Basic Risotto

If you have never considered making risotto at home because you have heard that it's too time intensive or finicky, hopefully you will reconsider after reading this. This traditional Italian way of cooking rice produces a rich and delicious dish that really is neither time- nor labor-intensive considering how satisfying the final product is. While living in an apartment where PBS dominated our TV options, I repeatedly watched Lidia of Lidia's Italy make different versions of risotto and I was convinced that I had to try some myself.

Many of the ingredients for risotto are pantry staples like rice, onions, and broth/stock. (Not pictured is the white wine.) Traditionally, short grain rice like arborio rice is used because it has the ability to absorb a lot of liquid while releasing a lot of starch, which accounts for the creamy finished texture of the dish. For this batch we only had long grain jasmine rice which actually worked out just fine. Even though I thought the texture was just barely not quite as good, HH said he couldn't tell any difference at all.


The first thing to do is to cook the minced/diced onion in olive oil until they soften up a bit.

Then add the rice and cook it with the oil and onions until the grains start to become translucent.



White wine is added next, which imparts a lot of flavor that, along with the lemon, helps balance out the richness of the cheese and butter to be added later.

You can tell when the liquid is absorbed enough when you scrape the bottom of the pot with a spoon and it leaves an open trail for a second or two.

I imagine the next part of the process is what might discourage people from making it at home. The idea is to add the hot stock that has been heated in the microwave or in a pot (or water if you run out of stock, as pictured here) a little at a time while stirring frequently until the liquid is absorbed in order to release the starches from the rice and produce the creamy texture. Most recipes and guides say that it needs to be stirred almost constantly in order for it to work out right. In my experience, this is not really necessary. I have walked away from the risotto for minutes at a time without dire consequences. What is important is that you stir it enough so it doesn't stick or burn on the bottom of the pan. It will take 15-20 minutes of adding a little stock at a time, but you can grate the cheese, juice the lemon, and do whatever else you need to do for other dishes during this time, as long as you keep an eye on it and stir it occasionally.

After you've added all your stock, give the rice a taste to see if it is a texture you would want to eat. It should have a little bite but seem fully cooked. If it doesn't seem like something you'd want to eat yet, add a half cup or so of hot water and cook for a few more minutes.


Now, remove from the heat and add some butter, parmesan, salt, pepper, and lemon juice and stir vigorously until everything is incorporated. Taste it and make adjustments; ours usually needs more lemon juice and salt.

We served the risotto as is with some squash on the side, but in the past we've also added in peas, asparagus, and/or chicken during the last round of broth/water incorporation. For my next batch I plan to incorporate delicata squash into the risotto, since we still have two from our last CSA share.

If you've never eaten risotto at home or otherwise, give it a try. The little bit of time and effort will definitely be worth it, especially if you love carbs and cheese as much as I do.