Basic Risotto Recipe

I was always afraid to attempt tackling risotto because I always heard how difficult and time consuming it was to make. So I allowed myself to shell out $30-$40 at a restaurant every time I saw it on the menu to get my fix. Then I was bored one day and decided it was time to face my arborio fear. And what I discovered is not only is risotto super easy if you follow just a few simple steps, but I actually found the 20+ minutes I spent over the stove stirring pretty relaxing. Maybe I'm just weird. But what I do know is that this recipe is simply delicious. Enjoy.

BASIC RISOTTO RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice*
- 1 quart (4 cups) reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Melt the butter in a large, high sided skillet over medium heat. Put a medium saucepan or saucier on the burner right next to the skillet and add all of the chicken broth. Turn on the heat to medium low and let it do its thing. We will come back to it later.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add a little salt and pepper when sautéing the aromatics. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to coat the rice and toast for about a minute.
Pour in the wine and stir until it is just soaked up. Then add one ladle full of chicken broth at a time until it is all soaked up by the rice, about 25 minutes.
The key to knowing when to add more liquid is to spread the rice to one even layer in the skillet and then pull it back with your wooden spoon. If the rice that was pulled stays to the sides, it is time to add more liquid. If the rice immediately rushes back towards the middle, you have some more time until the next addition.
When all the liquid is absorbed, take the skillet off the heat and mix in all of the cheese. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Serve alone as a main dish for vegetarians or with protein as a side dish. You can add other flavors like lemon zest and vegetables like asparagus at the very end to create new variations. Make sure that whatever you add is added at the very end and it already fully cooked though. The risotto varieties are endless once you get this technique down.

(risotto topped with meatballs and red sauce)

*I would not recommend substituting a normal white long grain rice here if you do not have arborio rice in your pantry. Arborio rice is a special Italian short grain rice that is used in risotto because it is very starchy, which results in a creamy product that you will not get from long grain rice.