Make “fake Risotto” From Leftover Rice

Last night, when I opened the refrigerator to make dinner, I was faced with two truths: my leftover rice was getting too dry, and my mushrooms had about 24 hours left before they started getting slimy. I had already made a fair amount of fried rice and wanted something creamy. The mushroom risotto sounded right, but the rice was anything but (or so I thought).

The real risotto that Italians make is made with Arborio rice, a short-grain rice with a lot of starch. After frying the rice in the fat and adding a little wine, you slowly add the hot stock to the rice, little by little, so that it mixes with the starch produced by the rice to form a thick, rich, creamy sauce without any cream. . I didn’t do any of this (I didn’t have rice for the risotto). Instead, I made a roux with butter and flour, then added my crooked rice to the roux, and then added heavy cream to create a thick bechamel-like sauce. I seasoned it with salt, pepper and paprika and topped it with some fried mushrooms. Thus, “fake risotto” was born.

It’s not risotto, but it scratches the itch when you can’t make the real thing. It’s warm, comforting, creamy and savory, and a great way to use up the meager portions of dry rice you have lying around in the fridge. To prepare it, you only need rice, butter, flour, milk or cream and perhaps a little broth. Add last night’s roasted vegetables and the meal is ready.

Fake risotto rice recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups leftover rice (don’t worry too much, it’s very forgiving).
• 1 cup milk, half and half, or cream (you probably won’t use the whole cup)
• Additionally: broth of your choice.
• Salt and pepper to taste, plus any other seasonings you like (paprika works best with mushrooms, but onion powder and garlic powder are versatile).

Melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the flour, stirring to form a paste. Continue cooking for about a minute until the raw flour smell disappears and the sauce is a light straw color.

Add the rice and stir to coat with the sauce. Slowly add 1/4 cup milk and stir to thicken, add more milk, a little at a time, stirring between each addition until you have a thick, creamy sauce. If it is too thin, continue cooking. (It won’t be too thin.) Taste it and season with salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you’d like.

If it becomes tough or dry, add some broth. (You can also add more dairy, but I’ll leave that decision to you and your stomach). If you’ve added too much liquid, let it simmer a little longer, but keep in mind that it will thicken even more as it cools. Serve immediately with roasted vegetables of your choice. (I recommend mushrooms.) Finish the dish with fresh herbs or cheese if you have them, but this two-faced dish is quite good on its own.