Effortless Risotto Recipe
Effortless Risotto Recipe
In looking back, it is hard to remember when I first had the pleasure of tasting risotto, likely it was on my first trip to Italy back in 2013. I grew up on meat and potatoes. Usually, rice served at the table back then was instant and not used to make risotto. After that first trip to Italy, I have been searching for a restaurant in the United States that would compare to the amazing risotto I had in Italy. Very few have been able to recreate that developed umami flavor I remember tasting along the gorgeous Amalfi coastline. There was a restaurant at the top of the Waldorf Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada named The Twist by Pierre Gagnaire (sadly it is closed now post the big shut down). The Twist risotto was umami roll your eyes back in your head goodness with shaved truffles on top.
Procuring the recipe from a real world Nonna
I had pretty much relinquished myself to having to live without risotto. I had never made risotto at home. Everything I had seen on TV made it seem too out of reach for an ordinary home cook like me. I also feared the time and effort it would take to make risotto. While over at my neighbor’s house who grew up in Italy, I asked her if she would make risotto for me. First, she looked at me like I had lost my mind. Then she said, “it is not hard you can do it”. I tried to argue with her that I did not have her Nonna instincts and skills. She said it is simple; you just start like this and do this and this and then it all comes together. Of course, as a true Nonna she didn’t have a written down recipe for me to follow. Thus, I retreated back to my home and thought about it. It took me a few weeks to get up the nerve. However finally I decided to finally try the verbal the instructions for risotto that she had told me.
I was greatly surprised that my first attempt turned out great. Since then, I have been making risotto nearly every week when we have our traditional steak and risotto Wednesday. Sometimes I change it up and use beef bouillon with red wine. One could also use vegetarian bullion with white wine or water for deglazing. I have shared the recipe below with some pictures. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry or semi-dry white wine (any wine you would normally drink, does not need to be expensive)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (freshly shaved would be best)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Minced Garlic (or 4 garlic cloves grated)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or 1 turn of oil)
- 1 tablespoon chicken Better Than Bullion
- Preparation: 10 min
- Cooking: 1 h 15 min
- Ready in: 1 h 25 min
Instructions
- Place 2-quart pan on stove and begin to heat up 6 cups of water on high heat. This will be slowly added to the risotto while cooking, after 2-3 minutes you can proceed to the next step while the water is still warming up. The water does not need to be boiling to be added to the risotto, just kept hot.
- Place enamel cast iron skillet on medium low heat on another burner, add the olive oil (1 turn of olive oil).
- Once the oil is warm add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
- Add risotto to pan and cook the rice until toasted. The bottom of the pan will start to look a light brown in color, do not burn the rice.
- Once the rice is toasted deglaze the pan with the white wine and continue cooking until wine has been absorbed.
- Add Better Than Bullion Chicken Paste and 1/2 cup of warm water to risotto pan. Cook until absorbed. Then continue to add water in 1/2 cup increments until the risotto has a pudding consistency. This will take 5 cups or more of the hot water.
- Turn heat down to low then add butter and melt in.
- Then add parmesan cheese until melted in. The risotto should have a tapioca or pudding like consistency. Turn off heat and enjoy!
- Per serving
- Energy: 400 kcal / 1672 kJ
- Fat: 15 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Carbs: 76 g
