Risotto master

Risotto simply put is, at its heart, a peasant dish, with the core ingredient being the staple food for around 2.5 billion of us today, and in Asia alone employing some 200 million rice workers. To nail a proper risotto, you must first begin to understand the mechanics of it, how it comes together, and what happens through the process. To know how to cook risotto is one of those kitchen basics, that once mastered takes your skill level up a notch or two.

Rice

The origins of risotto are not specific, but are the topic of much debate.  It is, however, a staple throughout northern Italy which has specific rices grown extensively in the Veneto, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions solely for this dish. In the world of rice, there are infinite varieties but only those short-grained rices particular to risotto should be used for the job. The three main risotto types being:

Arborio; makes a lighter risotto, doesn't absorb a huge amount of broth and is especially good if you want the soupy texture.

Carnaroli; has a very high starch content and as such introduces a creaminess to your risotto.

Vialone Nano; a shorter and fatter grain offering the maximum liquid absorption of all the rices.

Liquid

I'd be the enemy of any Italian if I didn't blow up the statement that the very soul of all Italian cooking is to use the highest quality ingredients; and this is never more important in the effort put in when assembling the components for a risotto. It's the broth that binds every grain of rice and as such, you will want the best possible. As always, there is nothing like the stuff you make at home, effort is required here, but it is so worth it.  It also needs to be hot broth too. The heat will ensure the risotto cooks evenly and constant, cold broth will make the process staggered and edgy, be nice to your rice.

Base

Finely chopped onion is the most commonly used flavour base for risotto.  Cook the onions gently in either butter or oil, preferably a combination of both. Shallots, garlic and maybe a little celery work here too, but with confidence and experience, it doesn't need to stop there.

Toasting  


Once the onions are softened without colour, toasting the rice is the next stage. Gently sealing the rice as we'd do with meat pre-roasting, seals the starch into the grains of rice and locks in its chewy quality. This stage takes only 3-4 minutes and again should never impart any colour on either base or rice.

Cooking   


Once the grains are toasted, the liquid is added gradually, one loving ladelful at a time. Never allow the risotto to dry out, but equally so, never drown it by pouring all the liquid on at once, save this behaviour for bath-time. This also helps with the stirring. You cannot properly stir rice that is swimming in broth, nor can you keep an eye on the grains as they develop into your desired finished result.

Stirring

This action creates the friction on the grains of rice and releases their starches. This is how we end up with a creamy risotto. Without agitating the starch out of the grains, we may just as well have a bowl of boiled rice sprinkled with Parmesan. Not quite the same effect.

Finishing 


Risotto releases starch and becomes creamy, but it should still have a little bite to it. This is equivalent to cooking pasta al dente. As a final flourish, stir in a little butter and it will be extra creamy. Adding butter is classical.

Risotto recipes

Roast quail with parsley risotto 

Crab, pea and broad bean risotto
Butternut squash, mozzarella and caramelised garlic risotto