Risotto: The Basic Recipe
Our step by step guide to Italy's unique contribution to rice cookery
Risotto is Italy’s unique contribution to rice cookery. At its most basic, risotto is rice toasted in a flavor base of sautéed onion, then simmered in broth added ladleful by ladleful. When the rice is cooked, it is vigorously stirred with grated cheese (and sometimes butter) into a creamy and delicious mound.
Risotto is one of the most versatile of dishes. It may be even more versatile than pasta. You can use almost anything—meat, fish, shellfish, vegetables and even fruit—to flavor a risotto. To name just a few: pureed shrimp, bone marrow and saffron, Belgian endive, asparagus, pumpkin and yes, even fruits like strawberry or cherry. Indeed, it’s a great way to use up spare vegetables and other bits and pieces of leftovers.
But before we get into the fancy stuff, let’s take a look at the basic recipe…
And now that you’ve learned the basic method, here are a couple of risotto recipes to get you started, cycling through the seasons starting with spring:
Risotto agli asparagi (Asparagus Risotto)
Perhaps my favorite way to enjoy asparagus is in a risotto. My method for making risotto agli asparagi involves using the asparagus three different ways to take full advantage of its lovely flavor. The woody bottoms of the asparagus, which you’d otherwise throw away, simmer in water along with aromatics to make a vegetarian broth for cooking the rice. The tender tips are blanched then sautéed in butter for the garnish. The rest gets chopped up for cooking along with the rice itself. And when I’m feeling extravagant, I add a nice chunk of soft cheese like a robiola or taleggio for stirring into the rice at the end along with the usual grated parmigiano-reggiano.
Risotto all’Amarone e ciliegie (Risotto with Cherries and Amarone Wine)
Fruit based risotti are a thing in Italian cookery, perhaps the best known being a springtime risotto made with strawberries. When they’re in season, cherries are a fine choice for making a fruit risotto. When they’re in season, cherries are a fine choice for making a fruit risotto. When they’re in season, cherries are a fine choice for making a fruit risotto. But when they’re in season, cherries also make a fine risotto. It might seem odd, but personally I find these risotti very appealing. They have just a hint of sweetness. And the fruit pairs well with the savory broth and even better with the butter and cheese finish.
Risotto ai funghi (Mushroom Risotto)
Here’s a lovely way to welcome the onset of autumn, with a risotto flavored with the most iconic of Autumn vegetables. This straightforward recipe can be made with either fresh or dried mushrooms.
Risotto alla zucca (Pumpkin Risotto)
Risotto alla zucca, or pumpkin risotto, is one of the most popular autumn and winter risottos. Zucca is Italian for pumpkin, but Italian pumpkins are quite different from their American cousins: their taste is more intense and much sweeter, their texture finer, less fibrous. But luckily there are any number of winter squashes you can substitute.
But wait, there’s more...!
Have we whet your appetite for even more risotto recipes? Click below for a full listing of the risotto recipes you’ll find on our website: