What is the secret to a good risotto?

The secret to any good recipe, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, is love.

Ick. Cheesy, right? But it’s true. If your food is made with care and attention - like you’re cooking for someone you love every time – it will taste better.

The secret to a good risotto, however, relies on three things: patience, seasoning and good method.

To me, it’s the height of comfort food. Perfectly cooked rice in a creamy and, hopefully, cheesy sauce. A crisp topping to break up the texture and satisfy my mouth’s need to bite something (otherwise, we may as well be eating baby food…) It’s versatile, satisfying and, when made the right way, quite heavenly.

What is Risotto?

It’s a traditional Northern Italian dish made with a starchy, shorter grained rice, such as Arborio or Carnaroli.

Rice was introduced to Italy via the Arab occupation of Sicily in the 10^th Century. It was cultivated in the South of the mainland, before making its way North. It’s believed that the Northern regions of Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto birthed this classic dish in the 15^th-16^th Century.

While you might hear it referred to as a peasant dish, I feel like it’s simply typical of Italian cuisine. If there’s one thing Italy can teach the rest of the world, it’s how to take a few humble, seasonal ingredients and celebrate them. Italian food is all about getting the best out of your ingredients. Of course, it helps if you start with excellent quality produce.

What are the steps of making risotto?

While recipes vary hugely depending on where you are and what season you’re in, the fundamental steps of cooking this creamy rice dish are as follows:

1. Sauté

Using onions? Garlic? Both (don’t tell the Italians!)? Then you need to gently sauté them to release vb. all that fragrance and tang. Let them get soft and jammy before you add your rice to the pan, soaking up all of those juices.

2. Season

Seasoning is what will lift your dish from simple to sending your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Once your grains have been added to the pan, season everything, and do it well. Be generous with the salt and use herbs and spices that compliment your other ingredients. Remember: if it grows together, it goes together. Use herbs that are in season at the same time to create a magically satisfying taste.

3. Stock

Have your stock ready to go! Get this prepped first, so that it’s warm. Each recipe will call for different amounts and types of stock. In my honest opinion, chicken stock is the most versatile and will go with so many different ingredients. You’ll only be adding one spoonful of stock at a time to gently cook the rice, different to a paella, for example, where all the liquid is added at once.

4. Stir

It’s important to lovingly stir your pan. This isn’t an arm workout, so relax. Take your time. Gently push it around the pan every few minutes. The goal here is to agitate the starch as it cooks – this is what helps give us a creamy finish.

5. Serve

And season again! As if it were a ritual at the altar of a goddess, whenever I get to the last spoonful of stock, I do the following:

• Add a boat-load of grated hard cheese (in this house, usually Grana Padano)

• Add a generous knob of butter.

• Finish with black pepper.

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This is a winning combination, no matter my choice of ingredients.

Some of my favourite toppings or ingredients to include are:

• Pan-fried asparagus or broccoli

• Pancetta

• Spicy chorizo

• Mushrooms

• Leftover roast chicken

  
  

Do you stir risotto while cooking?

Yes. Stirring is one of the most vital steps of any recipe.

The grains of rice need to rub together in the liquid to release their starch. This helps thicken your sauce and will leave you with a lovely, creamy dish. As it cooks, you’ll want to stir gently, ensuring the stock is fully incorporated. However, at the end, when it comes to adding in butter and cheese, you should aim to stir a little more vigorously to really cream it up!

How to make risotto at home:

Here are some easy recipes for you to try at home. Remember the 5 key steps to making it, and feel free to add your own twist with different seasoning or toppings!

Find Easy Risotto Recipes

What not to do when making risotto:

If you want to make the best dish possible, here’s what to avoid:

• Using too little liquid: your rice will feel undercooked and hard.

• Not stirring enough: there won’t be enough starch, and therefore your sauce won’t be creamy enough.

• Under-seasoning: it needs ample seasoning, otherwise it can taste very bland.

• Being scared of the butter: the butter, alongside the starches, will help make your recipe even creamier - trust me, add a little bit extra!

• Over cooking the rice: this will make it a hot pile of mush, and that’s not the texture we’re aiming for!

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The secret to a good risotto is this:

Time, proper seasoning and following a solid method are the secret to achieving a good risotto. In fact not just good, superb. The finished dish should be creamy, well-cooked (but not over) and have plenty of flavour.

It should feel like a hug from your favourite grandparent.

Happy cooking x