Classic Risotto Recipes

THE ONLY BASIC RISOTTO RECIPE YOU'LL EVER NEED

Steps:

• Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan over medium. Reduce heat and keep warm.
• Melt the butter and heat the oil in a large skillet or wide-bottomed pot. Add the rice; stir to coat all the grains, 1 minute.
• Add 1 ladle of broth (½ cup to ¾ cup), stir, and leave it alone until broth is nearly absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. (Run a wooden spoon through it; rice should slowly fill in the channel.)
• Stir, add another ladle of broth, and stir again. Cook undisturbed until the broth is absorbed, 3 minutes. Repeat until about 1 ladle of broth remains, 15 to 18 minutes of total cook time for the rice. Turn off heat.
• Add salt, remaining broth, and cheese. Stir gently for 2 minutes. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, with more grated cheese over top, if desired.

EASY TRADITIONAL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place chicken broth in a heavy saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat.
• Heat the olive oil in another heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until the onion becomes translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes-don't let the vegetables brown.
• Stir in the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until some grains begin to look translucent.
• Add the wine or extra 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cook and stir until liquid is absorbed.
• Add about 1/2 cup of simmering chicken broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly and cooking until the liquid is absorbed.
• Add more broth, about 1 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until it's absorbed and repeating until the rice is done. The whole cooking process should take about 20 to 25 minutes. The rice should be tender but firm in the center (or al dente ). Test it by biting into some grains.
• When the rice is done, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese and butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until melted, then serve.

BASIC RISOTTO

Steps:

• Pick through the rice to remove any stones or foreign matter, but do not wash the rice before cooking.
• Using a large skillet with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil over low heat and saute or "sweat" the onions until translucent, being careful not to allow them to color or brown at all. Add the arborio rice, stir to coat with the olive oil, and saute with the onions to toast each grain of rice, about 7 minutes. This toasting process adds the chewy, al dente quality that attracts so many people to risotto.
• Once the rice is lightly toasted, add the white wine slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon. (A wooden spoon is always preferable when making risotto, as a metal spoon tends to cut or injure the grains of rice. Constant stirring should be avoided for the same reason.)
• Preheat the chicken stock just to the boiling point, then have it ready at stoveside. After the rice has absorbed the white wine and the skillet is nearly dry, add one cup of chicken stock, stirring
• occasionally, and cook over very low heat until the stock is absorbed by the rice. Continue adding the stock, a cupful at a time, until all the stock has been absorbed. (Adding the liquid in stages, instead of all at once, allows the grains of rice to expand more fully, adding to the risotto's creamy texture.) Once the rice has been added to the pan, the entire cooking process will take about 17 to 20 minutes.
• After all of the liquid has been added, and the rice is chewy yet fully cooked, with a creamy texture; add the butter, Parmesan cheese, and the heavy cream. Stir to combine all the ingredients and serve immediately.

CLASSIC RISOTTO

Steps:

• .
• Start by heating 2 teaspoons olive oil in heavy bottomed, medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring until translucent, about 3 minutes. Next, add the rice, stirring to coat in oil until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
• Add the wine and stir until it's almost fully absorbed. Then, add the chicken broth one cup at a time. It's not necaessary to stir constantly, but you shold stir often. Let the rice almost fully absorb the broth before adding another cup.
• Continue cooking until the rice is creamy, cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of the remaining olive oil and a shaving of fresh Parmesan if desired.