Risotto is the kind of dish that is so simple ingredients-wise, the difference between one that’s out-of-this-world and one that’s heavy as a brick is all in the hands. But don’t be intimidated. A great risotto is easily in reach, and a great risotto is fantastic: plump, chewy grains of rice draped in velvety sauce. All you have to do is pay attention to a few small details that make all the difference.
When I was working at Per Se, the white truffle risotto came off my station. Since the dish carried a hefty supplemental charge—that’s how white truffles roll— you can bet the chef made darn sure I nailed that risotto every single time. Now, I know people were signing up to pay for the truffles, not my rice, but even without the truffles a well-made risotto is dreamy; there’s no beating that combination of warming, homey satisfaction and elegant texture. I’ll walk you through the process, but here are a handful of things you should keep in mind before you start:
1) Cooking the rice al dente is the first, biggest step to greatness. Just like pasta, you want the grains to have a slight bite—you want each grain to have its own identity. The best way to test is to taste it. But if you’re unsure, employ the smear test. Take a grain and put it on a smooth surface (like a cutting board or your countertop). Press your finger into the grain and smush it down while dragging your finger across the surface. If it’s undercooked, the grain will chunk apart and you’ll be able to clearly see the white, raw center. If it’s just right, your smear will start to smooth out, but you’ll be still be able to see a little bit of the white, al dente center of the grain. If it’s overcooked, the smear will be totally smooth.
2) Use the right kind of rice. Risotto rice is short grain and high in starch; that’s important because that starch is what makes the sauce creamy and rich. Use Arborio or Carnaroli rice for risotto. I like Carnaroli best—it’s more forgiving and resists overcooking better.
3) Give your risotto the wave. Italian cooks like to see “la onda” when they shake a pan of risotto. That means “the wave”— a finished risotto should be wet enough to be somewhat fluid. It will get thicker as it sits, though, so don’t be afraid of a loose risotto in the pan because once it hits the plate and makes its way to the table, it will be just right.
4) Keep it simple. You can get creative with flavorings, but the wonder of this dish is the supple grains and creamy sauce. I recommend adding only a couple of things, max.
5) Warm your serving plate. It might seem like a pain, but popping a (oven safe!) bowl or platter in a 250°F oven for 2-3 minutes will make all the difference at the table. Risotto starts to thicken as soon as it starts to cool, so the best way to maintain its temperature and consistency (and impress guests) is to serve it on a warm plate.
Here we go. Here’s what you’ll need to make a classic butter and parmesan cheese risotto. It’s a seemingly plain recipe—no fancy toppings—but it’s one of the best ways to eat a well-executed risotto. The whipped cream finish is a little trick to add richness and keep the sauce from getting too thick as the dish cools.
Risotto Bianco (Butter and Parmesan)
Serves 4-6
3-4 cups of chicken stock
¼ cup of olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1½ cups Carnaroli rice
¼ cup white wine
½ stick of cold butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese
Heavy cream, whipped (you’ll only use a large spoonful, so save the rest for dessert)
Salt, to taste
1) Heat the stock. Put your stock in a saucepan and turn it on low heat and by the time you’re ready to use it, it’ll be simmering.
2. Start the soffritto. Fabulous risotto starts with a well-developed soffrito, which is an aromatic vegetable base. In a large, wide pot sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat for about 5 minutes. For this recipe, a 9.5” saucepan is perfect. Whatever size you use, make sure you’re cooking your risotto in a layer, no higher than 1” so that the rice all cooks evenly. Keep the heat low enough so that the onions don’t brown. Add the smashed cloves of garlic and let the garlic mingle with the onions for 5 minutes more. Season with salt.
Note about adding meat: If you’re adding a fatty, raw meat like sausage or bacon to your risotto, I like to cook it with the onions to help flavor the soffrito.
3. Toast the rice. Once your soffrito is glistening, pull out the smashed cloves of garlic and add the rice. Gently stir to ensure each grain is coated and glistening. Let the rice toast (it’s okay if it starts to brown a little bit) by stirring occasionally over low heat. You’ll notice the outer edges of the grains of rice will start to become translucent while the center stays white.
4. Deglaze with white wine. When you can really smell the toasted grains (kind of like popcorn) and all of the rice grains have started turning translucent (about 8-10 minutes) turn the heat to medium high and pour the wine into the pot and stir. Let the wine bubble down and evaporate completely. You shouldn’t be able to smell the wine if it has cooked off properly.
Note about prepping ahead of time: If you’re pre-prepping the risotto, now is the perfect time to stop. Once the wine has fully cooked off, dump the rice on a sheet tray, spread it into a single layer and let the rice cool in the fridge (this stops the cooking faster). To continue later, simply put the cold rice back into the pan, turn on the heat, and pickup where you left off.
5. Cook it creamy and al dente. Make sure the stock is at a simmer on the stove. (If you use cold stock, the temperature change will set the starch in the rice and make the risotto gluey.) Turn the heat under the rice up to medium high and pour a big ladle of the hot chicken stock into the rice and begin stirring with a wooden spoon. The stock should bubble in the pan when you add it. As you agitate the rice, the grains release starch that thickens the stock. Once the stock has nearly evaporated, pour in another ladle and start stirring again. Then, do the whole she-bang again. Then do it again!
This “add stock and stir routine” should take about 10-15 minutes. Exactly how many ladles and how long it will take depends on factors like how hot everything is, how wide your pan is, etc. so here’s where you have to start paying attention.
When is it al dente? You must taste or smear your rice grains after the first few ladles of stock and more often as the cooking continues. You’ve added enough stock when the rice is al dente, or has a grainy smear that’s starting to smooth out (the center grain in the smear test picture above).
How creamy? At this point, when you run a spoon through the risotto along the bottom of the pan, the rice should hold it shape for just a moment, but then begin to slowly fall back and cover the spoon’s track. It will be looser after you finish the risotto with butter and whipped cream.
6. Finish and season. When you’ve got the rice al dente and the consistency perfectly creamy, turn the heat down to medium-low plunk in the cubes of butter, a few at a time. Stir gently until it’s all melted in. The butter adds flavor and coats the rice grains to keep it from absorbing more liquid.
Since the rice is cooked al dente, finishing with butter and seasoning with salt to taste should go down quickly so that you don’t overcook the rice. You should be serving the rice 3-5 minutes from now (which means you can pop your serving vessel in the 250° oven to warm).
Now’s the time to add toppings or flavors you’ve got cooked and waiting in the wings (like parmesan cheese, peas, sautéed mushrooms, fresh herbs, whatever). Gently fold in your cooked toppers or cheese and give the rice a few stirs over the heat to warm the toppings through or melt the cheese.
7. Kiss it with whipped cream and serve Take the risotto off the heat and finish the dish with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and gently fold it into the rice. By using whipped cream, you’re ever-so-slightly giving the rice a light, airy consistency, and the cream helps to maintain its creamy consistency even as it’s cooling at the table.
Using a towel or hot pad, carefully remove your serving plate from the warm oven and spoon the risotto onto the plate. Don’t’ forget to tell your guests the plate it hot when you bring it to the table.
My Favorite Toppings
Sausage and fennel – Cut the sausage into chunks and cook with the onions. Remove big chunks and incorporate into the rice at the end with thin slices of sautéed fennel.
Roasted beets and orange zest - Roast roughly diced beets in the oven until soft. Fold the roasted beets and zest from one orange into the rice after adding the butter.
Pesto and pancetta – Cook the pancetta with the onions and remove before adding the rice. Stir it back into the rice with a large dollop of pesto the same time you add the whipped cream.
Arugula and dried cranberries – Soak a big handful of dried cranberries overnight in orange juice. Sauté a few handfuls of arugula in olive oil while the rice is toasting. Add the cranberries (drained from the OJ) and the sautéed arugula after you incorporate the butter.
“Chicken pot pie” – Roast a chicken breast in the oven and pull it apart (or use leftovers). Using a peeler, make carrot ribbons and cut them in half or thirds—you want pieces about 2” long. The ribbons are cool because they’re so thin, you don’t need to pre-cook them. Warm about 1 cup of frozen peas in the microwave. Roughly chop about 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, removed from the stems. Toss all of this into the rice after adding the butter, starting with the carrots, ending with the thyme.
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