The Perfect Risotto

Risotto is an exquisite dish that has migrated from the exquisite northern regions of Italy. It’s a gorgeous dish that tastes just as good as it looks, and preparing a prodigious risotto doesn’t require as much work as some people might think it would. Follow these three simple steps, and you can have a bare and creamy plate of risotto by yourself.

To prepare the risotto you will have to first gather some fresh ingredients; risotto is a dish that is best prepared with a lot of fresh garden-harvested ingredients. In terms of greens, you need a hand full of green basil spring leaves, 4 zucchinis, a large garlic clove, and a slice of yellow-pure lemon. On the other hand, you might also need to visit the store to get chicken or vegetable stock, virgin olive oil, carnaroli risotto rice, a block of parmesan and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to burn off the risotto with.

After you’ve gathered all the necessary ingredients listed above, it is time to start pre heating the oven and start preparing your ingredients. To start off, the 4 zucchinis should be cut into 2 slices per zucchini and placed on an iron tray skin down. A drizzle of virgin olive oil, a cluster of heavy seasoning and rich garlic slices to the tray and the zucchinis should be ready for a 30-minute session in the oven. Consequently, after the zucchinis have finished heating, they should be left to rest and cool down. That will cause the zucchinis to naturally separate the flesh from the useless skin and hence it is then easy to separate the squash part from the skin. Secondly, its time to add the rich stock you acquired into a thick cast iron saucepan. The stock, whether it is vegetable or chicken stock, should be let to slowly simmer with no pressure or movement.

You will notice after 3-5 minutes that the stock starts to release heat bubbles and produce light broth, and that’s when you know its time to add a tablespoon of olive oil and the thick carnaroli rice grains. As the rice cooks, the golden carnaroli grains will start absorbing the gauzy stock and producing a broth-like substance as well. That means its time to add a consignment of your fine Sauvignon Blanc wine to reduce the stock broth and get very light and golden colored carnaroli rice grains for your risotto. The wine will reduce your risotto and stock and leave behind a very exotic and light scent of luxury, but don’t worry, all the alcohol is burned off as the risotto is being cooked. Last but not least, after all the stock and wine you have added has been reduced along with the risotto, the mush zucchinis are to be added to the pan and cooked with the crisp golden rice grains to get a thick puree with carnaroli; your risotto.

As you start cooking the risotto with the zucchinis, you will start to notice that the mixture starts to get very thick and heavy in about 3 to 5 minutes of cooking. It is important that at this time, you start to pay very close attention to the way your rice is cooking. This is because as the mixture gets thick, it can start to burn as the heat has evaporated all the water. So when you notice a very thick lump has formed, that is your signal to add more of your stock to the risotto. This means that you will still have a consistent risotto but not too consistent and not too runny. The broth from the stock gives it a lighter texture and causes the risotto to actually settle and loosen up a bit; just like a massage on a stressful day of work. However, make sure you don’t put so much stock to the point where your risotto is just as runny and loose as soup.

The third and final step is to bring together all components from the previous steps and assemble your risotto. Based on the above ingredients and instructions, you should have enough risotto to feed 4 people. I personally use 8-inch rimmed bowls which are great for holding the risotto and also great in giving it a very elegant and simple look. Risotto is an Italian claim to fame; it is indeed the staple in some northern regions of Italy, where it is frequently favored over pasta. So when you start preparing it, really do take care of every single grain and make it really worth the time and effort you put in to it. The steps to acquire a perfect portion of risotto in a bowl are simple, starting with a worthy spatula. Scoop 2-3 rounds of risotto to fill your bowl. After you’ve filled the bowl to the top, its time for the second step, which is to get a block of aged Parmesan grate it over the risotto.

Given the heat produced, you should have an extra creamy layer of Parmesan cheese after it melts that also gives a really nice scent. Remember those basil spring leaves? Its time to put the spring leaves to good use and garnish our plate with them. Use 4 of the leaves and rest them around the plate as if it were a compass. The third and final step is to drizzle a table of olive oil over the risotto for a light but rich flavor with every bite. Completing all those simple and short steps should give you a very appetizing risotto. Keep in mind that you can very much exchange some of the flavorsome ingredients above for you personal predilection. For example, the type of wine used or the rice grains used; you can use Arborio rice, which is another fine type of Italian production. It is important however, to follow all the above steps in their chronological order to ensure that you get the best possible dish.