Good things come to those who wait. Risotto makes you wait!
When I recently made my slow-cooked braised beef short ribs, my daughter requested more than just a simple starch to go with it. One of her favorite dishes in the whole wide world is risotto, and though I’ve never made it before, I knew it wasn’t difficult…just time consuming. Well, a recent rainy Saturday was the perfect day to give it a try.
Like many great Italians dishes, risotto requires love. It requires patience. And it requires few ingredients, but they need to be the best quality ingredients you can get your hands on.
This dish is gluten-free, and vegetarian if you use vegetable stock. (It’s not vegan because of the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice (basmati is a good substitute)
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, kept warm on the stove top (homemade is best)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
In a large pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onions and sauté them until they’re translucent.
Add the garlic and sauté for 10 seconds.
Add the rice and stir really well, so that every bit of the rice gets coated with the butter and oil mixture.
Add the wine, and stir gently, letting the rice absorb it.
Add a ladle of the stock to the rice, stirring gently, letting it absorb all the stock. Only once the stock has been absorbed do you add another ladle of stock. Repeat this process until all the stock has been used and the rice has softened. This should take about 25 minutes, and you need to be standing there, stirring gently, the entire time.
Just before the last bit of stock has been absorbed, add the parsley and the peas.
Stir for a bit and then add the grated cheese.
Serve immediately!
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