Basic Risotto
You can add vegetables or meat to this dish as you see fit. About 2 cups of meat or vegetables should be the right balance.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Pour the stock into a saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once it is heated through, add the oil and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent but not brown.
Add the rice to the Dutch oven and stir constantly until the rice loses its chalky appearance and has just a small white dot in the center of each grain. Add the wine, stirring continually for 2 minutes.
Add the stock to the Dutch oven 1 cup at a time and stir almost continually until the stock has been soaked up by the rice. After you've added 6 cups of stock to the pan, taste it to determine if it is done. Add stock ½ cup at a time until the rice is tender but not pasty. Stir in the cheese and taste before adding salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Always Better at Home
Most restaurants don't make risotto individually as ordered. Generally they will start making the dish, and then set it aside. When an order is placed they'll take the half-cooked risotto and finish cooking it. But this means the texture is never as good as if you make it at home.
