foodwineclick

My basic risotto recipe was originally adapted from: “A Passion for Piedmont” by Matt Kramer (of Wine Spectator).  Matt’s Piemonte cookbook is one of my favorite Italian cooking resources. Even though it’s out of print, you can easily pick one up used, well worth it!

It’s never too late to start mastering your risotto skills. Give it a try. No homemade stock? Use store-bought. One you get the hang of it, you’ll have a dish you can cook almost anywhere in almost any kitchen with only a few ingredients. It will become your cooking secret weapon!

Risotto Advice

• Risotto is a simple dish, so one of the keys to success is to use the highest quality ingredients possible.  The stock is key, if you don’t make your own, use the highest quality stock you can find.
• Use Vialone Nano, Carnaroli or Arborio rice, hopefully from the Po Valley (in the Piedmont)
• Ratio: 1 ounce (weight) of raw rice to 1/2 cup of liquid
• Risotto Milanese – as far as I can tell, Milanese risotto simply adds saffron to the risotto. It adds that rich yellow color and a nice subtle flavor

Ingredients (4 servings plus leftovers for Risotto Fritto!)

• 8 oz. Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 32 oz. chicken stock
• 1 pinch of saffron, soaked briefly in 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced finely

at the finish

• 1 cup fresh spring peas
• 1-2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano (use the real thing!) cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Start by bringing the stock up to a simmer, just under boiling.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pot large enough to hold your finished risotto, add the onions and cook until they are translucent, just a few minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 sec. to 1 minute.
4. Add the rice and continue cooking until the rice becomes slightly glossy and translucent.  It will still be white in its center.  This will only take 3-4 minutes.
5. Add the white wine and saffron (in its water) and stir.  Adjust the heat to keep the liquid at a gentle boil. Wait until the liquid is absorbed.
6. After the liquid is absorbed, add a ladle of stock to the rice and stir.  You don’t need to stir constantly.  Some good advice: stir every time you take a sip of wine!
7. Continue to add stock, 1 ladle at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding another ladle.  All the stock will be absorbed in about 20-30 minutes, but you’ll want to judge by tasting the nearly finished rice.
8. Fold in spring peas and parsley, heat through for just a minute or two
9. Add the grated cheese, mix in. Serve!

Note: I purposely choose super simple additions to the risotto, as it takes a fair amount of attention and when the risotto is done you’ll want to serve it immediately. With this dish,  I fired up the gas grill and just briefly grilled the shrimp and asparagus at the tail end of the risotto prep.