Risotto is a widely celebrated Northern Italian dish in which short-grain rice is cooked in flavorful broth until creamy and unctuous. It’s a simple dish as far as ingredients go, but when classically prepared, it takes some effort. The rice must be stirred constantly--to activate the starches in the rice--and the broth must be added in small amounts. Could we find an easier method? Here’s what we discovered:
Use imported Arborio rice, an Italian-grown, short-grain rice. Other types of medium or short-grain rice don’t work nearly as well. Look in the gourmet section of your supermarket.
After sautéing the rice in butter until translucent, add the wine and cook until the rice has absorbed it. This will cook off the wine’s alcohol and flavor the rice.
Add roughly half the broth and simmer the rice until the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. Constant stirring and small additions of broth simply aren’t necessary until the rice is closer to being done.
Add the broth in small amounts and stir frequently once the first batch of broth is absorbed. Different batches of rice will require different amounts of broth.
Use imported Parmesan cheese for the best flavor. Buy a whole piece and grate it fresh.
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