My first experience with actual risotto was when my boyfriend (now husband) made it for me in college. He would buy the packaged just-add-water-and-butter kind since it was something he could cook quickly and easily in his apartment. He mixed in sausage at the end. Once he met me and started having me over for meals, I cooked vegetables to mix in too -- while he didn't go to the effort to buy and cook vegetables for himself, he would gladly eat them if they were there, which is more than a lot of Midwestern college boys would do. We watched Hell's Kitchen because that was a thing at the time, and I laughed when I saw that it was served in their restaurant. Would macaroni and cheese be served in Hell's Kitchen? Probably not. So is risotto not fancy or really fancy?
Then one of my college roommates clued me into the fact that you could make it from scratch. She gave me some that she had cooked. Mind blown. This also opened me up to the world of alcohol as a food flavoring (AMAZING). While the packaged version doesn't taste bad, the process of cooking it from scratch is not really any harder than the packet version (though you need to have more ingredients on hand), and it tastes much better.
Risotto is what you make of it. You can make it fancy, or not. You can serve it all by itself as a side, or mix in meat and/or vegetables for a one-pot meal.
Notes:
- Using Arborio rice is important. It will not turn out the same if you use a different type of rice.
- If serving it as a side, the package I got the recipe from says it goes well with meats in a red sauce or wine sauce such as osso buco.
- The saffron is what makes it authentic Milan-style risotto. You can leave it out if that's not what you're going for, especially if you're mixing other stuff into it.
- If possible, use cheese that is not already grated; the cellulose on pre-grated cheese that keeps it from clumping will interfere with the creamy texture you want.
- Suggestions for add-ins: cooked meats/seafood (shredded chicken, browned link sausage, chopped ham, bacon crumbles, cooked shrimp), vegetables (cooked/prepared: broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, peas, asparagus, zucchini, cubed winter squash, chopped sun-dried tomatoes; fresh: chopped tomato, spinach leaves), fresh herbs (parsley, basil, marjoram). If you cook frozen vegetables, make sure they are well drained before adding them to the risotto. The version pictured above has chopped ham and peas mixed in.
- This can be made vegetarian by using a mild flavored vegetable based broth instead of chicken broth.
- You might like to vary the type of broth based on what kind of add-ins you are using (for example, a seafood broth if adding shrimp).
- You may not need extra salt. I find that Parmesan cheese and especially salty add-ins like sausage or ham lend enough salt to the dish on their own. If you plan to add salt, I recommend waiting until after the cheese is added, then tasting to see if it needs more salt.
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RECIPE:
Risotto Milanese
adapted from a recipe I found on a box of arborio rice
Serves 2-4
2 cups chicken, seafood, or vegetable broth
Water, if needed
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine'
A pinch of toasted saffron
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
Salt to taste (optional)
Place broth in a medium sized saucepan and keep heated on low on the stove. Keep a small cup of room temperature water next to the stove in case it is needed. In another larger saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When the butter foams, add onion and cook for several minutes, until it is translucent. Add rice and stir for about 30 seconds, until everything is completely coated in the butter. Add the wine and saffron to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the wine is completely absorbed, about 3-5 minutes. Pour in just enough broth from the smaller pan to cover the rice and cook until the broth is absorbed, stirring often. Repeat with the rest of the broth until the rice is cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. If you run out of broth and the rice is still not ready, continue the above process with more broth or water until it has reached the desired texture. When the rice has reached the proper texture, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese until it has melted slightly. Taste and add salt if you think it needs it. At this point, if using additional ingredients, stir them in until mostly evenly incorporated. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese.
