In the basement, mixing up the medicine

[venta]

I am currently the proud owner of a slow cooker, a Christmas present from my parents. As is the way of these things, every ingredient currently looks to me like something that would benefit from eight hours on a very low heat. One of the exciting uses to which the slow cooker has been put is making stock from the carcass of Sunday's roast chicken.

Armed with yummy chicken stock, some left over chicken, and an accidental excess of arborio rice, I leapt to the logical conclusion and we made risotto (not, you'll be pleased to hear, in the slow cooker).

It came out... ok. But no more than ok. It was suspiciously bland, and clearly needed something.

The trouble is, I'm not sure quite what the risotto needed.

It contained the following, in approximately this order:

Butter, finely chopped garlic, black pepper, arborio rice, white wine, chicken stock, cooked chicken, mushrooms, cream. It had grated cheese on the top (it was Cotherstone cheese, which I'm aware is not a traditional choice, but is what was in the fridge. I don't usually stir in cream, either, but there was some that needed using up).

Now, normally when I make risotto it's entirely vegetarian, and has everything in it. However, having made a rather nice butternut squash risotto a few weeks back (following a recipe, would you believe) I realised that maybe risottos (risotti?) can work in a more minimalist style. The recipe above doesn't even have onions in, and I was barely aware that you could cook a meal without onions.

Risotti I have cooked in the past have always featured onions (or leeks at a bare minimum) and I do actually wonder if that was what this one needed. The rice was nicely cooked, the texture was good, all the omens were propitious... but the taste was bland in the extreme.

I really thought that combination of ingredients ought to work. I was hoping for "delicate". Can any of you competent cooking types spot the obvious flaw in the plan?

Comments

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

Onions don't add that much flavour, but i always thought it was a sneaksy 1 of your 5 a day. Garlic has a lot of the onion taste anyway.

I'd cook with a teaspoon personaly....Dip it in and taste stuff along the way, that way you can taylor things to your taste.

Salt while a tad bad and i rarely add it, is a flavour enhancer and in a small amount can help. It would be rare for me to add salt to a cooked meal. Ocasionaly a small ammount on chips.

I guess it also depends on what sort of taste your looking for, with cream, white wine (depending on type....i guess it was light and fresh and lost) and butter it should be a rich sauce, but not that flavourful maybe ?

[venta.livejournal.com]

I find tasting a bit difficult with risotto. There's no "sauce" as such to taste, and the only way you can assess the taste is a spoonful of rice. Except that'll taste weird, because it's not cooked yet (if it is, you've finished!)

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

You can usualy press it down and get the juices....You should be topping up the liquid periodicaly, so after doing that and stiring a bit would be an ideal time. Although you also have to imagine it more concentrated !