Going Stir-Crazy with Risotto
Why we love this workout of a dish
Issue 14: From Dana
To stir or not to stir risotto: it’s one of those Big Kitchen Debates cooks get all worked up about. The traditional northern Italian method has you standing at the stove stirring with all your might from start to finish, coaxing the starch out of the rice while gradually adding hot broth. Italian nonnas from Milan to Mantua have been doing it this way since the dish originated in the rice-producing Po Valley sometime in the 1800s, but nowadays impatient cooks and food writers—Melissa Clark among them in The New York Times just this week—are proponents of an easier (and easier-on-the-arm) way.
I’m all for a good-spirited kitchen debate; after all, one of the most empowering things you can learn from cooking is that there are more ways than one to make any dish. And we love a good shortcut here at The Dynamite Shop! But with all due respect to those risotto rebels, I’m unapologetically on Team Forever Stir.
Making risotto the traditional way is great exercise for folks learning to cook. It engages all of your senses and requires your full attention, allowing you to soak up all the lessons as the rice soaks up the broth.
I learned how to make a classic, creamy risotto when I was writing a cookbook with the chef Mara Martin of Venice’s Osteria da Fiore, which is famous for her renditions on the dish. The first time I tasted Mara’s simple parmesan and herb risotto, it blew my mind: how could a dish with such a simple ingredient list taste this luxuriously good?
Mara’s kitchen had a station devoted to risotto with a long line of burners, each with a timer sitting above a copper pot: when an order came in, a cook would start a batch from scratch and wouldn’t stop stirring until the buzzer went off 18 minutes later. A server brought the risotto out to the table in the pot, gave it one last stir and ladled it into a shallow bowl, all’onda, as they say in Venice, like waves.
I use the recipe below as a guide, sometimes adding different chopped vegetables depending on the season. Here are a few talking points to share with the kids if you’re making it together:
Build flavor in the pan: Like most dishes, risotto starts with cooking a base of aromatics—shallots, onions, garlic, leeks, take your pick—in fat. Being a dish that hails from the dairy-producing north of Italy, risotto is heavy on the butter, but when starting the base, oil is often added as well. Why? Over at Serious Eats, J. Kenji López-Alt has some interesting theories about this and other risotto techniques (another rebel!)
Add the rice: As Marcella Hazan explains in one of my favorite stories about risotto, written by Dorothy Kalins in Saveur magazine, you don’t rinse the rice because you want all the starch you can get. You also need to choose the right variety: arborio used to be the rice of choice, but vialone nano and carnaroli are higher starch varieties that retain a nice bite in the center once the outside achieves maximum cushiness. Add the rice to the alliums and fat (and vegetables, if inclined) and toss to coat and toast, which helps the outer starch start to break down.
Pour and stir: The trick is to add only enough liquid so that the rice soaks it up quickly while stirring; once it evaporates, add more and keep stirring, being sure to clear the bottom of the pan, then repeat this process again and again. This is where risotto loses people—but stay the course! You can start with a cup of white wine, but many cooks go straight to the hot broth (hot because you want to keep the risotto simmering, not cool it down.)
You can flavor the broth with ingredients that complement whatever else you’re adding. If you’re making Risi Bisi, Venice’s spring pea risotto that’s really more of a soup, toss the pods into the broth for added flavor; or with a fresh corn and caramelized onion risotto, infuse the broth with the cobs. Parmesan rinds are always a good idea. Of course, Risotto Milanese gets its flavor and color from saffron, a vestige of the region’s spice trade.
Mount with butter: The last step is the most important: stirring in butter at the end to add a glossy finish and added richness just before serving.
The final lesson in a batch of risotto comes the day after. How can you deliciously repurpose the leftovers? Roll it into balls, fill them with knobs of mozzarella and maybe a piece of ham, batter and coat them in breadcrumbs and fry up arancini (rice balls).
As my son will attest, that’s a lesson worth waiting for.
Risotto with All The Herbs
Serves 4-6
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups short grain rice, such as arborio, vialone nano, carnaroli or sushi rice
1 packed cup mixed chopped herb leaves such as basil, dill, parsley, thyme, sage and fennel fronds, plus more for garnishing
3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) parmesan cheese, plus more for garnishing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat.
In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, about five minutes. Add the garlic and stir until aromatic, about one minute.
Add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated and toasty. Using a mug or heat-resistant measuring cup, scoop up about a cup of the hot broth and add it to the rice, stirring constantly until fully absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add another cupful of broth, stirring until fully absorbed, another 2 minutes. Keep stirring and adding more broth, a cupful at a time, making sure the broth is fully absorbed between additions, about 15 minutes.
When the rice is al dente, stir in the parmesan and the herbs and another cupful of broth and cook until the mixture is creamy. Shut off the heat, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with more parmesan, chopped herbs and a drizzle of olive oil, if you like.