I’ve had my box of Arborio rice for almost over a year now, but never came around to making some risotto. Not because I’m not a fan, but because I was quite intimidated. The box of rice remained vacuum-sealed so I wasn’t so worried (once open, it is advisable that you store it in the refrigerator, else it will go bad really soon).
Once I got down to making it, it was fun. Indian readers, think of it as an Italian khichdi – no really, that’s all it is. 
What’s more, all the carbs and fat gets balanced off by the workout you get by stirring away rice and adding the broth ladle by ladle. That said, Alton Brown does say that you don’t really need to stir it constantly, but I’d just wanted to be absolutely sure the first time I made risotto. Another thing I only recently learned is that a quick way of making the risotto would be to cook it in a pressure cooker and it will be ready sooner than you think! The only thing I don’t like about risottos is that they cannot be made ahead of time since they absorb in all the moisture and the dish gets quite dry.
Risotto can be made with a lot many variations – with seafood, herbs, spices, mushrooms, cheese, and what have you. What’s interesting is that you don’t really need so add much cheese because the rice is extremely starchy; it assists in attaining that perfect creamy texture.
Some Risotto do’s and don’t:
- Choose a heavy pan with a thick bottom and sides to help distribute heat evenly.
- It’s best to buy thoroughly cleaned risotto rice because you want to avoid rising it as the creamy texture is attained by the starch on the rice.
- It’s best to use homemade broth. Follow Alton Brown’s recipe – you won’t be disappointed.
- Always let the broth simmer while adding it ladle by ladle. Keeping both, the rice and broth at similar temperatures will help in achieving the texture sooner; which means being kind to your arm.
Here I’ve tried to replicate a risotto I had at a local restaurant. It was extremely creamy and luscious 3 cheese risotto with asparagus and toasted hazelnuts (I’m not a fan of nuts in my food, but the hazelnuts give it an amazing bite to it – really shouldn’t omit it!)
Three Cheese Risotto with Asparagus and Hazelnuts
1 onion, chopped
400g Arborio rice
150 ml dry white wine
1.5l vegetable or chicken stock , simmering
60g asparagus, the tough ends trimmed and then blanched
2 tbsp butter
50g Pecorino Romano with truffle bits, grated
50g Gruyere cheese, grated
50g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated. Some more for the table.
30g hazelnuts, toasted
- In a heavy bottomed pan heat the butter and oil together. Add the onion and cook on a low flame until soft and translucent
- Add the rice and stir on a high heat for a few minutes. Keep stirring, or the rice will stick. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated.
- Turn down the flame now. Add the stock a ladle at a time. Keep stirring until all the stock has been absorbed, then add some more! You might not require all the stock, so keep checking on it. The grain should be nice and plump to look at and have a slight bite to it. I like to add a few spoonfuls of extra broth because I like my risotto to be a little looser than usual – you can avoid that if you like. Add salt if the broth is not salty enough. Also, add the asparagus at this point.
- Turn off the heat and then beat in the butter and pecorino, gruyere and half the parmigiano reggiano cheese. Stir until everything has come together beautifully. Cover it with a lid for a minute. Then serve immediately. Stir in the hazelnuts just before serving. Top with the rest of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
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