Risotto Bianco

This recipe isn't exactly original, it's an Italian classic.This is a recipe that people are kind of afraid of because chefs are always saying "There's an art to it. It is simple in theory, but very easy to mess up!" I think they say that because they want to continue charging an arm and a leg for glorified cheesy rice. (Granted, it is the most creamy, vibrant, delicious cheesy rice you've ever had.) I used to be afraid of it but one of my co-workers at my last job--Yes, Ashley! I'm looking at you!-- loved to make it and she finally convinced me to give it a try earlier this year. The secret, I've found, is to have all of your ingredients prepared and measured so all you have to do is dump them in the pan when the time comes for them to be added. I started out with a spring greens risotto by Sarah Raven. You can find it in her book, In Season. Now I've sort of amalgamated her recipes into one basic risotto bianco so "when you find yourself in the thick of it, help yourself to to a bit of what is all around you!"

6 cups chicken stock or broth*

4 tbsp butter

1tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

2-1/2 cups Arborio rice

1 to 1-1/2 cups white wine**

4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese***

Start out by putting your stock (or broth) into a large pan. It'll come to a boil while you are doing the next few things. In another large heavy bottomed and sort of shallow pan, saute half of your butter, the olive oil and the onions for about 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon for all your stirring. Add the garlic and saute for a minute longer. Add the Rice and stir to coat it with the fat in the pan. Add the wine, letting it bubble up and evaporate. Then you'll begin adding your hot stock, one ladle full at a time. When you do this you want to be constantly stirring the rice. Make sure the previous ladle full of liquid is absorbed by the rice before you add the next. If you want to time it out, it should take about 20-25 minutes for you to integrate all of the liquid, so you'll be stirring for about 3 or 4 minutes for each addition of the liquid. Once you've added all the stock, turn off the heat and quickly stir in the remaining butter and the cheese. The consistancy should be like hot fresh rice pudding, so it'll coat a spoon, but it won't stick to it. When you bite into the rice, it shouldn't be mushy, but it shouldn't be chalky either. Just a nice al dente.

P.S. I didn't put this in the list of ingredients, but I've had this benefit very nicely from a light dusting of lemon zest being stirred in with the cheese and butter.


I'm convinced that Martha My Dear is an encrypted recipe for risotto. Just think of Martha as metaphor for your wooden spoon. Haha! Hey, people have heard crazier things in a Beatles song!

*I don't think it matters so much which you use, but you do need to use one or the other. If you're a little short on whichever of the two you decide to use, I've cut it with water before, and it turned out fine.

** If you don't want to go out of your way to buy wine for this, or you just don't like cooking with wine, I've substituted with water plenty of times with great success!

***Any hard cheese will do. It's a great way to use leftover bits!