PC Splendido Mushroom Risotto

I'm just going to say it with all seriousness, but I've NEVER had a good packaged risotto. I've tried a couple frozen varieties, a couple shelf stable, and I always come to the same conclusion; they CAN'T be good because of the effort required to make a good risotto. How can anything frozen / packaged actually have that similar broth and stir method that makes risotto so dreamy? 

With that being said, I always spot them at the market and figure I should try them for the sake of adding to a collection of abysmal store-bought risottos lol. I saw this President's Choice variety a few times, but only just recently purchased it. Was I hopeful? Mildly. Was I nervous? Incredibly.

The preparation was simple as expected. Boil, whisk, reduce to simmer, fold in butter and parm (grana). Admittedly, it had a wonderful smell as it simmered away which had me thinking that MAYBE, this was going to be good. After it really started thickening up, I gave it a taste and felt it had the "tea" effect. When something SMELLS yummy, but tastes like absolutely nothing lol. The flavour was muted, so I added some pepper flakes and salt & hoped for the best.

At the end, I was so taken aback at the minimal amount of butter / cheese that was added. These are CRUCIAL components if I do say so myself lol. I basically quadrupled the grana padano and doubled the butter. That's when things really went uphill.

This risotto was SO SAUCY AND CREAMY. I usually make a stiffer risotto when preparing them from scratch, but this was absolutely divine in its texture. Dreamy, rich, creamy, and SO much sauce. Every bite got better than the last, let me tell you. 

BYPASS or BUY?

BUY! - Yes, 100% buy, but also be reminded that you will do some tweaking to get it just right. The product as a whole delivers on creamy, saucy deliciousness, but falls flat on flavour without a little home kitchen assistance. Extra salt, butter & cheese made this especially delicious and if you approach it with that attitude, you'll also appreciate it.

HAPPY VEG