Steak Risotto Recipe: 4 Tips for Making the Dish
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Oct 3, 2024 • 3 min read
A steak risotto is a creamy risotto dish topped with pieces of marinated seared steak. You can make steak risotto as an easy weeknight dinner.
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What Is Steak Risotto?
Steak risotto is a creamy Italian rice dish with pieces of steak over the top. To make risotto, sautée short-grain rice and then cook it on low heat as you add ladles of broth. This allows the rice to release its starches gradually, yielding a perfectly al dente result in a creamy sauce. Tender cuts of seasoned steak on top of the risotto make it a hearty main dish. Popular cuts of meat for steak risotto include skirt steak, flank steak, and beef tenderloin.
4 Tips for Making Steak Risotto
You can customize steak risotto to your liking. Consider the following tips for making steak risotto:
- 1. Add veggies. Add veggies to the risotto as it’s cooking. For example, to make a mushroom risotto, you can sauté mushrooms with the aromatics before adding them to rice.
- 2. Choose the right cuts of meat. For a great-tasting steak, look for the following tender cuts of meat: beef tenderloin, porterhouse steak, T-bone steak, ribeye steak, New York strip steak, flank steak, flat iron steak, skirt steak, sirloin steak, tri-tip, or filet mignon.
- 3. Make a pan sauce. Sear the steak, make a pan sauce by sautéing herbs and aromatics, then deglaze the pan with beef stock or wine. Reduce the stock until it’s thick, and add a knob of butter to make it silky. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the pan sauce on top of your steak risotto.
- 4. Use a marinade. You can season your steak with salt and pepper, or experiment with marinades to add different flavors to your risotto. Mix up a steak marinade consisting of a balance of fat (like oil), acid (like vinegar), and seasonings (like spices, herbs, and condiments).
Skirt Steak Risotto Recipe
makes
prep time
10 mintotal time
55 mincook time
45 minIngredients
- 1
Prepare your steak. Pat the steak dry with paper towels, and season it generously with salt and pepper. Let rest at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
- 2
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring broth to a low boil, then reduce heat to low, keeping the broth just below a simmer. You want the broth to be about the same temperature as the rice while it’s cooking.
- 3
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium-low, then add the shallots and cook until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes.
- 4
Add the garlic and stir continuously until fragrant, about 30–60 seconds.
- 5
Add rice to the shallot-garlic mixture, season with salt, and stir to combine. Continue stirring until rice becomes well coated and translucent, 2–5 minutes.
- 6
Add about ½ cup warm broth and a splash of wine to the rice mixture. Stir often, until the rice has fully absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth in ½-cup increments, following each addition with a splash of wine and allowing the rice to absorb liquid between additions, until rice is al dente, about 25–35 minutes. (You may not need all of the liquid.)
- 7
As the rice is cooking, sear your steak. Rub the steak with a light coat of oil and preheat a cast-iron or steel pan over medium-high heat. Cook the steak until a deep brown crust forms, about 2–3 minutes per side (depending on your desired doneness). Let the steak rest for 10 minutes and slice into thin strips against the grain on a cutting board.
- 8
Remove the risotto pan from heat and add ½ cup cheese and pepper, stirring to combine. Cover and allow to rest 5 minutes.
- 9
Serve the risotto with additional cheese and top with sliced skirt steak. Garnish with chives.
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