Sunday, May 29, 2011

Risotto Recipe Makeover

My Mushroom-Gorgonzola Risotto - 40% lighter in calories than Food Network's

The challenge: Make over Giada De Laurentiis' Gorgonzola and Porcini Risotto (as seen on Food Network and The Rockin' Foodie blog) to be 40% lighter in calories.  But still full of rich creaminess and intense flavor.

Voila! A low-calorie mushroom and gorgonzola risotto to die for!

(Why 40% less calories? Because if you're a typical American trying to lose weight but eating a typical American diet, you can aim to eat 40% less calories a day – that brings you from 2000 calories to 1200 calories.)  I lost a pound a week easily by eating 1200 calories a day.

My version only has 231 calories per serving instead of 372.


    HOW I DID IT:

First: lose the grated parmesan. Because The Rockin' Foodie skipped out on the parm without even noticing.  
 "I omitted this because I forgot to buy it and didn't notice any lack of flavor or texture," she writes.
---and that's the first "teaching point" I want to home in on: most of the time, you can get away with using less cheese, less oil, and less butter than most recipes call for. You won't even notice, but your hips, thighs and butt will!

Next, we're going to omit the porcini mushrooms and chicken stock and instead use porcini mushroom bouillon cubes for the stock, imported from Italy under the Star label. (Or use this wonderful Mushroom Base available from Amazon.com.) And, taking another smart cue from Z over there, we're going to use 8 oz. portabella mushrooms instead of expensive (both calorically as well as monetarily!) porcini. Not only that, but we're going to add even more mushrooms.

Next, we're going to use 1/3 of the rice, and fill the other 1/3 of the dish with finely-chopped vegetables. This is the secret to lowering the calories of most dishes. Prioritize fresh vegetables over refined carbs, in this case, the refined risotto rice. You'll see that the dish explodes with flavor and texture, and becomes even more delicious than the original because the vegetables add variety of color and texture, not to mention nutrients missing from the rice.


the Stats:

Giada's version, calories per serving:  372.
This is the Ingredients list from The Food Network's version, with the Calorie Rebel markup

Julie's version: more mushrooms, intense flavor, and 40% lighter in calories.
The Calorie Rebel's ingredients
                            
2 Star brand Porcini Mushroom bouillon cubes
(or 4 cups mushroom stock)
50 calories
One 8-oz. package of sliced mushrooms, such as Baby Bellas
60 calories
3.5 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms
38 calories
1 tablespoon salted butter     + 1 tsp. olive oil                 
150 calories
1 medium onion (about 6 oz.)
73 calories
680 calories
½ cup dry domestic champagne, such as Korbel, or dry white wine, such as Sauvignon blanc
78 calories
Skip the parmesan altogether
0 calories
1 ½ oz. (about 50g) high-quality blue cheese such as St. Agur, or imported Italian gorgonzola
181 calories
One medium zucchini or summer squash (about 4 1/2  oz
20 calories
Two medium carrots or about 4 oz. baby carrots
46 calories
Optional: a few drops of truffle oil (available from specialty stores or Amazon.com)
9 calories
Salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary
0 calories

  
Total Calories: 1385.
Calories per serving (makes 6): 231.


Directions:

Finely chop all the mushrooms and vegetables. 
Reserve a teaspoon of olive oil aside.
Set aside the diced squash. If using, drizzle a few drops of truffle oil over the squash and salt lightly.

In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Dissolve the bouillion. Keep warm over low heat. If just using stock, heat to barely simmering and keep warm.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and carrot and cook until the onions are translucent. Stir in the chopped mushrooms. Salt lightly. 
If anything sticks, use the teaspoon of olive oil you have on reserve.

Add the champagne or wine, and risotto rice and stir quickly to combine.

Keep stirring until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and begin adding the stock, one ladleful at a time. Stir continuously over medium heat, such as a gentle simmer. Not so hot that the rice sticks to the bottom of the pot. 


As the rice absorbs the stock, add a little more. Allow each ladleful to be absorbed until the rice is almost, but not quite tender and the mixture is creamy, about 20 to 30 minutes. Now, add the reserved diced squash. Cook gently for another minute or two until the squash and rice are tender to the bite.

Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Check for salt and pepper, if necessary.  Serve immediately.

Let me know what you think. Add your comment below.

1 comment:

  1. I love it! Well Done Calorie Rebel! I am going to re-post an update on The Rockin' Foodie with a link to your blog!

    ReplyDelete