The creamy Italian rice dish known as risotto is about three things: short-grain rice, good-tasting liquid, and a few seasonings and other ingredients. Few dishes are simpler once you learn them, and few can be varied with some quite freedom. You could also use leftovers more readily, since what often distinguishes one risotto from the next is what you stir in toward the end of cooking. Let’s have a look at how to cook risotto with various recipes.
Simple Risotto
If you don’t have homemade stock at hand, then just simmering a carrot, an onion, some celery stalk, and garlic clove in water for 20 minutes will do. If you must use straight water, up the other flavorings a bit.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- Large pinch saffron threads (optional)
- 11/2 cups Arborio or other short- or medium-grain rice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
- 4 to 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock (to make
- your own, see pages 157–159)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons softened butter or extra virgin olive
- Oil
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Methods:
- Put the 2 tablespoons butter or oil in a big, deep nonstick skillet over average flame. Allow the remaining butter to soften while you cook. When the butter is dissolved or the oil is hot, put in the onion, saffron and cook. Stir them occasionally, until the onion becomes tender (4 to 5 minutes). Now, add the rice and cook. Stir them occasionally, until it is sleek and covered with butter or oil (3 to 4 minutes).
- Add a little salt and pepper, then the white wine. Stir and let the liquid bubble away. Use a scoop to begin putting the stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition. When the stock has just about evaporated, add more. The mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Keep the heat at medium to medium-high, and stir frequently.
- Start tasting the rice 25 minutes after you mix it; you want it to be tender but still with a tiny bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes to reach this stage. When it does, stir in the softened butter or oil and at least 1/2 cup of Parmesan if you’re using it. Taste, regulate the seasoning, and serve right away, passing extra Parmesan at the table if you want.
Risotto alla Milanese. The classic: Use the saffron and add 1/4 cup chopped prosciutto (or bone marrow when you can find it) along with the onion Risotto in Herbs or Pesto. Along with the cheese, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, basil, dill, mint, chervil, oregano, marjoram, or a combination or Traditional Pesto or other herb paste.
Risotto with Lemon. Follow the preceding variation, but when the rice is almost done, add grated zest of a lemon. Stir in the juice of the lemon along with the butter at the very end. Add the
Parmesan and serve as directed.
Risotto with Three Cheeses. Over the top: When you would ordinarily stir in the Parmesan, add equal amounts (1/4 to 1/3 cup each) of grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano, crumbled Gorgonzola or other creamy blue cheese, and shredded or chopped fontina or other semi-soft but not-too-mild cheese. Other cheeses that will do nicely are cubed or shredded mozzarella, shredded mild cheese like Jack or any hard cheese like Grana Padano.
Risotto with Seafood. Omit the porcini and other mushrooms. Use fish, shrimp or lobster stock according to the fish you choose; fish stock if using a combination. Omit the cheese. In Step 4, when the rice is almost done, stir in 1 pound of the following, alone or in combination.
Cleaned or shelled shrimp or squid, shucked mussels, thick firm fish fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks, scallops, shelled lobster pieces or lump crabmeat. In Step 4, when you would stir in the cheese, add a little extra butter or olive oil if you like.
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