Perfect Risotto
Risotto is a great base for adding your favorite vegetables. It’s also one of those dishes that transports you to another country (Italy, anyone?) and gives you that feeling of a really accomplished cook! It’s relatively easy once with a few simple steps, and over time you will be able to tweak to your liking.
Risotto is a great weeknight or weekend meal and also a perfect dish to impress guests. If you don’t have these vegetables on hand, substitute what you do (delicate flavors work best), or omit the vegetables altogether for a basic risotto side dish. Although risotto should be served right after preparation, this will hold in the fridge as leftovers and – in my opinion – reheats just fine into a delicious rice meal.
A FEW KEY POINTS …
Use small pot to heat your chicken (or other) stock and keep it at a warm temperature. You will later add this warmed broth to the risotto; this warming prevents the temperature of the risotto from dropping and creates better consistency in your finished product.
It’s important to use a heavy bottom pot, or Le Creuset Dutch Oven (I used a 5.5 Qt round) – the key is to allow sufficient surface area for the rice to crisp up in the beginning.
Once you add your rice and turn the burner to medium or medium-high, you’ll stir the rice periodically with wooden spoon. This step is key to creating a nice consistency. (Why the wooden spoon? I have no clue except that Italian Grandmothers for years have been using them, so we do too!)
Lastly, consistency is key with risotto. You want a mixture that is neither too stiff or too runny but is just right! (Don’t worry, it will taste good regardless, as long as the rice is cooked.) The grains should be soft with a slight amount of bite – almost like an al dente pasta. This whole process should take about 15-20 minutes, but taste is more important than timing in this case. It should look something like this (but taste, taste taste!):
Perfect Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 T or a few circles of olive oil
- 1 onion diced (yellow or white)
- 4 cloves garlic can reduce or omit if you don’t like garlic
- 1 C dry white wine
- 4 C chicken stock
- 2 C arborio rice for risotto, you must use arborio
- 1 T butter
- 1/2 C parmesan freshly grated plus extra for garnish
- Optional: ½ C each thawed peas and rinsed/drained garbanzo beans; you can also use cooked squash zucchini or other delicate vegetables.
Instructions
- Use a small pot to heat your chicken (or other) stock and keep it at a warm temperature. You will later add this warmed broth to the risotto; this warming prevents the temperature of the risotto from dropping and creates better consistency in your finished product.
- Start with a heavy bottom pot, or Le Creuset Dutch Oven. Preheat on low, then add 2 T or a few circles around of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Add diced onion and cook until translucent or about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic for another minute or so.
- Next, add your rice and turn the burner to medium or medium-high depending on your stovetop; stir rice periodically with wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes or until it becomes crusty at the bottom.
- Add your wine slowly and let bubble and absorb, about 4 minutes. You want the wine to just cover to come close to covering your rice.
- Once wine has absorbed, begin adding your broth, about ½ C or slightly more at a time and turn burner down to medium-low. (I dip a measuring cup into the warmed broth to add to the larger cooking vessel.) **Wait until the broth is about 80% absorbed before adding more - the key here is to avoid letting it fully absorb. Keep the moisture in the rice. While waiting between additions, season with salt and keep tasting.
- You’ll have to taste consistently at this point to gauge the doneness of your rice - you want a mixture that is neither too stiff or too runny. This whole process should take about 15-20 minutes, but taste is more important than timing in this case.
- If adding cooking beans, peas or other cooked vegetables, add into the last or second to last broth additions. I added thawed (from frozen) peas and some rinsed and drained garbanzo beans. This is also a good time to warm your risotto bowls - another fun trick. Just pop your bowls in a microwave for a minute to keep them warm while you finish off your dish.
- Remove finished risotto from heat and stir in 1-2 T butter and ½ C (or more) freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
