We were out of Arborio rice (still!), so I just used what we had, which happened to be jasmine rice. This was the simplest “risotto” ever — sauteed garlic and shiitakes, rice, broth made with a porcini cube, and some chopped parsley. I made it to go with a piece of grilled swordfish, topped with a sauce made from octopus broth (which was the best thing to come out of the octopus experiment).
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Have you ever tried giving pasta the risotto treatment? My friend makes it from a Cook’s Illustrated recipes, and it’s delicious. She uses… the little twisty pasta… gemelli!
Kate — I have, and it works great. I use orzo, which is prett unimaginative — it’s just the pasta that looks most like rice.
It really sounds delicious as you describe. I confess that I use orzo for the same reason you do, but I started using basmati rice. It smells divinely inspired and tastes wonderful. I never have tried jasmine rice in risotto, but will be soon. Thanks for the idea1