1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Risotto

Today, Jake and I made Risotto with Saffron and Spinach. We started by putting a quart of chicken stock in a pot to heat. While it was warming up, we cut up half an onion and put it in a small saucepan with butter and a quarter teaspoon of of saffron, stirring until the onions turned translucent.

Once the onions were translucent but not brown, we added a cup of carnaroli rice. Then we added a quarter cup of wine, stirring until it evaporated. After, we started putting the stock, which is now at a boil, into the cooking rice a quarter cup at a time, stirring constantly until the liquid was all soaked up by the rice.

Once all of the stock was added, we stirred until it was the consistency of lava. We took the risotto off of the heat, added a little spinach, a half cup of parmigiano-reggiano, and salt and pepper to taste.

Questions

1. The stock is being absorbed by the rice, being trapped in between the starch molecules in the rice. It is the water substance that is causing the softening and gels to form a stickier, moister rice.
2. The liquid surrounding the rice is made of the chicken broth mixing with the starch from the rice which thickens the liquid into the creamy sauce surrounding the rice. The stirring caused starch to mix from the rice into the liquid.
3. If you were to make this with high amylose, long-grain rice, the risotto probably would have had a stronger gel and have a thicker sauce. There is a better gel when there is more amylose present. It would be more similar to the risotto of the carnaroli than that of the arborio in the creamy, soft texture.
4. The spinach adds a lot of iron to the dish as well as dietary fiber, folate, vitamin K and C, and trans-carotene. It also contains other vitamins and minerals that are not as present in the dish if the spinach were to have been left out.