It's about at this point in this blog that you may be thinking I'm running out of ideas.....and you'd be right. Vegetarian Paella was good, but it got me thinking 'what is the difference between Paella and Risotto?'. If you're wondering the same, here is a summary:
Rich, what can you tell us about the difference between Risotto and Paella?
Paella is a rice dish from Spain that originated in Valencia. The origins of Paella lie in the fields of Valencia where it was made for the peasants making use of whatever ingredients they could lay their hands upon. Paella can be all seafood in rice, or it can be all meat in rice. Even vegetarians have their own paella. Tomatoes and peas are common ingredients in all paella. Interestingly, the pan in which all the vegetables and meats are thrown along with rice to be cooked is also called paella. The meats and vegetables are not fried but sautéed in oil. Water and rice are added later, and all of them are heated, stirring the ingredients occasionally for some time.
Risotto is a creamy rice dish from Italy. Risotto originated in northern Italy that had an abundance of short grained rice varieties. To make risotto, rice has to be fried along with herbs and spices and onions until the ingredients have all mixed up and covered with a coating. Wine is added and then broth is added every few minutes while continuing to stir the ingredients. Once rice has cooked, it is taken off the heat, and grated cheese is added to it. Sometimes, butter is added to make risotto even creamier.
In a nutshell:
• Paella is of Spanish origin, whereas Risotto is of Italian origin.
• Risotto is creamier than Paella.
• You need to stay close to the cooking pot when making Risotto to prevent sticking to the pot.
• Paella has a bottom coat called soccarat that is allowed to stick to the pot and treasured by people.
• Risotto has a uniform texture from top to bottom, whereas Paella is soft from inside but dry at the top.
• Paella is drier than Risotto that is sticky.
Rich, can you tell us more about the Rice?
A grain of rice consists of a starchy wrapping around a core of protein. Risotto rice releases most of the starch quite readily, which is what gives risotto its creaminess (along with all the butter and parmesan). Each rice grain in risotto is thus relatively soft.
Paella rice holds onto its starch more, so generally is a bit more al dente - the protein core remains firm and the grains themselves remain relatively separate when compared to risotto.
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| Nobody will read this far, so I'm not going to bother writing a caption! |
Rating
Taste - 15/20
Cost - 7/10
Difficulty - 5/10
Prep Time - 5/10
Overall 64%
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