Perhaps there is no person who would not have heard about Italian cuisine at least once. More and more people, having visited sunny Italy, become fans of Mediterranean dishes. Risotto can be attributed to the main national dish. Arborio rice, which has a soft creamy texture, is most suitable for its preparation. This is the most popular of all varieties; its short, oval-shaped, grains do not boil soft and do not stick together during cooking. For an even creamier risotto, use Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice.
To make 4 large servings of risotto you will need:
Rice 350-400 gr.
1 bulb
1/2 cup good quality dry white wine
Asparagus
polka dots
Broth (per 100 gr. rice about 500 ml of broth)
Butter 30 gr.
Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper to taste
Before you start cooking the dish, boil the broth in advance. For risotto, it is best to use chicken, but you can use beef or vegetable – which one you like. Parsley, thyme, celery, green onions can be added to the broth, a little salt. Just don’t forget to strain the broth afterwards. Asparagus (asparagus) can be taken frozen or cooked fresh. Remove the skin from the stems with a knife, moving from the middle of the head down. Fibrous tree-like tips just break off. After dousing with cold water, tie in a bunch of 6-8 stems. Depending on their thickness, you need to boil in sweetened water for about 5-8 minutes, making sure that the stems do not become soft. Then take out, remove the thread and rinse in cold, lightly salted water, cut into pieces.
It is better to cook risotto in a deep saucepan, so the temperature is distributed evenly throughout the container, although a deep frying pan can also be used. Melt half of the cooked butter and fry the finely chopped onion in it. Be careful – the bow should not change color. When it is slightly discolored, add rice to it and mix thoroughly for about 1 minute. Each grain should be covered with oil. Now you can pour the wine. Use only high quality, unsweetened. Bad wine will only spoil the dish. Let the wine boil away; all alcohol must evaporate. Now it’s time for the pre-cooked broth. Remember – you need to pour only hot broth. Keep it side by side on the stove in a separate saucepan. Cover the rice with broth about a quarter. Actually, risotto is a way of cooking rice. You can’t take a break for a minute. Make sure that the broth does not boil away and constantly stir the rice, which will gradually absorb the liquid. Add broth little by little as needed. If you hesitate, the rice will burn and the risotto will be spoiled. By the way, Arborio rice is cooked for exactly 18 minutes. The grains become soft on the outside, but remain a little hard in the center. It’s called “al dente”.e. “on the tooth”. Be careful with salt, remember that Parmesan cheese that you add at the end of cooking is a little brackish.
5 minutes before the end of the risotto, add the peas and asparagus. If you are using frozen foods, thaw them in the microwave or boil them first. Put the remaining butter and grated Parmesan cheese, mix everything thoroughly. Now you can remove the pan from the heat and leave the risotto alone for a minute. Spread it only on warmed plates, you can also sprinkle cheese on top.
Having dealt with the basics of making risotto, you can safely replace one ingredient with another. And then, depending on your mood, you can cook a light and vegetarian or meat and hearty risotto.