Basic Risotto Recipes

VERY EASY RISOTTO

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook green onions in butter briefly, then add the rice. Cook and stir for a few minutes to toast rice. Stir in water, and season with chicken bouillon and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

THE ONLY BASIC RISOTTO RECIPE YOU'LL EVER NEED

Steps:

• Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan over medium. Reduce heat and keep warm.
• Melt the butter and heat the oil in a large skillet or wide-bottomed pot. Add the rice; stir to coat all the grains, 1 minute.
• Add 1 ladle of broth (½ cup to ¾ cup), stir, and leave it alone until broth is nearly absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. (Run a wooden spoon through it; rice should slowly fill in the channel.)
• Stir, add another ladle of broth, and stir again. Cook undisturbed until the broth is absorbed, 3 minutes. Repeat until about 1 ladle of broth remains, 15 to 18 minutes of total cook time for the rice. Turn off heat.
• Add salt, remaining broth, and cheese. Stir gently for 2 minutes. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, with more grated cheese over top, if desired.

EASY RISOTTO

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan.
• Add onion and saute 1 minute.
• Add rice, then cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
• Stir in water, bouillon, and pepper.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes (don't lift the lid!).
• Remove saucepan from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Rice should be tender but slightly firm, and the mixture should be creamy (if necessary, stir in a little hot water to reach desired consistency).
• Stir in parmesan cheese.

BASIC RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a simmer; reduce heat and keep warm. In a 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet or pot, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high. Add shallot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is translucent at edges, 1 minute.
• Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes. With a ladle, add about 1 cup broth to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed, 4 minutes. Repeat, gradually adding broth by the cupful and stirring constantly, until rice is tender but still al dente and sauce is creamy (you may not need all of broth), 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter and Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

BASIC RISOTTO

Steps:

• Pick through the rice to remove any stones or foreign matter, but do not wash the rice before cooking.
• Using a large skillet with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil over low heat and saute or "sweat" the onions until translucent, being careful not to allow them to color or brown at all. Add the arborio rice, stir to coat with the olive oil, and saute with the onions to toast each grain of rice, about 7 minutes. This toasting process adds the chewy, al dente quality that attracts so many people to risotto.
• Once the rice is lightly toasted, add the white wine slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon. (A wooden spoon is always preferable when making risotto, as a metal spoon tends to cut or injure the grains of rice. Constant stirring should be avoided for the same reason.)
• Preheat the chicken stock just to the boiling point, then have it ready at stoveside. After the rice has absorbed the white wine and the skillet is nearly dry, add one cup of chicken stock, stirring
• occasionally, and cook over very low heat until the stock is absorbed by the rice. Continue adding the stock, a cupful at a time, until all the stock has been absorbed. (Adding the liquid in stages, instead of all at once, allows the grains of rice to expand more fully, adding to the risotto's creamy texture.) Once the rice has been added to the pan, the entire cooking process will take about 17 to 20 minutes.
• After all of the liquid has been added, and the rice is chewy yet fully cooked, with a creamy texture; add the butter, Parmesan cheese, and the heavy cream. Stir to combine all the ingredients and serve immediately.

RISOTTO FOR BEGINNERS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the stock to a simmer. Lower the heat so the stock stays hot while you cook the risotto.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot or onion. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly translucent.
• Add the rice to the pot and stir it briskly with a wooden spoon so that the grains are coated with the oil and melted butter. Sauté for another minute or so, until there is a slightly nutty aroma. Make sure not to let the rice turn brown.
• Add the vermouth or wine and cook while stirring, until the liquid is fully absorbed.
• Add a ladle of hot chicken stock to the rice and stir every once in a while until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process.
• Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, for about 20 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy ( al dente ).
• Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the Parmesan cheese and parsley. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Serve in bowls and enjoy.

BASIC RISOTTO

Steps:

• Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and keep hot. In a 3 quart saucepan, combine the butter, olive oil, and shallots and saute over medium low heat until shallots are translucent. Add the rice and toast the rice for approximately 5 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Add the white wine and continue stirring until the wine has evaporated. Add the hot vegetable stock, just enough to barely cover the rice and continue stirring until all the liquid is evaporated. Repeat the above step until the rice is cooked al dente, about 15 minutes total cooking time, add salt and pepper to taste.

BASIC RISOTTO

Steps:

• Bring broth to boil in saucepan.
• Melt butter in a different saucepan.
• Add onion and garlic to butter, saute until tender.
• Add rice. Saute 2-3 minutes.
• Add white wine. Stir until absorbed.
• Add hot broth 1/4 cup at a time. Stir occasionally until broth is absorbed.
• Continue adding broth in small amounts until all broth is absorbed. This should take 20-25 minutes.
• Try some of the rice. It should be tender but firm.
• When the rice is done, add cheese. Stir until melted and combined.
• Serve immediately.

BASIC RISOTTO

Steps:

• Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium pot over medium-high heat and lower the flame to a simmer.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes. Add the white wine and salt and continue to cook, stirring vigorously, until the wine has completely evaporated. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock and continue to cook and stir vigorously. When the chicken stock has been almost completely absorbed, about 7 minutes, add another cup of the chicken stock and continue to cook, stirring constantly but not vigorously. When the chicken stock has been almost completely absorbed, add the remaining 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and continue to cook, for a total cooking time of about 25 minutes, stirring gently so that the rice does not stick.
• Stir in the butter and Parmesan and mix to incorporate. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a platter or serving plates and finish with a generous turn of the pepper mill.

PARMESAN RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat broth and keep warm. In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil until tender. Add rice and garlic; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in wine. Cook and stir until all of the liquid is absorbed. , Add heated broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to absorb between additions. Cook just until risotto is creamy and rice is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients; cook and stir until heated through. Serve immediately.

SIMPLE RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine broth with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and keep at a bare simmer.
• In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice, and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add 2 cups hot broth; simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until mostly absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Continue adding broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, 20 to 25 minutes total (you may not need all the broth).
• Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan and remaining 2 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper.
• MILANESE: In step 1, add saffron to broth mixture. In step 3, after adding last cup of broth to risotto, stir in peas.
• TOMATO: In step 1, replace broth mixture with tomato juice and 2 cups water.
• MUSHROOM: At the beginning of step 3, in a separate skillet, cook mushrooms with butter over medium-high until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Proceed with step 3, and after adding last cup of broth to risotto, stir in cooked mushrooms.
• SEAFOOD: In step 1, replace broth with clam juice and 2 cups water. At the end of step 3, a few minutes before risotto is done, stir in scallops and shrimp. In step 4, omit the Parmesan.