Are you the type of cook who thinks cooking risotto is beyond your wildest dreams? Stir it all the time they say, watch it doesn’t burn and it takes forevveeerrrr they say. Nope, risotto doesn’t have to be like that.
Even cooking a traditional risotto is doable, but this my friends is baked in the oven. One dish, one spatula and one happy cook. The secret to any risotto is stock. You’d be amazed at how much liquid the arborio rice will soak up, so at any point if you feel that the risotto is too dry or stiff just add a splash of stock and it’ll bring it back to a creamy state.
There comes a time when onions and butter need to get together, soften them up and add the pepper. This is like an Italian soffrito. Add the arborio rice and get it all covered with the onions, flavor to the max and time for jazz hands because cooking risotto is exciting!
This is the part where you should pour a goldfish-bowl-sized glass of DaVinci Pinot Grigio and set your Pandora to Vivaldi. Immerse yourself in the moment. Can you tell I get a little into my cooking sometimes?
Add a little of the stock to help the rice grains start to release the starch and become creamy. If you were making a traditional risotto, you’d just gradually add the stock and stir to help it absorb the flavor. I think the general rule is two drinks of wine per splash of stock…no joke.
You can add many other ingredients to a risotto. I went with some awesome chicken and apple sausages from Fork In The Road, a sustainable food company who know their meats well. No weird things in these sausages, just other food.
Shrimp braised beef, chicken or pork are all acceptable throw-in’s for a risotto and don’t forget to shower it with really real Parmesan cheese, like lots of it.
Seve at once after refilling your Pinot Grigio and putting Vivaldi on shuffle.
Cheers.
