I have a confession to make. I never cook risotto the right way, which involves infinite stirring and adding the hot, yet not quite boiling, liquid in bit by bit. Yes, I am aware that the Italian people, gourmets, proper chefs and most foodies are rolling their eyes right now in severe disapproval. However, I am lazy and value my own comfort and time more than any food related rules, especially those which I do not fully understand.

If you are okay with the above, keep reading. If, on the other hand, you find me calling the dish below a risotto thoroughly offensive, I really suggest you stop paying attention right now, because it will only get worse from this point on.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 4 generous servings / 1.13 EUR per serving / 4.53 EUR for all)

1 tsp sunflower seed oil (0.01 EUR)

1 onion (0.10 EUR)

2 tbsp butter (0.27 EUR)

500 grams Portobello mushrooms (2.00 EUR)

Good pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Good pinch of freshly ground black pepper (0.02 EUR)

2 cups brown rice (0.80 EUR)

4 cups water (–)

1 cup cooking cream (0.66 EUR)

1 cup shredded mature goat cheese (0.66 EUR)

METHOD:

Peel and finely dice the onion. Clean and thinly slice the mushrooms. Add the onion and oil to a pot on high heat and saute for a few minutes, until slightly translucent. Throw in butter, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Give a good stir and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid. Add in rice and water, give a good stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook covered for about 40 minutes, until the rice is thoroughly cooked through. Stir occasionally and add in a splash more of water, if needed.

Once the rice is done, stir in cooking cream and shredded cheese. If you are not a fan of goat cheese, you can easily swap it for any other hard cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano. Turn off heat, taste and adjust seasonings, then cover and allow it to sit undisturbed for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm. This also reheats great, which can only mean meal prep!

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Moram vam nešto priznati. Nikad ne kuham rižoto na ispravan način – onaj koji uključuje beskonačno miješanje i polagano dodavanje vruće, ali ne baš kipuće, tekućine. Da, da, svjesna sam činjenice da svi Talijani, gurmani, pravi kuhari i fudiji sada kolutaju očima u potpunom neodobravanju. Međutim, ja sam lijena i cijenim svoje vrijeme i ugodu puno više od nekih pravila vezanih uz hranu, a posebice onih koje baš do kraja i ne razumijem.

Ako sa time nemate nekih problema, samo nastavite čitati. S druge strane, ako je moje proglašenje jela u nastavku rižotom za vas u najmanju ruku uvredljivo, bolje da se sada zaustavite jer će stvari nakon uvoda biti samo još gore.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 4 izdašne porcije / 8,50 kn po porciji / 34,01 kn za sve)

1 žlica suncokretovog ulja (0,10 kn)

1 luk (0,75 kn)

2 žlice maslaca (2,00 kn)

500 g šampinjona (15,00 kn)

Dobar prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Dobar prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,15 kn)

2 šalice smeđe riže (6,00 kn)

4 šalice vode (–)

1 šalica vrhnja za kuhanje (5,00 kn)

1 šalica ribanog tvrdog kozjeg sira (5,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Ogulite i fino nasjeckajte luk. Gljive očistite i narežite na tanke listiće. Luk i ulje stavite u lonac na jakoj vatri pa dinstajte par minuta dok luk ne bude staklast. Dodajte maslac, gljive, sol i papar. Dobro promiješajte pa ostavite da gljive puste tekućinu. Sada ubacite rižu i vodu, dobro promiješajte, te kuhajte poklopljeno 40-tak minuta, dok riža ne bude gotova. Povremeno promiješajte, a po potrebi dodajte još malo vode.

Kada je riža kuhana, umiješajte vrhnje za kuhanje i ribani sir. Ako niste fan kozjeg sira, slobodno upotrijebite parmezan, Grana Padano ili neki slični tvrdi sir. Maknite rižoto s vatre, kušajte i prilagodite začine, te poklopite i ostavite da miruje 5-10 minuta. Poslužite toplo. Ovaj rižoto se također i super podgrijava, pa ga možete spremiti unaprijed i imati gotov ručak za užurbani tjedan.