Once you learn how to make a basic risotto, you can really make any other kind or risotto without having to resort to following a recipe. Honestly, I don’t even measure ingredients when I make risotto. I often cook by instinct rather than measure, and my husband can attest to the fact that this doesn’t always work out for the best, but risotto is especially malleable and forgiving.
As with much Italian cooking, reliance on taste, texture, and your personal preferences regarding flavor, saltiness, spiciness, richness, etc. is more important than specificity of ingredients or accurate measurement. The types of risotto you can make are endless. One of my favorite local Brooklyn restaurants makes a fantastic red wine risotto (sans vegetables), and my second blog entry attests to the delectablity of a pear and gorgonzola risotto!
Basic risotto ingredients and technique:
broth (chicken is traditional; vegetable and mushroom work really well too.)*
one or combination of:
couple cloves garlic (minced), 1 medium onion, 1 leek, 3-4 shallots (finely chopped)
c. 2 TBS olive oil and/or butter
1-3 cups vegetable, roughly chopped if necessary (butternut squash, mushrooms, asparagus, peas, carrots, be creative!)
1.5-2 cups arborio or other short grained rice**
1 cup white wine***
more butter
cream (optional! I never use cream, but some like it–use sparingly.)
1/2-3/4 cups cheese, shredded (parmigiano reggiano is traditional, but try romano, or even gorgonzola, aged gouda, or a combination of cheeses)
salt and pepper*If you don’t make your own broth, try to buy the good (often organic) stuff that comes in a box, it is much less salty, and more flavorful, than the canned.
** I have even used short grain brown rice, which is richer, nuttier, and chewier that white, but can take a couple hours to cook using the risotto method, so give yourself some time!
***Use a dry, and above all, non-oaked white wine; wine aged in oak barrels can impart a, well, woody, flavor to your risotto.(In the risotto pictured, I used leeks, cremini, shitaki, and wood ear mushrooms, pinot grigio wine, mushroom broth, and parmigiano reggiano as my main ingredients.)
Dump a box or two of broth (or 4-6 cups homemade) into a medium sauce pan, heat on medium until simmering. Clap on a lid, lower the heat to lowest setting. Prepare all your veggies while broth is heating (if using leeks, wash really well!).
Heat oil and/or butter on medium heat in the bottom of large sauce pan. You can eyeball the measurements, should just be enough to coat the bottom of the pot. Add onions/leeks/shallots/garlic and sautee until soft, but not brown. Add vegetable and sautee for a few minutes (longer for butternut squash or other very dense vegetable), until beginning to soften. (If you are using peas, asparagus, or other delicate spring vegetables, sautee in a little butter until soft, season with salt and pepper, set aside, then add to risotto about 5 minutes before done, when risotto is almost al dente.)
Put in a cup and a half to 2 cups of rice (I eyeball this). Sautee for about a minute, until rice is well coated with oil–do not brown the rice. Add wine and stir gently but constantly until wine is absorbed. Add one ladleful of broth and stir until absorbed, then add another ladle. Continue this process until the rice is al dente; this should take 25-35 minutes (longer for brown rice), depending on the any number of factors, from type of rice to the altitude of your particular kitchen. It is very important to taste the risotto, or rather, feel its texture in your mouth, in order to determine doneness. There is no absolute, prescribed time for cooking risotto, or a exact amount of broth necessary, either; you just need to cook it until it s done.
When your rice is al dente, add butter to your preference. I usually add a tablespoon or two, but if I am cooking for guests for a special occasion, I’ll add more, up to half a stick. If using cream, add it here too. Now add your cheese. If using parmesan or romano, I usually add 1/2-1 cup. If using a stronger cheese like gorgonzola, I add about a 1/2 cup so as not to overpower the other flavors in the dish.
Now taste again and season with salt and lots of pepper (it might not need much, or any, salt as the broth and cheese add a lot). Also feel free here to add more cheese or butter if you think it needs it. Serve garnished with shredded parm or other cheese and cracked pepper.
Makes about four servings.
I would love for you to share your favorite risotto variations in my comments!
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