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Risotto is one of those things that sounds fancy, but is honestly pretty budget friendly and easy if you get to know it. It’s only drawback is that it requires constant attention for about 30 minutes, but its tastiness will reward your for your effort in full! Unsure of what it is or how to even make it? No worries at all! I myself only learned about it in the last 10 years and made it for the first time in the last 5 years. I grew up with its distant long grain cousins like basmati. I wanted to share an easy, DIY recipe for risotto, because not only is it fantastic, but it is mostly made from shelf stable goods, which is perfect for meal making in the time of Coronavirus / COVID-19. It can be served as an appetizer, side, or even a main dish. There’s lot’s of versatility with this recipe, so surely you’ll be able to create a version you love.

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SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE BASE RECIPE. Keep reading for a little history and tips.

Before you stress yourself out over this dish, know that it is literally just rice. “Risotto” stems from the Italian word “riso’ which means “rice.” Though the dish itself was created in Italy, the rice was brought over from Arabian culture. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure which country it came from. Anything I’ve researched just say “the Arabs brought it over”, which is super vague and generic. Regardless, they brought it over around 14th century BC and the short grain rice began to grow and thrive in Northern Italy due its flat and humid state.

Now, you can’t whip up a batch of risotto with just any rice! So what rice should you use? In short (pun intended), you want to find short grain, Italian rice. Why? Because short grain rice is starchier, holds it shape, absorbs less liquid. Aborio rice is what I use and is the most common to find, but you can also use Carnaroli, Vialone, Nano, and Baldot. Just a side note, while I do rinse and soak my long grain rice before cooking, I do not rinse short grain rice when making risotto. If you rinse it, you will remove some of its starchy nature and it will not turn out as sticky and risotto-like.

Okay so the whole reason I wanted to share this with you is because 1) I received a lot of questions the other week when I made risotto, asking if I had a recipe and 2) during this time of quarantine it is really hard to go to the store with an exact recipe in mind. It’s been pretty easy for me to find broth, risotto rice, and parmesan, so it’s one of our repeat offender recipes right now. PLUS, you can literally add whatever you want to it and make what I deem as “empty the fridge risotto”. Tonight we are going to use up leftover mushrooms - getting a veggie in and making sure we don’t waste food!

BASE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

4 cups broth (I like to use Kettle and Fire bone broth)
1 1/2 cup arborio rice (do not rinse)
2 TBS unsalted butter
1/4 cup onion minced (shallot, any onion preference, leek, scallion / green onion - you can also use about 1 tsp of onion powder or 1 TBS minced dried onion)
2 garlic cloves minced (you can also use 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar (white wine, red wine, apple cider… I usually use white wine vinegr)
1/2 cup parmesan (pecorino or manchego also works if you want sheep’s milk instead of cow’s milk, you want a nutty cheese)

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. If using onion powder / garlic powder, you can add them at the same time and cook them for about 30 seconds. Add rice stir / let it cook for another minute. You are “toasting” the rice. I also will add some fresh herbs in with the rice if I have any.
Add vinegar of choice and pour a bit of broth into the rice along with it, stirring constantly. Let the liquid subside, then add a little bit more broth, let it subside, then repeat until the broth is gone! There’s not an exact science to this in how much to add. I usually just pour what I think we would be 3-4 TBS each time and call it a day. This usually takes me between 25 - 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and mix in your cheeses, starting with parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I don’t usually add salt unless I’m using truffle finishing salt, but I do add pepper. This is the step where you can personalize it! Add extra herbs, toppings, etc! Tonight when I’m making it, I am adding in sautéed and seasoned mushrooms and a little truffle oil. Almost always I add in an extra 1/2 cup of cheese to add to the flavor, usually along the lines of goat cheese or a smoked gouda.

This heats up nicely and quite frankly I think it tastes good cold! We usually get about 4 meals out of it.

FLAVOR IDEAS:

Goat Cheese (add 1/2 cup of goat cheese at the end)

Pesto (add 1/4 cup pesto at the end, maybe even throw in some extra pine nuts too)

Lemon Asparagus (sauté asparagus and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon while cooking them, then use the other half over the risotto. Add zest for an extra kick!)

Truffle Mushroom (sauté mushrooms and add a tsp of truffle oil)

Cacio e Pepe (Add a couple twists of fresh ground pepper each time you add broth! Add some lemon zest for a little something extra.)

Pumpkin Risotto (I’ve made this one A TON. It is so dang good)

Mint and Feta (add 1/2 cup feta cheese at the end or even just sprinkle it atop plated risotto, along with about 1/4 cup of minced mint)

Really the possibilities are endless! Traditional parmesan risotto works well as a side for a steak, but add some shrimp to it and you have a main course. I think the pesto would go great with salmon, and hey the feta and mint one is calling for some leg of lamb. Bacon and brussels sprouts sound like an amazing combo too! Risotto is also a great opportunity to hide vegetables, so get them in!! Do you have a favorite risotto recipe? Let me know! I love it so.

RECIPES THAT ARE ALSO GOOD WITH SHELF STABLE ITEMS:

Black Bean Burgers

Gnocchi

Rice Bowls

Tuna Salad