Quarantinechef: truffle butter risotto

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I’ve been alone for sixty days. Might as well get fancy with some TRUFFLE BUTTER.

Truffle risotto and scallops.png

If I were a real recipe site, I would give you eighteen paragraphs about my day, or about how I discovered truffles, or some other bullshit. But I’m not a real recipe site*. So let’s get to it.

*omg I just inadvertently pulled a “I’m not a sellout like those other sellouts” on the SAME DAY that Alison Roman went viral for shitting on other food content creators. Let’s rephrase. I definitely want fame and fortune, and no judgment to anyone who wants the same (or just wants to pay some bills with a fun blog project). I’m just too lazy to write a bunch of content and/or figure out how to get sponsors.

Okay, the recipe.

My truffle butter risotto is a modification of this recipe. The scallops are all Alton Brown, so I’m not going to discuss here - basically, heat up some butter/olive oil and sear for ninety seconds on each side. Listen to Alton, he usually knows what he’s doing.

TRUFFLE BUTTER RISOTTO - INGREDIENTS

  • 1 qt low-sodium chicken broth (use veg if you want this to be vegetarian)

  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 c arborio rice

  • 1/4 c dry white wine

  • 1/4 c grated parmigiano-reggiano

  • 1.5 tbsp white truffle butter (in retrospect I think it needed 2 tbsp)

  • salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Step 1: Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a saucepan and keep warm.

  • Step 2: Meanwhile, dice your onion and mince your garlic.

  • Step 3: Heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s semi-translucent (approx 4min). Add garlic and cook for 1min.

  • Step 4: Add 1 c arborio rice. Cook for 3-4 min, until the rice is a bit toasted and the edges start to turn translucent.

  • Step 5: Add 1/4 c white wine, cook for 2min until it’s mostly evaporated. Drink the rest of the bottle over the course of the evening.

  • Step 6: Add a ladle of warm broth to the rice. Stir while it cooks off.

  • Step 7-14: Keep adding ladles of broth, stirring frequently. Every time the broth is mostly absorbed, add another ladle. This takes approx 20-25min.

  • Step 15: During the last couple of ladles of broth, check texture: it should still be a bit firm, but tender.

  • Step 16: Add salt and pepper (I used approx 1tsp salt). Add 1/4 c parmagiano-reggiano and stir. Add 1.5 tbsp truffle butter and stir to dissolve.

  • Step 17: serve!

PRODUCTION NOTES:

  • I slightly overcooked this tonight - I was too busy right at the end fiddling with the scallops. It still tasted great, but Tom Colicchio would have sent me home without any remorse. [note: for Romancelandia Twitter’s obsession with ‘stern brunch daddies’, I nominate Tom. For those of you who aren’t part of Romancelandia Twitter, move along.]

  • So, if you don’t overcook it, it should look slightly more liquidy than mine.

  • You can find truffle butter at Whole Foods or other fancy grocery stores. It comes in 3-6oz containers. It’s tasty and luscious without being as expensive as actual truffles.

  • Top the rice with more parmesan when you serve it. This would have been prettier for the insta with something green, but it’s Day 60 of Quarantinechef - green is a distant memory.