Difficulty: moderate

Prep time: 5 minutes

Active cooking time: ~40 minutes

Intro to risotto:

Risotto is widely known as a very ‘technical’ dish. ‘Technical’ is typically code for ‘if you don’t know what you’re doing you could really screw it up.’ I disagree. The beauty of risotto is that once you make it successfully a few times, you really can make any type of risotto without a recipe. It’s a true test of taste-as-you-go and test-for-doneness skills.

At the root, risotto is a rice dish. Just as cooking pasta in boiling water releases starch into the water, risotto does the same with any liquid it is cooking in. As the rice cooks, it releases starch that thickens the cooking liquid. Stirring the risotto, the starch, and cooking liquid creates the beautiful creamy sauce that risotto is known for.

Because the sauce is made up of the liquid the rice is cooking in, it’s important to use very flavorful liquids so that the rice soaks up that flavor. For that reason, most risottos are typically made with a combination of vegetable or chicken/beef stock and white or red wine.

Start testing for doneness after the initial stock and wine have been added. When fully cooked, the rice should be tender but still have a slight bite. If it is crunchy at all, it’s not cooked yet. If it is mushy, it is overcooked. When most or all of the stock and wine have been added, all the flavor should be in the dish but you can continue cooking the rice by adding water. You can also check for taste at this step and add additional wine or stock if needed. You’ll know when to add additional liquid once you can drag a cooking utensil across the pan and see the bottom.  

Ingredients: (4 servings as a main course, 6 servings as a side dish)

• 1 cup arborio rice

• 1-2 cups red wine

• 1 small onion or half a large onion

• Several springs thyme or parsley (optional)

• Vegetable, chicken, or beef stock, 2-4 cups if using fresh or liquid store-bought, 4 servings if using powdered or concentrated dissolved into water

• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste (optional)

• 1 tbsp cream cheese and/or ¼ cup parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation:

Step 1: Chop the onion into medium cubes. If using powdered or concentrated stock, dissolve in 2 cups of hot water and set aside. Keep hot water on hand if more stock is needed later

Step 2: Sauté the onion over medium heat with olive oil in the pan for a few minutes. Onions should be translucent but not completely soft or browned

Step 3: Add the arborio rice and toast with the onions for 1-2 minutes. Rice should be well coated with oil. If using thyme or another hearty herb (e.g., rosemary) sauté along with rice

Step 4: Add half a cup of stock to the pan and stir. Heat should be low to medium depending on stove strength. Once mostly absorbed (a cooking utensil dragged across the pan can clearly reveal the bottom) add another half cup and stir until mostly absorbed

Step 5: Add 1 cup of wine and continue stirring until absorbed

Step 6: Add the remaining stock in half cup increments, waiting until mostly absorbed to add more and stirring continuously. After each increment, taste for doneness and seasoning. If the rice needs more salt and overall flavor, add more stock. If it needs more adicity and balance, add more wine. If the dish is well-flavored but the rice is not done cooking, switch to water and continue the same process

Step 7: Once the rice is fully cooked, turn off the heat and add cream cheese or parmesan cheese. Stir to incorporate and allow residual heat to melt the cheese. Add black pepper to taste. If needed, add salt

Step 8: If using parsley or lighter herb (e.g., basil) chop and sprinkle on top just before serving

Serving: Serve hot immediately. Risotto will generally keep refrigerated for about 1 week

FAQs:

• Is arborio rice the only type of rice I should use?

  • You can use a few different types of rice for risotto. When deciding on a rice, stick to a short to medium grain rice with high starch content. Other popular types of risotto rice include carnaroli and vialone nano. Avoid long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati.

• Should I rinse the rice or soak it before cooking?

  • No! Do not rinse the rice or soak it! Risotto requires a different approach than boiling or steaming rice. Risotto gets its creaminess from the starch, so do not rinse it off.

• What kind of wine should I use?

  • Almost any red wine can be used here. Use whatever you typically enjoy drinking. Avoid a very sweet wine like a Moscato and sparkling red wines. Many people only recommend cooking with wine you would drink. This is generally true. If a wine is so bad that it is difficult for you to drink, cooking with it will not make it better. However, if a wine is simply inexpensive, just so-so in flavor, or even has been opened for over a week and you’re looking to use it up, that’s a perfect candidate for cooking. There is no need to use a very expensive or special wine with cooking especially in dishes like this that call for a cup or more of wine.

• How do I decide which herb to use?

  • Using thyme, rosemary, or another hearty herb will result in a stronger, deeper flavor. Using parsley will provide a brighter flavor. Sage can be used as a substitute if that is what you have but it will provide a very different and stronger flavor, you may want to add two-thirds the amount of sage. If using thyme, you can either add the whole thyme stocks and then remove them before serving or pick the thyme leaves off and add only the leaves to the dish. Both methods will yield similar results.

• Should I season as I go?

  • Yes, but remember that the stock has a high salt content so you are seasoning with the stock in this dish. Wait until all the stock is incorporated and taste before deciding to add additional salt.

• What type of pan/size of pan should I use?

  • Use a pan with a large surface area that is at least 1-2 inches deep. Rice will tend to grow to 2.5-3 times its original size, be sure to use a pan large enough.

• Can I buy pre-grated cheese?

  • If you must. Pre-grated cheese contains additives to preserve the cheese that changes the melting temperature of the cheese. Buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself when possible.

Variations:

• Vegetarian/vegan: recipe can be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock and vegan by omitting cheese at the end. If using vegetable stock, additional salt may be needed.

• White wine: simply substitute white wine is the recipe above. Highly recommended to use parsley or basil as the choice of herbs when using white wine. If using white wine instead of red, chicken stock is recommended as beef stock may overpower the white wine flavor.

• Adding vegetables: if adding vegetables, add between steps 2 and 3 and cook until vegetables are half to two-thirds done cooking before adding liquids. Cooking them completely during the initial step will cause them to overcook as they remain in the pan while the rice cooks. For red wine suggested vegetables include mushrooms, winter squashes, and other hearty vegetables. For wine white suggested vegetables include bell peppers, tomatoes, peas, asparagus, corn, and summer squash

• Omitting wine: the above can be made without any wine. Add stock to the rice until the desired flavor is reached and complete the rest of the cooking with water. Adding a squeeze of lime or lemon at the end can replace the acidity found in wine but is optional. A small amount of tomato paste or sauce can bring acidity as well.

• Substituting cheese: Many different kinds of cheese can be used in the above recipe. Pecorino Romano and Grana Padano will substitute very nicely for Parmigiano Reggiano. Gouda or white cheddar will also work. Avoid soft cheese like mozzarella or brie and cheeses that have a very strong flavor like sharp yellow cheddar, blue cheese, or smoked cheeses

• ·Substituting cream cheese: a splash of half-and-half or heavy cream will also work well if not using cream cheese. A small addition of butter can work as well.