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HOW TO MAKE RISOTTO:
Recipe Ingredients:
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup minced onion
1 cup Arborio rice
3-4 cups HOT broth
1. Heat a heavy bottomed saucepan on LOW; melt two tablespoons butter.
2. Add the minced onions to the pan. Cook until the onions are translucent, approximately 10 minutes.
3. Add the rice to cooked onions, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for approximately 2 minutes.
DO NOT rinse the rice before cooking. Rinsing will remove the starch that gives risotto its creamy texture.
Toasting the rice coats the grains with liquid-resistant fats and prevents them from quickly absorbing the cooking liquid.
4. Ladle in enough broth to cover the rice. Stir with a wooden spoon.
Adding hot broth keeps the temperature in the pot constant without interrupting the cooking process and acts as a melding agent, releasing the rice's starch.
5. Bring mixture to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. As liquid evaporates, add more broth.
The ratio of rice to broth is approximately 1 to 3, but the amount might vary. The broth should be added in small amounts, ½ to 1 cup at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. The rice will roughly double in volume when cooked.
Begin tasting the rice after 15 minutes of cooking. Continue testing until the texture is al dente.
A properly cooked risotto is creamy (what Italians refer to as "ben mantecato"), not soupy. The grains of rice should remain "al dente" or slightly resilient to the bite.
6. Stir in the remaining butter --serve immediately. Serving immediately produces the best results--before the rice absorbs additional moisture causing a gummy texture.
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