lightly thickened, almost creamy, sauce - not enough to be soupy. Some folks add all the broth at once and others use the classic risotto technique I described. I stir fairly frequently and vigorously, especially near the end of cooking to activate as much starch as I can. At the end of cooking, a little butter and Parmesan cheese is stirred in. Risotto-style orzo is very good. You might Google for "risotto style orzo" or "orzo risotto" for some recipes.
Pam Anderson, in "How To Cook Without a Book," has a very good (and easy) recipe with a bunch of delicious variations that you might enjoy. She does not stir and it is still very good. Maybe your library has this book available.
Rita
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Enrico Brandizzi
TVWBB Honor Circle
Have you ever heard of risotto using PRESSURE COOKER?
Never stirring and in few minutes is done. Is not the traditional way (Rita explained well it) but is the 21St century way
Never stirring and in few minutes is done. Is not the traditional way (Rita explained well it) but is the 21St century way
Oh yes, Enrico, pressure cooker risotto can be very good and a great time-saver for weeknight dinners. Check out the 7-minute risotto at Hip Pressure Cooking for a master recipe and variations. She also has a video for risotto on her site.
I've been using Lorna Sass's pressure cooker risotto from her last and best pressure cooking book "Pressure Perfect." Ms. Sass is the person who had a big hand in starting the pressure cooker revolution in the late '80s and early '90s and through to the present. Each of her 4 or 5 other books are great (one is a vegetarian pressure-cooking book), but I like "Pressure Perfect" the best. Almost every recipe has several variations where you can change the meat or other ingredients to make very different recipes. She has a spot-on palate and manages to get excellent flavor without a long list of ingredients.
Rita
I've been using Lorna Sass's pressure cooker risotto from her last and best pressure cooking book "Pressure Perfect." Ms. Sass is the person who had a big hand in starting the pressure cooker revolution in the late '80s and early '90s and through to the present. Each of her 4 or 5 other books are great (one is a vegetarian pressure-cooking book), but I like "Pressure Perfect" the best. Almost every recipe has several variations where you can change the meat or other ingredients to make very different recipes. She has a spot-on palate and manages to get excellent flavor without a long list of ingredients.
Rita
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