Easy Garlic Parmesan Risotto Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good risotto? ›

1. Always use warm stock. Warming the broth before adding it to the warm rice coaxes more starch out of each grain of rice and helps prevent it from overcooking. Cool broth takes longer to warm up in the risotto pan and may shock the grain into holding onto its starches while the rice itself continues to cook.

The key is to spread the rice out into a thin, uniform layer so that it cools rapidly and evenly. Giving it a few gentle stirs as it starts to cool can hasten the process. *If you're cooking your risotto in a pressure cooker, just cut the cooking time down by about 25%, and leave out the last spoonful of liquid.

We par cook it. We make the recipe without finishing it with cream or butter or cheese. We pour the hot risotto onto a sheet tray to cool quickly and then store it in a container. Once we are ready to serve, we reheat the risotto with a little chicken stock, and finish with cream, butter, and some parmesan cheese.

Mario Batali said that risotto isn't finicky in the middle - so you can cook it part way, cool it down (I think he said he spread it on sheet pans to cool quickly), then you can add hot stock and cook it from that point, so you've already got a 10 minute head start.

According to Salvatore, it all depends on the ingredients. The chef prefers oil over butter (and oil works particularly well with seafood risottos), but butter is better for vegetable-based dishes like Rampoldi's black truffle with mushroom or mixed vegetable and ginger risotto.

If you are able to get white wine vinegar then you can add a tablespoon of this to the rice and let it boil away before adding any stock and this will often give some of the flavour of wine, whilst reducing the alcohol content.

Mascarpone

If you're looking to make your risotto even more creamy and rich, a dollop of mascarpone is the answer. The spoonable cheese is as buttery and luxe as it comes. It won't add the salty flavor that other cheeses will, so it's best to use it in combination with classic Parm.

To serve risotto as it's done in Italy, make sure you have a flat plate. Using a ladle, pour the hot risotto into the center of the plate and let it naturally spread from the center towards the edges. After pouring the risotto, give the bottom of the plate a few light taps with the palm of your hand.

Should you stir risotto as it cooks? ›

When cooking risotto on a stovetop, you're required to periodically stir it to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Some people, however, stir it too frequently. This adds air into the risotto, cooling it down and making it gluey.

The price is influenced by premium components like Arborio rice and specialty cheeses. Additionally, cooking is labor-intensive due to the constant stirring and attention needed, which has an impact on restaurant prices. The risotto's perceived elegance and indulgence also contribute to its increased cost.

If your risotto is still hard, it hasn't finished cooking. Keep adding more stock until it becomes al dente or your preferred texture.

Did you know you can make a delicious risotto using fragrant, long grain Royal Basmati Rice? You can! The nutty aroma of Royal Basmati Rice, morel mushrooms, saffron and plenty of parmesan cheese come together in this colorful dish full of rich flavor.

Arborio is the most popular short-grain rice for making risotto. It is capable of absorbing large amounts of liquid and produces a relatively creamy risotto with a hearty texture. Carnaroli is a plumper, larger grain of rice that has a high starch content.

By adding beans, chicken, or any seafood, they'll soak up some flavor and lend an extra texture to your risotto. Since risotto is really a blank slate for just about any ingredient, it's easy enough to add something to it to make it more of a complete meal.

The most important thing when preparing risotto is choosing the right rice, since long or sushi grains won't work. One chef favorite: carnaroli rice. Many recipes call for arborio, but longer-grained carnaroli is key to that sought-after creaminess (plus it's harder to overcook).