Risotto - Core Recipe
The ultimate creamy, buttery, comfort food. Delicious on its own, a perfect accompaniment with a salad, grilled meats, fish or even a casserole.
Ingredients
Basic Risotto:
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40g unsalted butter
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½ tablespoon olive oil
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125g/2 banana shallots, peeled or 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
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16g/4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
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300g Arborio rice
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¼ teaspoon salt (plus a further ⅛ - ¼ if desired.)
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¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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250ml/1 cup dry white wine
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1 - 1.2 litres good quality vegetable, fish or chicken stock
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1 bay leaf or a sprig or two of fresh thyme or rosemary
Optional (but recommended) add-ins:
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60g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
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60 - 90ml/4 - 6 tablespoons double cream
- 20g unsalted butter
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6
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Put the shallots/onion in a mini food processor and pulse until all are finely chopped. Alternatively you can finely chop them by hand.
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Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium sized casserole over a medium heat and add the shallots/onion. Cook for around 5 minutes until the onion is soft and slightly caramelised.
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Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further minute until aromatic.
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Add the rice and seasoning, stir well to coat all the grains in the butter/oil and then add the wine. Cook, stirring, until most of the wine has reduced.
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Add 1 litre of stock and the bay leaf or thyme/rosemary and bring to a simmer over a moderate heat, stirring continuously and enthusiastically.
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Cook the risotto, covered, in the oven for 10 minutes.
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After 10 minutes, take it out of the oven, add the butter, Parmesan and cream and mix well. Check the stock and the seasoning, adding more stock, salt and pepper if necessary. Return to the oven, covered, for a further 5 - 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked to your liking.
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Cover and leave to sit for 2 - 3 minutes before serving. The risotto will continue to cook and thicken during this time; if you need to add any further stock to adjust the risotto, make sure it is hot when added.
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To serve: serve with your choice of accompaniments and some grated parmesan cheese on the side.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- Medium oven proof cast iron casserole/Dutch oven
- Chopping board and knife
- Kitchen scales
- Measuring spoons and measuring jug
- Mini food processor, if using
- Grater, if necessary
To serve:
- Crisp green salad
- Green vegetables such as roast/steamed broccoli or asparagus
- Extra parmesan cheese
- Fresh herbs
- Garlic bread
Stock – the amount you use will depend on:
- The type of rice you use
- The stock
- The other ingredients in the risotto
- The real temperature of the oven
- Your personal preference: i.e. how thick you like your risotto to be. There is no right and wrong answer!
Parmesan cheese is quite salty so it is possible that you will not need to add any extra salt. If you prefer your risotto without cheese, you will definitely need to add extra salt.