Award-winning chef, cookbook author, and TV host Lidia Bastianich shares her infallible method for making rich, creamy risotto -- the kind you get at the best Italian restaurants. Following this step-by-step method, you'll master the basic risotto technique and learn how to make it your own by adding ingredients of your choice. Lidia provides many helpful tips for making the best risotto, including the type of rice to use and how to get it perfectly al dente. And she shares some of her favorite flavor combinations, like Radicchio and Bacon, Saffron and Shrimp, Chicken and Mushrooms, and Leek and Sausage. Ingredients 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil 2 cups Aromatics (see Step 2) 2 cups Short-grain risotto rice arborio or carnaroli 1 cup Dry white wine 1 choice Foundation flavor (see Step 4) 5 cups Broth or water (see Step 5) 1 choices Mains (see Step 6) For Finishing (see Step 7) 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter 1 cup Cheese freshly grated, more to taste (1/2 to 1 1/2 cups) to taste Salt & pepper

Instructions
1. GET READY TO COOK. Read through all the steps and choose the ingredients for your risotto. Measure out all the ingredients and prepare any cooked vegetables or meats, if using. Bring the liquid for Step 5 almost to a boil in a large pot. Reduce the heat to very low; the liquid should stay hot but not simmer.

2. SWEAT THE AROMATICS. Heat 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-duty 3- to 4-quart straight-sided saute pan at least 10 inches wide or in a similar-size Dutch oven. Add your choice of aromatics (see list below) and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and cook slowly, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, lower the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking until the water is completely gone and the aromatics are soft and glistening but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Use in any combination for a total of 2 cups, chopped medium-fine: Onions, Shallots, Leeks

3. TOAST THE RICE AND ADD THE WINE. Add 2 cups risotto rice to the pan and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, to coat the rice with the oil, about 3 minutes. Toasted rice should still be white and glistening, but you should hear a clicking sound when you stir it.

Pour in 1 cup dry white wine and cook, stirring constantly, until it's mostly absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. CREATE THE FOUNDATION OF FLAVOR. If you want, choose one or two ingredients to be the main flavor backdrop for your risotto, and stir them into the rice (see list below). For saffron and dried mushrooms, add the soaking liquid too (in this case, you may need less liquid in Step 5).

Consider the texture... If your flavor foundation (Step 4) is a liquid or a puree, you may want to consider adding ingredients with firmer texture in Step 6, for textural balance.

Less is sometimes more... Limit ingredient add-ins in Steps 4 & 6 to one or two at each step, or even none at all. Too many flavors can muddy the taste of risotto.

Choose one or two (optional): 1/2 teaspoon Saffron threads steeped in 1/2 cup hot water or broth for at least 5 minutes; one 28-ounce can pureed tomatoes (about 1.5 cups); 1 to 1.5 cups dried mushrooms soaked in 2 cups hot water for 30 minutes and cut into 1/4 inch slices (strain the soaking liquid); 2 cups finely sliced Radicchio.

5. ADD LIQUID IN INCREMENTS. If the pot of hot liquid isn't already next to the risotto pan, move it to an adjacent burner now. Ladle 1.5 to 2 cups hot liquid to barely cover the rice and stir constantly. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and keep stirring. When all the liquid has been absorbed -- and the rice is dry enough that your stirring spoon leaves a trail showing the bottom of the pot -- ladle in another cup of liquid, again stirring until it's all absorbed. Continue adding liquid in 1 cup increments, always stirring, until the rice is nearly but not fully al dente; this is usually 12 to 16 minutes after the first addition of liquid.

Choose one (5 to 7 cups): Vegetable broth; Chicken broth; Beef broth; Fish broth; Water.

6. ADD VEGETABLES, SEAFOOD, OR MEAT. When the risotto is a few minutes away from al dente, add your flavor highlight from the list below. These are ingredients that cook quickly, that are already cooked and just need to be heated through, or that you prefer to have a firm texture to add bite to the dish. Continue stirring and ladling liquid as in Step 5.

Choose one or more (optional):
Cooked vegetables: Leeks (white part only, cut in thin slices, 2 cup, sauteed); Zucchini (cut julienne, 2 cups, sauteed); Asparagus (cut in 1-inch pieces, 2 cups, sauteed); Butternut Squash (1 pound, peeled, seeded, roasted, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes).

Raw seafood: Shrimp (1 pound medium (51-60 count), peeled and deveined); Bay Scallops (1 pound).

Cooked meats: Sausage (6 ounces, removed from casing, crumbled, sauteed); Bacon or Pancetta (6 ounces cut in 1/4 inch dice, sauteed); Chicken, beef, or pork (braised or roasted, 1 cup, small dice).

7. FINISH YOUR RISOTTO. After the addition of at least 5 cups of broth or water (16 to 20 minutes from the first liquid addition), taste the rice to determine whether it's al dente and pleasantly creamy. If it is, remove it immediately from the heat. Otherwise, let it cook a little while longer, incorporating more liquid (up to a total of 7 cups). Stir in the finishing ingredients from the list below, taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper. Serve immediately.

Choose one or more (optional): 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh Parsely; 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil; 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh Mint; 3-4 tablespoons white-and-green parts Scallion thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest finely grated; 1 teaspoon Orange Zest finely grated; 1-2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar

Choose one, 2-3 tablespoons: Unsalted Butter; Extra-virgin Olive Oil

Choose one grated cheese, 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups (optional): Parmigiano Reggiano; Grana Padano; Pecorino romano or toscano

SUGGESTIONS:
Redicchio & Bacon: Add radicchio in Step 4 and Bacon in Step 6. Finish with butter and Grana Padano; use chicken broth.

Saffron & Shrimp: Add saffron in Step 4 and Shrimp in Step 6. Finish with olive oil but no cheese; use fish broth.

Chicken & Mushrooms: Add dried Mushrooms in Step 4 and Chicken in Step 6. Finish with butter and Parmigiano; use chicken broth.

Sausage & Leek: Add Leeks in Step 4 and Sausage in Step 6. Finish with butter and Parmigiano; use chicken or vegetable broth.

Asparagus & Scallion: Add sauteed Asparagus in Step 6. Finish with scallions, olive oil, and pecorino; use chicken or vegetable broth.

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Yields: 4 Servings
     FINE COOKING magazine, April/May 2006, pages 56-59

notes: 

Cuisine:   Info

Main Ingredient:   Info