Sides · By James
Risotto, in Many Guises
Risotto is the most flexible meal-starter or accompaniment, with infinite variations. The recipe here is for a basic risotto, with classic proportions (although, this recipe adds more wine and cheese at the end — who would have thought...). Risotto is so unctuous, textural, and richly flavored, a show stopper! One of the ongoing family stories has to do with obligatory whining about who has to do the stirring for 25 minutes. It's just expected, and would be missed. The lived experience of risotto making is that it becomes the communal focus during meal prep, with people gathered around this hearth, taking turns stirring, having a wonderful time sharing. Risotto can easily become a meal, with the addition of various meats and vegetables. We have had shrimp risotto with asparagus, carbonara risotto (bacon/egg), and mushroom risotto with added grilled chicken. A summer classic for us when the peas are ready is a pea risotto (with pea puree added as well as peas, making it brilliant green); we have a grilled chicken breast on top. Another classic we have to mention is Milanese risotto, made with saffron. Its brilliant yellow (add saffron into the chicken broth) is a traditional bed for osso buco. We've made this several times with Phil's beef shanks since first having it in Milan in 2018 — truly amazing! Also, while mentioning Italian classics, we first had porcini mushroom risotto in Tuscany, and it's become our favorite — so earthy and rich (if using dried, just add dried mushrooms to your chicken broth). If you don't have porcinis use any mushrooms you have (Creminis are a bit earthier than white), sautéing them a bit before adding to chicken broth. As suggested in the above risottos, to create variations, just add stuff to your basic risotto recipe below. You can be endlessly diverse, creating wonderful ethnic flourishes. For example, with shrimp/asparagus, we add the asparagus (cut into small pieces) about 10 minutes before the end, and the uncooked shrimp just a few minutes before the end (although you could grill them first and just add them in at the end for some added smoky complexity), and a bit of lemon zest and lemon juice. Have fun playing with this chameleon and its many guises!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Arborio rice
- ½ medium red onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp butter for sauté of onions at the start
- 4 tbsp cold butter for finishing sauce — in small chunks
- 1 cup white wine
- 5 cups chicken broth (good stuff)
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Italian parsley or spring onion for sprinkling overtop
Method
- 1
Get your chicken broth heated to boiling point, and then turn down to a very low heat, and keep it there as you sauté the onions and rice.
- 2
Sauté the onion in 2 tbsp butter until tender, then add the 1½ cups of Arborio rice and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- 3
Add the wine and stir around in the rice until almost all wine has been absorbed.
- 4
Begin adding the chicken broth, about ½ cup at a time. Stir each addition around, maintaining constant stirring throughout the roughly 25 minute process. Keep heat on low-medium throughout, so that the liquid does not evaporate too quickly but rather is absorbed into the rice.
- 5
When rice is al dente (a bit of chew left), it is ready to finish.
- 6
Turn off heat, and add a bit more chicken broth so that the risotto is saucy, since as it cools when served it becomes more congealed — offset this with added sauciness.
- 7
Add your 4 tbsp butter, and your Parma (save a bit just to sprinkle over as garnish), and stir until butter is dissolved.
- 8
Serve immediately, with sprinkling of parsley and/or spring onion!
A note from James
The recipe is for a basic parmesan risotto (the photo shows a porcini mushroom risotto, a favorite variation). If making mushroom risotto with dried porcinis, the trick is to rehydrate the mushrooms in the hot chicken broth before starting the risotto — no flavor lost, and a rich deep mushroom color. The only other things to add are crushed garlic when sautéing the onion, and dried or fresh thyme to the chicken broth. Leftover risotto is never a concern: use it to create arancini — put a chunk of your favorite cheese in the middle of a cold ball of risotto and fry (use an air fryer if you have one). Drink/wine pairing: for a creamy risotto, chardonnay; for mushroom risotto, a red (light or heavy).
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