Basic Risotto recipe is creamy and filling. This delicious side dish is extremely versatile making it the ideal companion to short ribs, pot roasts, pork chops, and chicken. It basically goes with anything!
The epitome of high-end Italian restaurant fair, risotto has gotten a bad reputation to the home cook as being difficult and time-consuming to make. This couldn’t be more wrong, although it does require a watchful eye and stirring off and on for 30 minutes. The results are well worth the time.
Before my tutorial let me share a random family story. In the 8 minutes it takes me to carpool my youngest son and a friend home from school every day, I learn more of what’s going on in the world of 7 year-olds than I do the other 23 hours and 52 minutes of the day!
For instance…
I learn who is giving whom the ‘love eye’,
Who is getting the ‘stink eye’,
Who’s dating whom (dating??! I’m just passing on what was said)
Who looked under the stall in the boys bathroom,
Or picked up a cookie off the floor and ate it,
Who played chase and let the girls catch him at recess,
and who is dressing as the green Ninjago Ninja for Halloween,
and last, but whoa so not least,
who is ‘making the first move’ on his girlfriend.
(And that’s just one day of carpool!)
Seven-year-olds!! I may need to be medicated for the teenage years!
Now to my tutorial
How to make Basic Risotto
- Making risotto is more of a technique than a recipe. Timing is everything so be sure to have all your ingredients measured and ready. As well, you will want to have all your cooking utensils out and ready.
- You will need a wide heavy-duty 5- to 6-quart pot. A 3-quart saucepan to heat the broth or stock. A wooden or high-temp spatula. A 1/4 to 1/2 cup scoop to scoop broth into the risotto. A whisk.
- Warm the broth or stock before you begin toasting the rice. Warm to the touch is fine, it does not have to be boiling.
- Make the soffrito. A soffrito is the flavor base for any dish. It most always includes onions as in this Basic risotto recipe. Often it also contains carrots, celery, and other aromatics and spices. We are keeping it simple today with just onions. Sauté the onions in butter or oil over medium-high heat until the onion is translucent and beginning to break down. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Pour the rice into the soffrito and stir coating every grain with the oil. Stir the rice until the edges are translucent and the middle is still opaque. The rice will become fragrant at this point.
- At this point, you will deglaze the pan with wine. Simmer and stir the rice until the wine has evaporated.
- Add the warm broth 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time to the rice. Stir until it has been absorbed. Add another ladle. Continue this until the risotto and creamy. It is this gradual addition of liquid that makes risotto. It’s the key to getting the rice to release its starch and create its own delicious sauce.
- Start tasting at 15 to 18 minutes. The rice should be soft with no ‘crunch’. It usually takes about 25 minutes for me to cook risotto.
- Add your salt, pepper, and any other seasonings at 20 minutes and adjust if necessary.
This is a very basic risotto; a good one to try first.
It is flavored with parmesan cheese.
Heat the chicken stock
In another pan, heat oil and soften onion
Add rice and stir, then add wine and cook until it evaporates
Add chicken stock one ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed
Basic Risotto
Basic Risotto recipe is creamy and filling. This delicious side dish is extremely versatile making it the ideal companion to short ribs, pot roasts, pork chops, and chicken. Recipe by Paula Jones for Call Me PMc. © 2012 – 2013 CallMePMc.com – All Rights Reserved
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Save To Your Recipe BoxServings: servings
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter or oil
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup wine
- 4 cups chicken stock warm
- 1/2 cup parmigiana Reggiano or parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat stock in a large pan. Only add warm stock to the rice.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon butter or oil in a large pan.
- Saute' onions 2 to 3 minutes until soft.
- Add garlic to the pan with onions and cook for one minute.
- Add the rice and stir to coat in oil.
- Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
- Stir until the wine evaporates.
- Add 1/2 cup stock at a time to the rice, stirring rice until stock is absorbed.
- Continue adding stock and stirring until rice is al dente.
- Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust if necessary.
- Add cheese and butter. Stir until combined and cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe from Paula @CallMePMc.com All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission that includes copying the ingredient list or entire recipe and posting in the comments on Pinterest for Facebook. If you want to share this recipe, please simply link back to this post for the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg
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Elizabeth says
simple and delicious. I used Prosecco instead of white wine because thats what I had in the house. Wow! great flavor! I also added chopped asparagus at the end and it was oh so good. Will repeat this recipe!! Thanks.
IFortuna says
I made risotto for the first time tonight. Not hard, just needs a little babying. I left out the wine and garlic because hubby hates them.
I was lucky to get the Parmesan in. At first, he just stared at it like it was some undefinable creature. His tastes are simple but I have been introducing new foods and recipes over the years. Well, he loved it. He had lamb chops with risotto as a side.
I added parsley, dried veg to the broth, and cream. Served it up with butter and a sprinkle of fresh basil.
Thanks for the basics to get me started. In 45 years of cooking I have never made it. Go figure. I will be making it again soon I hope. : )
Paula says
I did not try it for many many years either. I think people are intimidated by it, def not a dish you can put on and leave. I completely understand about getting your husband to try different things. My Dad would not try anything, he like old fashioned Southern cooking… peas, butterbeans, cornbread. haha. We FINALLY got him to eat pizza when I was a teenager! 🙂 I am so glad you tried this recipe and he liked it!
Sandy says
Can you use extra chicken broth for deglazing the plan rather than wine? Thanks!! Can’t wait to try!
Sandy says
Ugh…. Pan*
Michelle's Tasty Creations says
Paula,
Love the car pooling story. I remember those days. Now my son get taken by a friend and my daughter drives herself 🙁 It goes by so fast. The risotto looks amazing! I haven't ever tried one but this sounds like something I can totally handle. Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you share this week! Have a wonderful week.
Michelle
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen says
I've never tried making risotto before, I have such a hard time with just plain rice! 😉 I think I might give your recipe a try 🙂
Thanks so much for linking up to MTM Mondays!
Angela Paris says
ooh! this looks so tasty! i love making risotto but never feel like i have the time with my kids underfoot. maybe i'll have to give it another try soon 🙂 pinning this for later.
Cranberry Morning says
Rissoto isn't my thing, so I'll stick with the carpool comments: So cute! And dating. yeah, kids are 'dating' although they may not actually even talk face to face with each other. Our son was 'dating' when he and a girl were texting one another regularly. lol I guess it's a lot safer that way. Yeah, better stock up with meds for the teen years. Great idea. lol