Yes! You Can Make Risotto! (And pssst, it's easy!)

I don't know why risotto gets a rap for being hard or time consuming.  I find it neither.  What it IS is a luxurious, inexpensive and versatile meal that--if you get the process down--will have you making it again and again, and impressing your most distinguished foodie friends in the process.

For me, the best thing about risotto is it's another "clean out the fridge" recipe.  Add whatever ingredients you'd like.  The basic recipe is the same.

In this case, we had leftover sauteed wild mushrooms in the fridge.  Already cooked and seasoned, they made a super easy and delicious mushroom risotto, with half the work already done.  But you can make it with just about any additions you'd like, be it sauteed asparagus, pancetta, shrimp, spinach, chicken, peas...there's really few limits.  

Whatever you decide to put in your risotto (and just plain parmesan risotto is an option too!), have about 1-2 cups of cooked ingredients, either warm or at room temperature, set aside before you start.

The Basic Risotto Ingredients:

4 cups low-salt chicken or vegetable stock, warmed

1/2 cup dry white wine (don’t mix with stock)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup Arborio rice (must be arborio, no substitutions!)

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or parmesan blend

1/2 white or yellow onion diced

2-3 garlic cloves minced

Season as desired

1-2 Cups of Optional additions:

• Chopped and cooked chicken, sausage or diced ham
• Raw or cooked shrimp or prawns
• Sautéed mushrooms
• Chopped and cooked or roasted vegetables such as asparagus, butternut squash, carrots, corn, peas, Brussel sprouts.
• Toasted walnuts, pine nuts or macadamia nuts
• Minced sun dried tomato
• Fresh chopped spinach or arugula
• 2-3 strips pancetta or bacon
• 2-3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chives or parsley

The trick is in the process, and once I created this method, my risotto came out perfect every time!

Instructions:

1)     Bring stock to a simmer, reduce heat and keep warm on a separate burner.

2)     In a separate 3-6 quart heavy-bottom sauce pan, combine oil, butter, onion and garlic and sautee on medium heat until the onion is soft.  If adding chopped pancetta or bacon, it can be cooked along with the onion and garlic.

3)     Add the rice and stir to coat all the grains with oil.  Continue to stir and cook on medium until the rice has a nutty aroma and is slightly translucent around the edges.  This takes about 2-3 minutes.

4)     Add wine and stir until absorbed, will take another 2-3 minutes.

5)     Now, start a digital timer for 18 minutes, keeping it somewhere you can watch the minutes count down.  Your total cook time will be about 18 minutes, but you’ll need to add your warmed stock in batches every 3 minutes, so you'll need to be able to watch the minutes on the timer as you watch the pot.  (This is the key!)

6)     Add a ½ cup to ¾ cup ladle of broth to the rice, give it a quick stir to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom, then let it cook without stirring until the broth is nearly absorbed.  This should take about 3 minutes.  Test by running a spoon through the rice.  The liquid should slowly fill the channel.  If it’s too soupy, you’ll need to increase your heat.  If it’s dry, you’ll need to turn the heat down because it's cooking too fast.  Your goal is to make sure that after 3 minutes, the liquid is thick enough to form a channel, but the channel will fill in with creamy liquid (see videos below).

7)     Add the next ladle, give it a quick stir to keep the risotto from sticking, then let it sit and cook another 3 minutes.  Keep repeating this process until your timer is down to about 3 minutes left.

8)     With 3 minutes left on your timer, add the remaining stock to the pan, and add any optional ingredients you'd prepared.  Stir until well combined, then cook undisturbed until liquid is absorbed.  By this time, you should have cooked the risotto for a total of about 18-20 minutes total, and your mixture should be creamy, neither too runny or too dry.

9)     Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.

Serve immediately in warmed bowls, with more grated cheese over top, if desired.

The Photo and Video Guide

Keep your warmed stock to the side as you sauté the garlic and onion 

Stir in the rice, and cook for about 3 minutes until the rice is slightly translucent around the edges.

Add a ladle of broth, stir then let sit and bubble while the timer runs down 3 minutes

After 3 minutes, try running a spoon through the mixture.  If it quickly fills in (as shown here) and appears runny, increase the heat slightly and continue to cook for another 15 seconds and test again.

Your heat is right when after 3 minutes, you run a spoon through the mixture and get a channel that fills in with liquid similar to what's shown here.  If it's too watery, turn your heat up.  If it's too dry, turn the heat down.  The goal is 3 minutes per ladle.

Repeat the process of adding ladles of broth every 3 minutes, stirring then letting it cook undisturbed.  When the timer is down to your last 3 minutes, add the remaining broth and the 1-2 cups of optional ingredients. Stir to combine everything, then let cook the final 3-5 minutes until the risotto is creamy but neither dry nor runny.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.

Dinner is served!