Risotto did not come into my life until much later than it should have, I hate to admit. I was in my mid 20s before experiencing this adult version of cheesy rice. I've made and shared lots of risotto recipes here before but again, I made a cheesy rice mistake! Until now, I've not shared a version of basic risotto!
There are a lot of things people say about risotto. That it's too hard to make, it takes too long. It even showed up in Hillary Clinton's emails when John Podesta discussed the science behind why it requires attention and stirring. But don't listen to any of the nonsense (do listen to Podesta though here, he ain't wrong!) because you can make risotto on a weeknight and still enjoy it AND still have time to get the dishes in the dishwasher.
In fact, I timed the liquid part of the risotto from the time I added the wine to the time I removed it from heat. It clocked in at 12 minutes and 22 seconds. This is in keeping with Emeril's edict that perfect risotto should be cooked for 18 minutes — I was pretty close here! In between stirs, because it doesn't have to be constant, you can load the dishes in the dishwasher, or clear off the table, or any number of small kitchen-y tasks that'll set you up for an easier evening ahead. Just give it a good stir every few minutes, and if you're cooking for 18-19 minutes, that's like, seven stirs, maybe.
Basic Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion finely diced
- 1 cup white wine like Pinot Grigio
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Add in the onions and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Try not to let them brown.
- In a separate, smaller saucepan, heat the vegetable or chicken stock over medium heat, it doesn't need to simmer, just to be warmed through.
- Once the onions have cooked for 3 minutes, add the rice and stir to coat. Let the rice toast for 2 minutes.
- Add the cup of white white and turn the heat to medium high. Let the wine absorb into the rice.
- Use a measuring cup to scoop a cup of warm stock to add to the rice. Stir to mix in. Add the thyme here.
- Add a cup of stock and let absorb, and then add in any vegetables here is using. Finish with the final cup of stock but don't let it absorb all the way at the end.
- Before all of the liquid absorbs, remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice from half a lemon (or the 1 tablespoon of lemon juice). Salt and pepper to taste.
In addition to making basic risotto, I also made asparagus risotto at the same time, because asparagus is still (barely) in season and oh so delicious right now. But feel free to sub in all sorts of upcoming summer veggies like corn, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peas, and vegetables I can't even think of right now.
If you're still not sold on the risotto stirring, there are other tried and true methods that still result in a pretty solid version including risotto in a dutch oven, and risotto in an Instant Pot. But no matter which version you choose to go with, I do encourage you to make risotto a part of your life, not the least because it reheats amazingly for lunch the next day.