Basic Recipe for Risotto

Making risotto is not that hard to make -  all you need is: rice, wine, few other ingredients, and time, right?

Well, not quite! Its all in the techniques.

I am going to give you a very basic recipe for risotto as well as a few secrets. Once you have mastered the basics you can then move on the advance stages and start experimenting with flavours. The possibilities are endless to choose from, it can be sweet or savoury depending on your mood, for example: asparagus, mint and lemon risotto; spinach and goat's cheese; and apple and walnut risotto with gorgonola is only just a few to mention.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Arborio Rice or Risotto Rice

1 onion - finely chopped

1 litre of vegetable, chicken, or fish stock (depending what your flavours are going to be)

2 glasses of dry white wine or vermouth

30 ml olive oil

good knob of butter - don't be stingy

125ml grated or shaved parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Place the stock (use stock and not water as stock gives awesome flavour to your risotto giving you a magical end result) and wine in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a very slow simmer. You don't want a risotto that is gluey but rather creamy and smooth. If you add cold stock it lowers the temperature of the rice as it cooks, which goes gluey, which is what you definately don't want!

Place oil in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and chopped onions. Saute slowly for 10 min. Do not colour them. They must be soft and translucent.

(If you are making risotto with flavours this is the time to add these ingredients that are able to sustain cooking at high temperatures for 20 minutes. For example dried mushrooms or meat.)

Once your onions are all nice and soft add the rice and turn up the heat. Cook the rice for 1 minute frying it with the onions. The rice will become translucent. Slowly add one cup or ladle of stock/wine mixture to the rice. Stir constantly (this ensures the heat is remained constant and your rice gets heated throughout) until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue this process until all the wine/stock mixture is finnished. This process should take about 15-20minutes.  

(Secret to a creamy risotto is to to add the stock one ladleful at a time and continue stirring the rice mixture until the stock is absorbed. This releases starch from the rice, which makes the risotto creamy.) 

Taste the rice. Is it cooked? Does it need more seasoning? It should be al dente. (The rice is soft but with a slight bite) Remove from the heat and add a good dose of butter, parmesan cheese and black pepper and if you are using flavours now is the time to add those ingredient that are softer.

Stir well!  This is intense!! This will get those arm muscles pumping which will leave your arm aching, but so worth it as you will be richly rewarded.

Place a lid on the pan and allow it to rest. Now your work is done and now its the "risotto's turn to do the work. It will emulsify  and give you its creamy consistence.

As Jamie Oliver says: "  This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be. "

Serve Immediately and "geniet"!