Risotto is traditionally made with Italian arborio rice, an extra-starchy rice that translates into an extra-creamy bowl of risotto. But lately we've been eying some of the other grains in our cupboard with the idea of giving them a try in risotto. This may not be traditional, but we can only imagine the results will be delicious!
Really, any grain or other ingredient with a good amount of starch could be used in risotto following the exact same cooking method. Grains without as much starch could still be used, and we could whisk in some cornstarch or cream for extra thickness at the end.
• Barley
• Potatoes cut into small cubes
• Brown rice
• Bulgar wheat
• Orzo pasta or any other small pasta
• Israeli cous cous
• Fregola
• Lentils - especially brown lentils that keep their shape during cooking
What other grains or starches do you like to use in place of arborio rice?
Related: Yay or Nay: Do You Have to Stir Risotto?
(Image: Dana Velden)
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Quinoa or Grits.
Moosewood recommends using brown-colored natural pearled barley, and says that to reduce cooking time, you can soak the barley beforehand for 2-12 hours. I haven't tried it, but it sounds like nutritious and delicious!
Farro risotto!
Oh my, that picture looks delicious!
Yep... I make farro too!
Barley risotto is great, though as LizLemonn says, it takes longer...
I've tried both barley and pasta. The barley took ages, I'll definitely soak next time. Pasta turned out great. You don't have to stick just to super-small shapes. I once used conchiglie and it worked fine!
Barley makes great, toothsome risotto. There's a good recipe on 101 Cookbooks that I've made a few times: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001560.html.
Words of caution: eating barley risotto, like eating barley most other times, can cause a gaseous aftermath!
So can this be done with quinoa? Anybody have experience with that? I have a large Costco bag of it and need recipe ideas!
It can be done with quinoa. I believe there's a risotto recipe in this month's Bon Appetit that uses quinoa.
@appetiteforconversation:
Quinoa ideas:
-Quinoa risotto
-Quinoa as a breakfast cereal (there's one posted on 101cookbooks.com, but I like it with a splash of vanilla-flavoured soy or almond milk, maple syrup, cinnamon and fresh berries)
-Quinoa pilaf
-In place of pasta (topped with a ragu or tomato sauce, for instance)
-For stuffing peppers or cabbage rolls (instead of using rice)
-In meatloaf
-In casseroles (such as Heidi Swanson's mushroom casserole on 101cookbooks.com)
-In desserts, such as peanut butter quinoa cookies (the recipe is on the gluten-free goddess website by Karina)
-In veggie burgers or meat burgers
I'm sure there's other ideas.
Oh! And sometimes I make a yogurt parfait-thing using leftover quinoa, Greek yogurt, berries and maple syrup. Makes for a quick breakfast or tasty snack.
that picture looks like summer to me! another benefit to using a starch like orzo or quinoa in place of arborio rice is that you can save the leftovers and reheat them. everyone knows reheated risotto has as much appeal as a bowl of paste.
i made a millet risotto on sunday. it got very creamy with very little effort (and no milk).
Orzotto FTW!! Any time I've made it I haven't noticed a huge difference in cooking time between arborio risotto. I've seen some recipes that don't call for sauteeing the barley before adding the liquid -- I always do and I've not noticed any increased time in front of the stove.
But yes...more flavorful, more...corporeal(?) and just really gorgeous.
I've also done it with baby fusilli and it came out tasting like incredibly luscious mac'n'cheese, even with only a handful of grana padano and a small knob of butter mixed in at the end. verreh nice.
I make barley risotto fairly frequently and add some lemon zest at the end. It is quite good.
I have made this "risotto" made with turnips a couple of times and it is delicious!!
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/03/dinner-tonight-turnip-risotto-recipe.html
Quinoa and barley, all the way.
I often make risotto like recipes with chopped barley. There are 2 different varieties of chopped barley available in Estonia - the fine or regular one is about as coarse as polenta maize, but the coarse South-Estonian version is about a barley corn chopped into about 6 pieces so it's a bit more coarse than millet for example. I usually have the southern variant available. It's ideal for risotto like dishes. It doesn't need soaking & boils in a sensible time and takes about as long as rice or just a bit longer. It's overall a very practical thing to use - as an independent porridge (sticky with milk or non sticky with water) or in risotto like foods or even as part of a vegetable soup.
I've also done risotto like dishes with buckwheat. It gets faster done than chopped barley, so that's a good alternative too.
As of today, a cocktail is a lovely drink that contains at least one type of spirit and at least one type of mixer (fruit juice or soda). More about cocktail at http://cocktails.com
I often make salad and desserts...as I search and browse, I found this...kind a interesting, i would like to try this! Try also visiting my favorite food site, GOURMANDIA and GOURMETRECIPE. They have lots of exciting and interesting recipes for you to choose from. Not only that, they have lots of recipe videos for you to watch.