Arroz crema de setas (a Spanish mushroom risotto)
Posted: 24/11/2024
I've been in New York for just over a day now, and so far I have have incredibly bad with trying to get good value for my money when it comes to food. But nonetheless, one of the better things I have had so far was the arroz crema de setas in the Mercado Little Spain. Although it was pricy for the bowl it was definitely the best risotto (or risotto-like) dish I've had. Well, it puts whatever "risottos" I've been making at home to shame.
This recipe was originally found in Spanish on this page on ABC.es. I translated this by hand with the aid of a dictionary for some unfamiliar words as practice for my Spanish, please excuse any mistakes... I've included the Spanish version as well.
UPDATE: 03/02/2025
I finally made arroz crema de setas for myself. It tastes great, but of course not as good as what I was served at the Mercardo Little Spain, haha. Anyway, I diverged from the ABC.es recipe by ignoring the instructions to add water continuously (like a normal risotto) and to cook until the rice is hardly liquid. The arroz crema de setas I was served at the Mercado Little Spain had more of a soupy, creamy consistency which I very much enjoyed. Also, I actually didn't know how much stock to put in for step 3, so I just poured in four cups of beef stock and hoped for the best. That was enough for the whole skillet, though I did add one cup more of water.
Finally, some good risotto...
UPDATE: 07/05/2025
I have been making this for a few months now, and I think there have been some bits that I've left out. I've provided my version of the recipe, and my original translation below that. Ignore my update for 03/02/2025 - it's better to put the stock in slowly than to throw it all in at once!
The ingredients
- One cup of rice
- 150g of mushrooms
- One onion
- 120ml of white wine
- One cube of meat stock
- 50ml of cream
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Salt to taste
The process (modified from original translation)
- Peel and chop the onions.
- In a pot, add a little olive oil, and blonde the onions by frying them. Wash and cut the mushrooms and add them to the pot.
- Add the rice and cook until translucent.
- Stop frying the pot for a moment. Pour the white wine into the pot, then add the meat stock; only enough to cover the rice.
- Put the heat on again. As the rice entirely absorbs the stock, pour more stock into the pot. Salt to taste.
- Taste the rice each time it has entirely absorbed the stock. When it is al dente, add the cream and the grated parmesan cheese. Remove the pot from the flame slowly.
Garnish by sprinking a little bit of oregano over the plate to your liking.
The process (original translation)
- Peel and chop the onions.
- In a pot, add a little olive oil, and fry the onions until tender. Wash and cut the mushrooms and add them to the pot.
- Stop frying the pot for a moment and then pour the white wine and meat stock into the pot.
- After adding the wine to the pot, also add the rice. Put the heat on again and start adding water to the pot, a little bit at a time, especially as the rice absorbs the water. Salt to taste.
- When the rice has entirely cooked and is hardly liquid, add the cream and the grated parmesan cheese. Remove the pot from the flame slowly.
Garnish by sprinking a little bit of oregano over the plate to your liking.
The original recipe in Spanish
Este plato, está cocinado con una base de Arroces y pertenece a los platos de la cocina Tradicional. Por regla general se consume, principalmente, durante Todo el año, y se suele servir a los comensales como Primer plato.
Hoy vamos a preparar un plato de arroz muy suave y con una textura especial, acompañándolos con champiñones.
Ingredientes
- vaso de arroz 1
- gr. de champiñones 150
- cebolla 1
- ml. de vino blanco 120
- pastilla de caldo de carne 1
- ml. de nata líquida 50
- queso parmesano rallado
- aceite de oliva
- sal al gusto
Así lo cocinamos
- Comenzamos pelando y picando la cebolla.
- En una olla con un poco de aceite de oliva, la vamos pochando hasta que quede tierna. Lavamos y cortamos los champiñones y los añadimos a la olla.
- Dejamos que se hagan un poco. Vertemos entonces el vino blanco y la pastilla de caldo de carne.
- Antes de que se consuma el vino, agregamos el arroz. Rehogamos unos minutos y vamos añadiendo agua, poco a poco, a medida que el arroz lo vaya necesitando. Salamos al gusto.
- Cuando el arroz esté casi listo y sin apenas líquido, vertemos la nata y el queso rallado al gusto. Removemos con el fuego muy lento y ¡listo!
Trucos y Consejos
Espolvorea un poco de orégano o alguna otra especia que te guste.