Risotto — John D. Silvio

At its heart, risotto is a simple dish. It's just rice cooked in stock, maybe a little parmesan. That's essentially it. Everything else is just bells and whistles. I think it has a reputation as being difficult to make, but that's not really true. All you have to do is stir. For 40 minutes. So if you want to make your own risotto, you only need a little patience and a lot of dedication.

Since risotto's a dish with few ingredients, you need to make those ingredients count - the rice, the stock, the basics, the bells and whistles. As I did with beef stew, let's break it down ingredient by ingredient.

Once again you may gaze upon my artistically off-center photography.

You cannot make risotto without arborio rice (there are technically other rices you can use, but arborio is the only one normally available at your supermarket). These short, hardy grains are the rebels of the rice world. You can't just sit back and let them boil in a pot for 20 minutes. You have to stir them constantly to achieve maximum results. But unlike other rices, arborio can take the punishment. It won't fall apart or turn into mush like almost any other rice would. So arborio is a strict requirement.

When it comes to flavor, stock is the most important ingredient. You have choices here - chicken, beef, and vegetable stocks can all be used depending on what you're into. The rice is going to absorb all of the flavor in your stock so you should take care. You can use cheap bouillon if you want to, but then your risotto is just going to taste like cheap bouillon. (But hey, you do you if you're into that sort of thing. I'll pretend not to judge you.) I make my own chicken stock, but that's not really necessary. There are plenty of other options in the soup aisle better than the cubes. Try 'em out, see what you like. I usually use this stuff when I'm in a pinch. But when you make your own... just look at the color of this stuff.

We could end the discussion here, we would technically have a risotto with just the rice and stock, but that would be a little boring. There are a few other core ingredients that while not strictly necessary you find at least one or more of in many risottos. They are onion, wine, and cheese. If you are using onion, you saute it in the pan first before adding the rice. If you are using wine, you add it before you add the first ladle of stock. If you are using cheese, you add it after the risotto has been taken off the heat. (This will all make more sense after you read the recipe.) I use a lot of onion in my chicken stock so I skip the onion in my recipe. I also skip the wine because I'm poor and I'd rather spend the money on the parmesan, of which I use too much for the subtle wine flavors to shine through. Basically I cheat by adding this much cheese to the party.

Over a cup of freshly grated parmesan. It's called winning.

From here, we move on to the bells and whistles, the extra ingredients that individualize your risotto and make it pop. Sausage and pepper. Pumpkin and nutmeg. Mushrooms. I use asparagus and lemon. You can add whatever you want really, but it's wise to not make your risotto too crowded. You want just another ingredient or two to complement the rice and not overpower it. I also prefer to add my extra ingredients at the end so they don't interfere with the cooking process.

And that's because making risotto is just as much about the process as the ingredients. There are no shortcuts. Don't make risotto unless you have at least an hour of your life you can spare to getting it right. You need a pan for your risotto and a pot for your stock to keep it warm. So you're using at least two burners. Anyway, let's show you an example of just how this process works.

Roasted Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

Prep time - 20 minutes
Cooking time - 40 minutes
Serves - 4 (as its own course) or 8 (as a side course)

Ingredients

2 cups arborio rice
8 cups chicken stock (preferably low sodium because the cheese is salty, too)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt

1. In a stock pan, heat chicken stock until it is just below a simmer. Get a ladle ready or something similar that you can use to spoon the stock into the risotto when the time comes.

2. While the stock is heating, make sure you get all your ducks in a row. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss it with the vegetable oil and a pinch or two of salt. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the top rack under the broiler. Do not turn the broiler on yet. Juice the lemon. Grate the cheese. Just make sure everything is ready because once the stirring starts, we can only afford to take short breaks.

3. Heat the butter and olive oil in large saute pan over medium-low heat.

4. Once the butter begins to brown, add the rice. Stir vigorously. I cannot stress this enough. The fat and the starch from the rice need to be combined to form a kind of roux. This is what gives risotto its creamy texture. Do this for a few minutes until the rice begins to toast. You should be able to smell it.

5. Ladle about, well, a ladle's worth of stock (1/2 cup to 1 cup) into the rice. Keep stirring until the liquid is absorbed into the rice. It will absorb quickly at first so you might get excited and say to yourself, "This might not take so long." That's a lie. Once the liquid is absorbed, ladle in another ladle's worth. Stir until that is absorbed. Repeat ladling stock and stirring until it is absorbed. As you keep adding mass to the pan, you might want to raise the heat a little to keep up.

6. About 25 minutes into this process, turn the oven broiler on to roast the asparagus. Check the asparagus after about 5 minutes, and every minute thereafter. Once it has browned in a way you're happy with, take the baking sheet out of the oven and put it to the side (on a spare burner or oven mitt or something). Keep stirring and ladling while this is going on.

7. Once the asparagus is out of the oven, the risotto should be getting close. Once there's only a cup of stock left, start tasting the risotto to check to see if the rice is done. It shouldn't be hard but it should provide some resistance. We're looking for al dente texture like properly-cooked pasta. The consistency of the risotto should be fairly fluid, yet there should be no excess liquid. (Hopefully this picture helps.) There is also the possibility that you may run out of stock before the rice is done if the heat was a little too high, but that's not a problem. You can just start adding water instead because all the necessary flavor is still in the pan.

When you drag a spoon through the risotto, it should separate but slowly fill back in. You don't want it too liquid or too solid.

8. Once the rice is al dente, turn off the heat. Add the asparagus and black pepper. Stir. Add the parmesan. Stir. Add the lemon juice. Stir. Let it sit for a few minutes.

9. Serve!