Recipe: Bone Marrow Risotto
This week we made an amazing variety of risotto. We documented the steps and took lots of pictures so that you can enjoy it as well!
BONE MARROW RISOTTO
Today we are making Bone Marrow Risotto, which is the most intense and decadent variation of Risotto that we have ever tasted.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Authentic Italian Arborio Rice (Acquerello or similar quality) approximately 2 cups
Water
2 or 3 tablespoons of Rendered Bone Marrow (see our recommendation below)
1 cup of dry white wine
Beef Marrow Bones 4 pounds approximate
Carrots 3 or 4
Celery Stalks 3 or 4 or optional Leeks or Fennel Bulb/Stalks
Large Onion 1 for stock
2 or 3 Bay Leaves
Shallots
Garlic
Parma Reggiano grated (about 2/3 cup)
One or Two tablespoons of unsalted butter
Flat Leaf Parsley chopped ½ cup (for garnish)
Optional: 12-20 threads of quality saffron
Optional: one handful of Asparagus Tips
Optional: ¼ teaspoon White Truffle Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Utensils and Bowls: one large pot for stirring the rice and one medium pot for the stock. One soup ladle and one large wooden spoon. Flat bowls (or deep plates) for serving. Risotto is typically enjoyed with a FORK from the outside edge of the bowl inwards, but who really cares?! The main thing to remember is that Risotto is meant to be enjoyed immediately, which is probably why it is never as good in any restaurant!
Here is what good quality Arborio Rice should look like. Notice the cloudy white center of the grains which indicates a high starch content. The starch releases into the recipe during the cooking process, which makes for better consistency and “sauce.”
One of the most important secrets of creating a great risotto is to prepare a world class stock! Here is how we prepared the bone marrow and the beef stock, using the same bones and adding some key ingredients..
Roast the bone marrow bones in a pan. Today we did this on the barbeque grill by closing the lid and cooking on medium-high heat for about 45 minutes. This can also be done in a conventional oven by placing the ingredients in a roasting pan and baking at medium high heat (400 degrees Fahrenheit) again for about 45 minutes or one hour depending on the thickness of the bones. The important thing during this stage is to collect and preserve the melting bone marrow which we will use later for the Risotto.
Roast on medium high heat until the bones and vegetables begin to brown. Time depends on temperature and proximity to heat. Do not burn!
Save the melted marrow and scoop out the remaining marrow from the center of the bones and set aside (covered in the refrigerator). Also set aside the roasted vegetables which will be used in the stock.
Carefully roast the (now hollow) marrow bones, stirring occasionally until evenly browned. We did this on the barbeque grill, but can also be done in the oven. On the grill, this browning only took an additional 20 minutes on high heat. Again, be careful not to burn them!
Place the roasted bones and roasted vegetables in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil (uncovered) and then reduce to simmer. Add one large onion (quartered) and ½ head of garlic (chopped) and Bay Leaves and simmer on low heat for at least 6 hours, skimming occasionally and adding water as needed.
One hour before finishing the stock, you can add a few more fresh vegetables in order to “add some sunshine” to your stock!
Finished stock will look something like this…
Allow the stock to cool and then strain the stock into a large bowl and use a fat separator (such as OXO Good Grips Fat Separator) or place in the refrigerator for an hour to remove the fat.
Finished and strained beef stock! Remove or skim off the fat on the surface.
Refrigerated bone marrow, ready for the cooking process!
Prepare to cook the risotto! Heat the beef stock in a separate pot to a simmer. chop 3 cloves of garlic into rice sized chunks. Separately chop one large shallot. Grate the Parma Reggiano and chop the parsley. Open the white wine and have it ready because the wine is the first liquid that we add to the risotto.
Have all ingredients and utensils and serving bowls ready. We use a soup ladle for the stock and a large wooden spoon for stirring the rice. After you start, everything that you add is “all about the timing.” For instance, you can add saffron near the beginning (about 5 minutes into the process) and near the very end, you can add the Parmigiano Reggiano, some butter and Optional Asparagus tips.
Remember that you will be stirring continuously in order to make the perfect risotto… and don’t forget to pour some wine for the chef! :)
Heat a separate pot (preferably non-stick but it doesn’t matter as long as you are a good stirrer) and coat the bottom of the pot with about 2 or 3 tablespoons of Rendered Bone Marrow.
Add the shallots, stirring and heating without burning, and then add the Arborio Rice. Stir briskly until you hear the husks of the rice begin to “pop.” They will sound like miniature pieces of popcorn. Add the garlic now (we don’t add the garlic too early because burned garlic will make a bitter flavor). Stir once again to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
Here is what the pot looks like before adding the Arborio Rice..
Now add the Dry White Wine and be ready to start adding the hot beef stock (about one cup at a time). Continuously stir and add beef stock, repeating often. The rice should always be barely covered with liquid and will continue to absorb the stock.
This happens about every minute or so depending on your heat and surface area of the pot. Evaporation is your friend, so stir continuously to encourage the evaporation and intensifying flavors of the stock which is now incorporated into the rice and creating its own sauce. Add the optional saffron about 5 minutes into the cooking (stirring) process.
Here is a photo of the ideal ratio of liquid to rice that we continuously maintain.. (we added some chopped parsley stems for color).
After about 20 minutes, add the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano and Optional Asparagus Tips. Add pepper and a small portion of salt (Remember that the Parmigiano Reggiano already has considerable salt content). Continue to stir and use a fork to taste-test for the perfect texture (al dente). The rice should be firm and not mushy. Overdone risotto is similar to overdone pasta, so be careful not to overcook.
When the risotto is finished and ready, immediately serve into individual flat and wide bowls or deep plates and garnish with the Chopped Parsley, a drizzle of optional White Truffle Oil and a pinch of Parmigiano Reggiano. We allow our guests to add salt to their taste, so extra salt can be served on the side. Serve with a fine dry full-bodied red wine and enjoy!
Finished and Plated Bone Marrow Risotto, garnished with Roasted Garlic Cloves, Parsley and thin slices of USDA Prime New York Strip Steak! (pink himalayan salt served on the side) . Serve with your biggest and baddest full-bodied red wine! Incredible!
List of DON’TS!
Don’t buy poor quality rice (you should be able to see plenty of starch content in each grain. This is called “La Perla”)
Don’t burn anything, especially the garlic
Don’t allow the risotto to sit during the cooking process (always stir)
Don’t overcook
Don’t over-salt
Don’t over-think!
Risotto variations are endless with possibilities and a “Drummer’s Dream” because it’s all about the timing! You can combine any stock and any ingredients to make your own recipes and combinations. Some of our favorites are:
FINE HERBS RISOTTO (made with vegetable broth and add the chopped fine herbs right before serving to prevent overcooking of the herbs.)
DRIED PORCINI AND PARMIGIANO REGGIANO RISOTTO (made with chicken or beef broth and soak the dried porcini before the cooking process. Strain and stir the mushroom liquid into the risotto as it is cooking and saute the reconstituted porcini in unsalted butter. Add the porcini and grated parmigiano reggiano right before serving to maintain the firm texture.)
SEAFOOD AND SAFFRON RISOTTO (Made with Fish Stock and seafood of your choice. Again, add the seafood near the end of the cooking process to prevent over-cooking.) If you do not have access to fresh fish for the stock, you can substitute chicken broth, which is what he did on our video. Sovereignty Today Risotto Video
RISOTTO AL BAROLO (made with Nebbiolo wine instead of dry white wine). Use any stock you want (beef stock works really well with this one) and add Nebbiolo wine (inexpensive barolo if you can find it) at the very beginning of the cooking process (about 1 or 2 cups). Finish the cooking process with your stock of choice and finish with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and butter. Garnish with flat leaf parsley. This risotto is a fun variation because the color is deep reddish and the flavor is slightly sour.
RISOTTO GORGONZOLA (made with your choice of stock (not fish stock with this one!). Stir in one half cup of Gorgonzola and ¼ cup of Half and Half near completion. This recipe needs some color, so Asparagus Tips or Broccolini can be also added near the end to prevent over-cooking.
Cheese Variations: We have had good success with Fontina and Pecorino. Pecorino tends to have high levels of sodium.
As with all great Italian cooking, you should select the freshest and best possible authentic ingredients. The most important part of your risotto will be the quality of the stock and the rice itself. We love to make our own stocks whenever possible and rarely if ever purchase store-bought stocks. All of our stocks are similar to the following recipes we have found online for you. We recommend each of these recipes.
Thank you and enjoy! MM and Pp
Fish Stock Recipe - How to Make Fish Stock
Seafood Stock Recipe - How to Make Seafood Broth at Home
Beef Stock Recipe, How to Make Beef Stock | SimplyRecipes.com
How to Make Chicken Stock | SimplyRecipes.com
To see our recent Risotto video on YouTube, click the link below! There, you will be able to see some of the above steps in action.