It’s painful and debilitating when it strikes, and it’s a condition that afflicts millions each year. Yes, I’m talking about RSI, or Risotto Strain Injury.
The constant stirring required when making a traditional risotto can wreak havoc on wrists and hands — and with the growing popularity of home-made risotto I’m afraid it will only be a matter of time before emergency rooms all over the country will become clogged-up with RSI victims.
That’s why Ric and I haven’t stood idly by. We know there’s a crisis brewing, so we’ve spent endless hours in the labs at MediterrAsian Central working on a cure for what some say is an incurable condition.
If you’ve tried one of the risotto recipes on our website, you’ll already know that we’ve cracked the code and developed an RSI-free risotto recipe. How is that possible, you ask? Quite simply, our risotto recipe requires no stirring. None whatsoever. (For those of you who have been bed-ridden in the past with RSI, I know you’re breathing a big sigh of relief right now.)
Instead of adding stock bit by bit while stirring, we add all the stock and other ingredients to the pot at the beginning of the cooking process. Then we reduce the heat to low, and put a lid on the pot. This combination of steaming and boiling releases the creamy starch from the arborio rice in much the same way as laboriously stirring.
And while the risotto sits and cooks by itself, you can put your wrist to better use by pouring out a pre-dinner drink.
Here’s the latest variation of our no-stir risotto recipe, and it includes wonderfully healthy (and convenient) canned red salmon, as well as green peas, zucchini, and a hint of dill and lemon.
I hope you and your wrists enjoy this recipe, and I also hope you have a very happy and healthy 2009!
Salmon Risotto with Dill & Lemon
Serves 2
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion - finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
- 1 zucchini (courgette) - sliced into rounds
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup frozen green peas-thawed
- 7 oz (210g) canned Alaskan red salmon - bones and skin removed and broken into chunks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
HEAT 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes. ADD the garlic, lemon zest and zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes. ADD the rice and cook for a minute, stirring to coat the rice grains with oil. POUR in the wine and stock, add the dill, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. COVER with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 18 minutes. ADD the peas and salmon on top and cook, covered, for another 2 minutes. STIR in the reserved tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice and cheese and mix until well combined.
