Sweet Corn Saffron Risotto Food

ROASTED CORN AND SAFFRON RISOTTO

Steps:

• Set the oven to 450F
• Put the corn kernels on a baking sheet and toss with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Roast for 5 to 7 minutes, and then put the pan under the broiler for about 2 minutes, watching carefully, until they get just slightly charred. Set the corn aside. You want about a heaping cup of roasted kernels for the risotto.
• Heat the stock and 2 cups of water to just under a simmer in a small saucepan. Break the reserved corn cob in two, and add it as well. Add the saffron threads, crushing them between your fingers as you add them to the stock. Season the stock with 1/2 tsp of salt.
• Heat the final Tbsp of olive oil and the butter in a heavy bottomed stock pot. Add the onion and the shallot and saute until they are softened and translucent.
• Add the rice and stir to coat, for another minute.
• Add the wine to the pot and stir while it is absorbed, another minute and a half or so.
• Start adding the stock to the rice, a ladle at a time, stirring almost constantly, and letting each addition of stock get fully absorbed before the next addition. The pot should be kept at a gentle simmer at all times.
• After 2 or 3 ladles of stock have been absorbed, add in 1/2 cup of the corn. Keep stirring and adding stock, making sure your pot is simmering and the rice isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan, especially toward the end of the cooking. The whole process is going to take about 30 minutes.
• After about 25 minutes, taste the rice to see if it is tender. You may not use the whole amount of stock. When the rice is tender, add in the rest of the corn, the cheeses, and the fresh thyme. Season with lots of fresh cracked black pepper. Mix everything in well, and then taste again to check the seasonings. Add a little more stock if the risotto seems dry.
• Serve immediately with more Parmesan cheese on the side.

RISOTTO WITH TOMATOES AND CORN

Steps:

• Remove corn kernels from cobs and set aside the kernels. Simmer the cobs in stock for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from stock and discard. Make sure your stock is well seasoned. Bring back to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby or in the pot.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or a wide, heavy saucepan. Add onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and rice and cook, stirring, until grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle, a minute or two. Stir in tomatoes, sugar and salt to taste and cook, stirring, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add wine and stir until it has evaporated and has been absorbed by the rice. Begin adding simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. Stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock and stirring when rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir continually, but stir often and vigorously. After 10 minutes, add corn and continue for another 10 to 15 minutes. When rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy (al dente), in 20 to 25 minutes, it is done. Taste now and adjust seasoning.
• Add another ladleful of stock to rice. Stir in basil (or basil, parsley and chives) and Parmesan and remove from heat. The mix should be creamy (add more stock if it sn't). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

FRESH CORN RISOTTO

Steps:

• Reserve 1/2 the quantity of kernels (about 1 and 1/2 cups), and puree the rest in a blender with some of the stock/broth.
• Strain through a sieve and add this strained liquid to the rest of the stock in a saucepan.
• Taste for seasoning (salt).
• Heat to boiling point when ready to prepare risotto (and have the hot water available, just in case).
• In another pot (the one you will use for risotto), saute the onion and garlic in 2 tbs butter, until onion is translucent.
• Add the rice, and coat well, cooking another minute or so.
• Add reserved corn kernels.
• Add the hot broth to the rice/corn mix, one or two ladles at a time, stirring very frequently.
• Add more broth as it is absorbed by the rice.
• Continue this way for about 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked but"al dente", in a creamy base of"sauce".
• *ORsee optional method of cooking, below.
• If rice isn't done after using all the corn stock, continue to cook using hot water, 1/2 cup at a time.
• When rice is done to taste, add the remaining butter, cheese or cream, and taste again for salt and pepper.
• Serve at once.
• *Optional"cheater's"method of cooking risotto: Add 1/2 the hot stock to rice (and hold back the kernels); stir only occasionally.
• When stock is absorbed, add kernels and rest of stock, stirring enough to avoid rice sticking to bottom.
• Continue as above.
• For vegetarians use vegetable stock.

SWEET CORN RISOTTO

Steps:

• (NOTE: If using canned corn, skip this step.) Husk and wash corn and peel away all the silk, then slice the kernels off the cobs with a sharp knife. You should have about 2 1/2 cups corn kernels.
• Spin about a cup of the kernels in a food processor or blender until they are roughly chopped and milky. Scrape out the chopped corn and remix with the remaining whole kernels.
• In a large soup pot, saute the onion in the olive oil and butter with a pinch of salt until it is translucent and tender.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan heat the vegetable broth and regulate the flame to keep it just below a simmer.
• When onions are soft, add the Arborio rice to the soup pot and stir it gently with a wooden spoon for two minutes. Next add the wine and stir until it is absorbed.
• Add a soup ladle of the heated broth and all the corn kernels to the rice and stir, keep it just at a simmer. Keep stirring until the broth is nearly all absorbed into the rice, then add another ladle.
• Continue with this process for 25 more minutes (TIP: Set timer now)-- adding a little broth at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon fairly frequently, for around 25 minutes or until the rice is al dente. It should form a creamy sauce around grains that are no longer crunchy but still firm.
• When the rice is just achieving this perfect balance of tender-firmness, stir in the last ladle of broth, the Parmesan cheese, and 2 Tbsp of chopped parsley.
• It is ready to serve!

SWEET CORN RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a large french oven, or heavy bottomed pot, over medium-high heat melt 6 tablespoons butter. Add olive oil and garlic, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shallots and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.
• Add corn and arborio rice, stirring constantly, until the edges of the rice are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add wine, stirring constantly, until almost completely absorbed, 2-3 minutes.
• Add 1 cup chicken stock, stirring constantly, until the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring the risotto until the stock is absorbed before adding more. The risotto is done when the rice is tender.
• Stir in the romano cheese, parsley and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately!