Food Rule #8: Stay In Control

“What is the yellow stuff under the fish?” the patron asked.

“An asparagus and saffron risotto or what I call high class mac n’ cheese if you like,” I replied.

“It’s really good, thanks for doing this for us,” said Lena the waiter, aka the patron, aka my employee.

I’m glad she enjoyed it. This is my chicken shit for the soul ya might say. In my current world of the hamburger stand (aka the restaurant that employees me), there are times when I like to teach, as I have mentioned previously, and this one came about because of a challenge to me from my boss.

As Bob handed me the saffron and black truffle oil he said, “I have had other managers cook for me, why don’t you cook with this?” Since Bob “the big dego” and I talk about Italian food a lot, I had become hungry for some risotto. I love it because, like its brother starch in the Italian pasta arsenal, it becomes something so satisfying for so little money. Just a little bit of time and knowledge on the cook's part pays great dividends. Like soup, risotto is a great barometer of a chef’s attention to detail.

The cooking process lends itself to sexual innuendo and puns as well. In a past kitchen it was said that if you made a glue-like risotto, you must have stirred it with your dick. I think this came from the lesbian cook who was of the opinion that a guy’s dick never stays in long enough to satisfy a woman, so why mess with it. I concurred saying something like, “whether it’s real, a strap-on, or powered by Duracell, it is always a complex relationship with whoever owns the dick.” She then turned to me and said something about vibrators and the Energizer bunny, at which point I turned, raised my hands, and cried uncle. She is still a great cook practicing her craft to this day. Onward.

When you take the foofery out of making this classic dish from the Poe valley of Italy, you can make the whole experience much more enjoyable. The first time I saw it made with passion was in a video of Lidia Bastianich making a wild mushroom risotto -- high quality rice correctly toasted, lovingly stirred with hot stock, great fresh wild mushrooms, and plenty of parmesan (or it might have been Grana Padano) and served immediately. These are the basic steps which are followed in making a saffron asparagus risotto. I found it ideal to have me cook the risotto and my friend cook the halibut, but if you want to be chef stud muffin then do both. So let’s do it.

1. Put your first sauce pot on with 1 gallon of water brought to a simmer with 1 large bay leaf and eight smashed cloves of garlic and 1 T kosher salt. (you will add more salt as you go, so don’t worry.) Have an 8 ounce ladle handy.
2. In a second pan, bring 2 quarts of water and 1 T salt to a simmer so when you are ready to blanch the asparagus you are set up. Cut the asparagus into one inch pieces. Have a sieve or slotted spoon ready. You could also pop the cut asparagus in the microwave for 30 seconds to cook if you want. (I tend to do this at home.)
3. Have a sauté pan ready to sear the halibut, and preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Keep the skin on the halibut filet because it will keep it moist when you finish it in the oven and will aid in removal should the filet stick when it comes out of the oven.
4. Place a small pan on low heat. Place a cup of half and half, a stick of butter, 1 t salt, and a pinch of saffron (about 15 threads) and give it time to steep (do not boil, you will kill the saffron!). When the stock starts to bubble proceed with step two. In the meantime, choose some music and a glass of wine.
5. Put ¼ cup of olive oil in a second pan over medium heat. Add two cups of Cannaroli rice if you can find it, or Arborio. Stir evenly and constantly with a slow rhythm like Charlie Watts (slave on the tattoo you disc comes to mind) until you can start to smell the toastinessl it should be about five minutes. Put your sauté pan for the halibut on medium high heat with 4 T olive oil or rice bran oil.
6. Add the stock one ladle at a time and add another when the previous one is absorbed by the rice. After 'bout 8 ladles, pull it off the heat and give it six or seven turns with the pepper grinder. This is when you season the halibut in the pan skin side up. Sear for four minutes.
7. Put the risotto back on the heat and continue through ladle 14. Stir the saffron occasionally to aid the steeping. By now it should be bright yellow. The rice should have released much of the starch and the mix should seam pretty “creamy” at this point, but the rice should still have a strong bite to it. Take half of the rice out of the pan and place in the baking pan to cool -- this is for a later meal (i.e.: risotto cakes or another risotto).
8. Now add your saffron mix, asparagus, and stir in until the cream is absorbed. Check doneness; the rice should have just a bit of bite left (not mushy). Check for salt and see if it needs more and season to your taste.
9. Serve in a bowl plate if you have it with some chopped parsley, place the halibut on top and drizzle fish LIGHTLY with truffle oil (I mean drops). Turn off all of your burners and sit down and eat! I did one with a sprinkling of Reggiano and I liked that too.

I didn’t use chicken stock because I didn’t want the flavor in the dish. I just wanted the flavor and aromatics of the garlic and bay leaf. As you see this is a great dish to talk about building flavors. You just managed three or four pans and I hope the house didn’t burn down. One other important lesson to learn in cookery is to know when you can pause.

There are times when preparing a great meal can feel like you’re on a runaway freight train. I try not to forget that the meal your about to share is about sharing the table, time, and company. In this risotto situation when you get to step six you can take a break. If one was to be interrupted by a loving soul who so loved the smells you are creating and you decided you wanted to feast on that person, then feast after step six. If you're already satisfied before you sit down to the table, then what the hell are you waiting for?