普羅旺斯的天空下 Living in Provence

在到法國定居前, 我還蠻常做義式燉飯的, 因為它是一道簡單但卻能讓吃的人感到愉悅和滿足的菜。

記得我第一次做菠菜燉飯給老公吃時, 他告訴我他不知道什麼是義式燉飯, 更沒嘗過...我當時非常的驚訝; 又有一次, 做了另一種燉飯給我婆婆那邊的家人吃時, 她告訴我她未曾做過義式燉飯...後來老公朋友來家裡吃飯, 我做了這道butternut squash 胡南瓜義式燉飯, 他朋友告訴我, 這是他第一次吃燉飯, 還連吃了2盤!

我其實真的蠻驚訝的...我知道並不是所有的人都和我一樣對食物、做菜有興趣, 但我確實發現了許多的法國人(至少以我的經驗來看)不認識義式燉飯也未曾做過。另一個例子, 前一陣子, 這裡有一個電視節目叫 Master Chef, 其中有2集吧, 是到義大利拍攝的, 有2位還是3位參賽者 (他們已經是從百位參賽者、經過數十次挑戰篩選出的最後幾位)宣稱這是他們第一次做義式燉飯...更讓我不能相信的是, 這裡竟然有一個賣義式燉飯'醬'的廣告!! 當我第一次看到那廣告時, 我跟老公說, 快點找人關了那家工廠! 老公的反應則是對著那廣告說, '那是因為你們未曾嘗過我老婆的義式燉飯'! 我當時真的有種哭笑不得的感覺...事實上, 我常在等待結帳的超市櫃台留意其他人的選購商品, 看到的多半是已加工食品、即食醬汁、冷凍蔬菜等。許多法國的現代人(也許其他地方也是如此), 一方面是不善廚藝, 另一方面是為求快速...在我的眼裡, 看到的是法國的傳統美食文化真的在慢慢流失。食物, 對我來說, 不是只為了填飽肚子; 做菜前想著如何讓吃到的人感到幸福、能洗去一天工作的疲卷, 放入口那一刻的美妙與其待下一餐的驚喜、滿足、幸福感...也許因我是這樣想的, 我對食物和品嚐這事一向都蠻重視的。

至於做義式燉飯, 我猜想可能有多數的人在一聽到義式燉飯的第一想法是, 很費時, 步驟多又復雜吧。但並非如此, 只要事先把所需材料準備好, 燉飯的烹煮過程(見以下步驟）只需約30-40分鐘, 和多數人準備平時餐點的時間差不多, 甚至更短。

我分享的這道燉飯是我們倆的偏愛, 老公把此燉飯視為美饌。

烤butternut squash 胡南瓜可在前一天就準備好
(註:  butternut squash 暫譯胡南瓜, 我比較喜歡胡南瓜, 因它的含水量較一般南瓜低, 有著像奶油般的綿密口感。胡南瓜的皮烤過後也可食用, 但因這次是使用在燉飯裡, 加上切極小塊, 因此會去皮; 另一種我愛的吃法是將胡南瓜帶皮切薄片, 家鼠尾草 sage 烤, 出爐前澆上蜂蜜...我可以一片接一片的把整盤吃完!!)

烤相預熱至 180C

將一胡南瓜butternut squash去皮、去籽、切大塊*, 均勻的抹上橄欖油, 烤30-40分鐘、微金黃。放涼後, 放置冰箱待用。
(*切大塊烤的目的是為了保持胡南瓜烤後依柔軟多汁, 若事先切成小丁狀則容易烤焦、硬化, 在做燉飯的攪拌過程中就不能化為泥狀混於燉飯中。)

義式燉飯 - butternut squash 胡南瓜版所須的其餘材料為:

1顆洋蔥, 切極碎
(1條西芹菜, 切極碎 - 我這次沒使用西芹菜, 因剛好用完了)
1瓣大蒜, 壓碎
1.2公升蔬菜高湯
30-40公克帕馬森起士, 刨碎
20公克無鹽奶油
30ml 料理用白酒
2 片厚的煙薰培根, 切成條狀
3/4 顆烤胡南瓜塊, 切小丁狀
4人份義式燉飯 (arborio米、carnaroli米或vialone米)

1. 將蔬菜高湯煮滾後, 為持小滾狀 (simmer)
2. 請使用一微深的平底鍋, 加入煙薰培根條, 香煎數分鐘, 瀝掉多數的油, 只留下約一小匙用來慢炒洋蔥 (請小火慢炒, 小心別炒焦)

3. 將洋蔥慢炒至透明狀, 加入西芹菜, 繼續炒5分鐘

4. 加入米, 均勻的將米粒裹上鍋裡的油脂, 轉大火

5. 加入料理用白酒, 攪拌 (我使用耐熱攪拌匙, 請避免使用木製攪拌匙, 因它會吸收液體)

6. 待白酒吸收後, 開始加入一匙熱高湯, 攪拌 (義式燉飯的訣竅: 經由約15分鐘的攪拌打出米的黏稠性)

7. 轉中小火
8. "一匙熱高湯, 攪拌" - 每加一匙熱高湯前, 須待上一批的液體已被吸收8.5分滿; 重複一匙熱高湯, 攪拌的動作

9. 10分鐘後, 加入切小丁的烤胡南瓜塊, 繼續 "一匙熱高湯, 攪拌"的動作

10. 5分鐘後, 試吃幾顆米粒
(義式燉飯應為 al dente - 彈牙; 我的經驗是: 1.  查看米粒中心是否尚有一'小部份', 像芝麻般大小, 呈白色 2. 試吃米粒, 是否'微硬'; 若'微硬'即表示已接近完成, 因我後續還有一步驟, 此步驟會使用餘熱將米粒繼續烹煮。請注意: 試吃過程中, 米粒咬在嘴中若帶粉粒, 表示未熟, 請重複"一匙熱高湯, 攪拌"的動作; 基本上米粒烹煮時間應掌握在15-20分鐘, 加入的高湯一定要是小滾狀 simmer。)
11. 熄火, 迅速拌入刨碎帕馬森起士, 丟入奶油, 加蓋

12. 讓燉飯 '休息' 10分鐘
13. 掀開鍋蓋, 將融化的奶油拌入燉飯中, 趁熱享用

(註： 讓燉飯 '休息' 10分鐘的目的是:  米粒在經過約15分鐘的攪拌, 它的米筋可藉由'休息'稍微伸展; 再者, 這'休息'過程對製造出一完美義式燉飯極為重要, 因為米粒也會在此過程吸收湯液, 剛剛的攪拌所打出的澱粉, 藉著'休息'、餘熱和湯液營造出義式燉飯該有的如絲緞般的質地。)

步驟2-12 (去除培根)是基本義式燉飯的底, 只要能掌握其絕竅, 便能為心所欲的使用你喜歡的材料做出帶你個人特色的義式燉飯 (若是製作菌類的義式燉飯, 請加入適量的泡菇水, 此泡菇水也須保持小滾狀 simmer。）

English Version:

Before settling in France,  I used to make risottos every now and then as it is such a simple dish yet so pleasant and comforting to eat with.  I remember the first time making a spinach risotto for my husband, he told me he has never tasted risottos before.  It shocked me!  I then made another risotto for his family, and his mother told me she has never made one before.  And when his friend was over for dinner, he said the same thing to me,  " he has never tasted risottos.'   
I first thought maybe these people are not as interested in food as me, but it is true that some French have never made risottos before (that is according to my personal experience)!  

There is a TV program called Master Chef, and there were two episodes set in Italy and some of those final French candidates were challenged to make a risotto,  I think two of them said it was their first time trying to make risottos!!  Further more,  there is even an commercial advertisement here selling 'risotto sauce!'  I said to my husband that someone should shut down that factory!  I don't even want to think what's in that sauce!  "How is this possible?!"

I often check what people buy for their weekly groceries while waiting to pay for mine; I see a large amount of pre-made / prepared food or sauce and frozen vegetables in their trolleys.  I hate to admit this, but when I first moved here, I had a feeling that less and less French cook today (or maybe not just in France).  To cook does not mean to 'reheat' a bought sauce or pizza in a microwave...well, at least, not to me!  It disappointed me a bit, as I have always thought France is the Capital of food; all the traditional French cooking and etc.  I know not everyone is as interested in cooking and food as me, but still...Food to me, plays an important part of my life.  From selecting ingredients, you get to think of the farmers or producers behind them.  Before preparing a dish, I imagine those ones who are going to taste it, how this dish can warm up their hearts and wash away a day's fatigue.  And the expectation of any next encountering of food.  

About making a risotto - My guess is that apart from not knowing how to make one, one of the reasons may be they all think making risottos is time consuming or it's a complicated dish.  However, it is not like that!  As long as you have all the ingredients, the real risotto making process is merely 30 - 40 minutes, maximum.  The same cooking time as most of people would spend (or even less) for making their routine meals.
 
I am sharing one of our favorite risotto recipe here and my husband consider this as 'gourmandise'!

This can be done 1 day before:

Preheat the oven to 180C

Peel and de-seed 1 butternut squash.  Cut it into chunk size for roasting.  Rub with olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned.  Leave it to cool off and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Other ingredients for this risotto are:
1 onion, finely chopped
(1 celery stalk, finely chopped* - I did not have any celery at home otherwise would usually use it.)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1.2 litre of vegetable stock
30-40 g of grated Parmesan cheese
20g of butter
30 ml of cooking white wine
2 rashers smoked bacon (lardon), cut into strips
3/4 of roasted butternut squash, finely chopped
risotto rice for 4 persons (around 250-280g)

1.  Bring the stock to boil and leave it on a low simmer.
2.  Fry the bacon until lightly browned, discard any excess fat and leave just enough for frying the onion and celery.
3.  Slowly fry the onion until transparent (be careful, not to burn the onion); add the celery and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
4.  Add the rice and make sure it is evenly coated with the oil and turn up the heat.
5.  Add the cooking white wine and keep stirring.
6.  Once the wine liquid has been absorbed, start adding ladle by ladle of hot stock and stir at all time.
7.  Turn the heat down to a low-medium
8.  Add the stock, ladle by ladle (before adding the next ladle, always make sure each batch has been nicely absorbed) and keep stirring.
9.  After 10 minutes of cooking, add the butternut squash and continue with the stock and stirring action.
10.  After another 5 minutes, check if the rice is cooked.
(The result I am after is al dente not a mashy mixture.  So here is what I normally do - 1.  check if there is still a tiny bit (like a size of sesame seed) of white part in the middle of rice  2.  taste the rice to see if it still has a slight bite; stop at this point as when the risotto is resting, it will continue to cook / heat the rice.)
11.  Turn off the heat, stir in the parmesan, and add the butter; quickly put the lid on.
12.  Leave the risotto to rest for 10 minutes.
13.  Stir in the melted butter and serve immediately.

It is important to leave your risotto to rest as it allows the gluten in the rice to relax from the previous 15-20 minutes of stirring and beating, and then take in more juices from the saucepan to become incredibly creamy and silky.

Step 2-12 is the base of a simple risotto (without the bacon / lardon) and with a few times of practices, you will soon be able to adopt this basic risotto with any of your preferred ingredients.