ASMR aka A Saké Miso Risotto

Risotto is one of my favourite little sassy things to make and eat. Like a snuggie, this dish has comfort written all over it. It’s versatile when pairing with veg and meat things, and leftovers are brilliant to have in the morning with a fried egg. It’s also one of those dishes that takes a bit of care, some patience and a bit of time. This specific recipe calls for a stock made from bones, mushrooms and miso but you can basically use any sort of soup stock.

Serves: 4-6

Cooks: 1-2 hrs

INGREDIENTS: Risotto

• ½ cup of arborio rice per person

• 1- 2 shallots diced

• Few glugs of saké or whatever wine you want

• 4 tbsp of butter

• Few glugs of olive oil

• 100 grams of Pecorino Romano cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano

• 8 cups of stock (recipe below but if short on time, instant stock works too)

• Salt and pepper

INGREDIENTS: Soup Stock

• 2 bay leaves

• Pinch of whole peppercorns

• 3 garlic cloves

• A handful of dried mushrooms (I used morels, but chanterelles etc work too)

• 3 tbsp of miso paste (this adds depth and creaminess to the dish)

• 3-4 beef bones or a handful of chicken bones (necks and feet are best but use what you can find)

STOCK INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill your largest pot with water.

2. Add bay leaf, peppercorns, dried morel mushrooms, garlic and bring to a boil.

3. Drop-in beef bones/chicken bones and bring back to a boil.

4. Drop down to a simmer for as long as you can - at least an hour, so all that goodness out of the bones breaks down into the stock.

5. Add miso.

6. Keep at a rolling simmer while risotto is cooking.

RISOTTO INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot or pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter and a glug of olive oil on medium heat.

2. Chuck the shallots in and fry until translucent.

3. Add the rice, stir into the shallots and toast the rice until the edges of each rice kernel are translucent (about 2 min).

4. Deglaze with the saké.

5. Once the saké has boiled off, add a ladle of stock slowly to the rice. Stir the rice a couple of times with a wooden spoon so the stock is spread out evenly.

6. Bring down the heat and keep the risotto pot at medium to low heat.

7. Once it looks like the stock has been absorbed, repeat the process and add another ladle of stock. Basically what you are trying to do is slowly cook the rice with just enough stock. You never want your rice to be submerged in stock and you also don’t want to stir too much as this makes the risotto mushy. It’s a fine balance between preventing the rice from sticking to the bottom when you stir and also trying not to crush those tiny baby rice kernels.

8. Once your rice hits that al dente stage where it’s a bit undercooked but almost ready, turn off the heat. Add a couple of tbsp of butter, the grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Stir this in and leave the pot to settle with its lid on for a few minutes.

9. Serve with fresh cracked pepper and salt, a dash of lemon juice to brighten it up and more grated cheese. Or if you want to add some colour chuck some diced parsley on there too for an extra leafy cruncheroo.