Recently, I had the privilege to attend an intimate cooking session with David Rocco, (yes, THE celebrity chef David Rocco). He taught us how to cook a simple yet delicious risotto from his cookbook Made in Italy. 


I brought some of the risotto back to the office and it was a big hit so I thought I’d share this Risotto Con Radicchio E Funghi recipe. 


Plus, it doesn't hurt to throw in a few photos of David Rocco here and there...I mean, that smile. 
 
Here’s what you need: 


•    6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
•    1 lb mixed mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped 
•    1 head radicchio, roughly chopped
•    1 cup red wine
•    4 cups vegetable stock, warmed
•    2 shallots or 1 medium white onion, minced
•    2 cups Italian rice
•    1 cup white wine, at room temperature
•    2 tbsp butter
•    ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
•    Salt
•    Pepper 

The How- To: 
 

Step 1: In a frying pan, heat up half the olive oil until it simmers.  Add the mushrooms and cook until the moisture is released and evaporates, about 5 minutes.  When they're done, add the radicchio and cook for a couple of minutes or until it begins to wilt.  Add the red wine and some salt, and cook until the wine evaporates.  Set aside.

Step 2: Turn up the heat to medium-high, add the rice and stir so that all the grains of rice are coated in the olive oil. Cook until the rice becomes translucent. Add your wine and let that get fully absorbed by the rice. At this point you’ll start seeing some of the creaminess coming out of the rice.

Step 3: Now you’re ready to start adding your liquid. So, take a ladle full of the simmering stock or water, and a good pinch of salt, add them to the rice and stir to mix. Let that cook until the rice absorbs the water. Add another ladlefull, stir and then wait until it is absorbed. You want to give it a stir every couple of minutes to encourage the starches out of the rice, and also so that nothing is tempted to stick. You will see the dish start to get creamy. Taste as you go along, and if you need more salt, add some! Continue to add the liquid by the ladleful until the rice is al dente – cooked but slightly chewy – and the entire dish is creamy. This will take about 16-18 minutes. 

Step 4: Add the mushrooms and radicchio and mix thoroughly. Let the risotto finish cooking so the flavors can combine. Remove from heat 

Step 5: When the rice is cooked, take it off the heat, add butter, Parmigiano and freshly ground pepper, and mix well.  

As tasty as risotto is (which is very much), it can be a bummer to clean up afterwards. Rice can get sticky and dishes seriously cramp my style. If you're like me, you'll want to invest in some powerful cleaning supplies that help to lift all the dirt off your dishes so your work is kept to a minimum. Here are a few cleaning products recommended by Mr.Rocco and us to help with your post-risotto dish pile: 


1. Dawn Power Lift Dish Washing Liquid (C$2.49) 
 
2. Cascade All-in-1 ActionPacs 44 Pack (C$10.97)

3. Glad Odour Guard Kitchen Catchers Trash Bags 100 Pack (C$9.97)

4. Mr.Clean Magic Eraser Extra Power 4 Pack (C$6.97)

Do you have any kitchen cleaning tips?