This weekend I was lucky enough to receive a big box of wonderful vegetables from my friend and fellow Michelin-starred chef Maca de Castro. She has a fantastic organic garden, but at the bottom of the box she also gave me a large bag of “Bombeta” rice from the S’Albufera in the municipality of Sa Pobla.
As a cook, I’m a little obsessive about finding the best ingredients for my kitchen, I believe that we have a duty to really get to know and understand where those ingredients come from, how they are made and why they are so special. Bombeta rice is a great example of that. Rice production in the S’Albufera is still harvested in a traditional way and it was first planted way back in around 1800. In the 50s and 60s its production was almost abandoned, but happily in recent years “arroz bombeta” has made a welcome comeback and it is now firmly regarded as a culinary gem rooted in the culinary traditions of the Balearics.
It’s a round, short-grain variety renowned for its ability to absorb liquid while maintaining a firm texture and it’s found in some of the Islands most traditional dishes including “Arroz Brut” or a basic “Arroz Seco”. I love the texture of Bombeta rice in creamy rice dishes such as risotto.
For some strange reason, risotto has a reputation for being difficult and time-consuming to make when in fact the reverse is true. Making a good risotto is rather like riding a bicycle: It takes a little bit of practice to begin with, and a certain amount of concentration thereafter, but in essence it’s such a simple dish and always a joy to make. A basic risotto is just rice, stock, and Parmesan cheese. I always start my risotto with finely chopped onion, crushed garlic and fresh thyme sweated off in a little olive oil or butter. But before you attempt this simple, Italian classic, it’s worth understanding just a little science behind the perfect, silky-smooth risotto. Two very basic rules apply when making risotto; it needs continual stirring with a wooden spoon and the liquid or stock should be hot, full flavoured and added slowly to help dissolve the starch.
Basically, your job is to extract as much starch as possible from every, single grain of rice to achieve a delicious, creamy risotto and you need to create a little friction and steam in the saucepan to achieve that. If you add too much liquid at once, the grains are just floating and swimming around in the stock when they need to be in constant contact and rubbing against each other to release all that wonderful starch hidden in the centre of each grain. Without getting too technical, the most nutritious part of the grain is the seed and its endosperm containing the starch. If you add cold liquid to a risotto the endosperm closes up and the finished dish will never be right as the more starch released, the creamier the final risotto will be.
The flavour combinations for risotto are endless so you can be adventurous and add all the ingredients you like. Try anything from pumpkin, beetroot to saffron, wild mushrooms and asparagus. One of my new favourites is pollen & capers.
Risotto’s are also very sensitive to timing, and have to be served immediately to display their rich, creamy texture that a good home made risotto will exude.
“Arroz cremoso” with pollen and capers
Serves: 4
- 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 100g finely grated parmesan
- 300g Bombeta or risotto rice
- 1tbsp mascarpone
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 50g unsalted butter
- 2 shallots chopped finely
- 1 crushed clove of garlic
- 1 tbsp pollen
- 1 tbsp capers
- Seasoning
Method
Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a thick-bottomed pan, heat and add shallots, garlic and thyme. Sweat gently until the shallots start to break down. Add the rice and stir. Add a little hot stock until the rice is just covered; continue to stir until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
Over a medium heat, continue to add the stock gradually and stir until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice has softened. Make sure the risotto is loose and not too thick. Add the butter, mascarpone, grated Parmesan, pollen, capers and season to taste. The risotto should be light and creamy. Serve immediately.
Langoustine asparagus & burrata risotto
Serves 4 to 6
- 20 langoustine tails (peeled)
- 20 asparagus tips, cooked
- *1 burrata cheese, around 400g
- 800ml fish stock
- 100ml white wine
- 250g Bombeta or risotto rice
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 crushed clove of garlic
- 150g grated Parmesan
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50g unsalted butter
- Seasoning
Method
Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a thick-bottomed pan, place over a gentle flame and add the shallots and garlic. Sweat gently until they start to break down. Add the rice, white wine and stir. Add a little hot fish stock until the rice is just covered continue to stir until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
Over a medium heat, continue to add the stock gradually and stir until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice has softened. Add the langoustine tails, grated Parmesan and season to taste. The rice should be light and creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
To serve, warm the asparagus tips in a little olive oil. Divide the rice and asparagus between 4 warm bowls and top with pieces of creamy burrata. Serve immediately.
*Super creamy and utterly delicious, Burrata cheese is one of my favourite ingredients. Burrata takes the mozzarella to another level. It’s a type of mozzarella that’s formed into a pouch and then filled with soft, stringy curd and cream. It’s the perfect foil for the classic Caponata salad. Just drizzle with virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt!