Risotto is easy; don't be put off by all the palaver, writes Hugo Arnold.
Ubiquitous on so many restaurant menus these days, the simple combination of rice and a few other ingredients, along with stock, runs a fine line. Balance is all in a risotto. Some years ago, when touring one of the many riserias in the Po Valley in northern Italy, I was reminded of this. We use mostly Arborio rice, but the Po region still produces a huge number of different varieties, and we tasted three risotti made with different rices. The size of the grain varied there, as did the apparent creaminess, but the flavour variations were beyond me. Try as I might, the supposedly nuttier one seemed rather similar to the other two.
Whichever rice you chose, the process remained the same and the cook had to "get in touch" with the rice. This seemed to be the secret to producing something which was a risotto, rather than a plate of tasty rice.
If all this sounds like too much art and not enough science, I can only say that after 10 years of cooking risotti, I know exactly when I succeed, and when I fail. Mood, approach and attention are the keys to success.
So, to the rules. Onions are the usual starting point, and these have to be cooked so they do not colour, but soften, releasing the inherent sugars. This can take as long as 20 minutes, and needs careful attention to make sure they don't catch in the hot oil. A little salt helps to draw out the moisture, and water is useful if, towards the end, the mixture is drying out too quickly.
The rice needs to be a short-grain Arborio, or Vialone Nano or Carnaroli (there are also Baldo and Padano varieties, but these are harder to come by). The main advantage of the Vialone and Carnaroli are their ability to "hold" when they are cooked, which is why they are often used in restaurants. Once Arborio is cooked, you need to serve it quickly, which is why your guests should be waiting for the risotto rather than the other way round.
Toasting the rice is one of the key stages. Many Italian cooks will tell you it has to "sing"; in practice this means the rice needs to squeak on the bottom of the pan, which means cooking it with the onion mixture for a good five minutes while taking care that nothing catches. The purpose here is to start to release the starch, which is what makes risotto creamy (chefs often cheat and add cream to achieve a similar effect). Next, add the stock a ladleful at a time, allowing it to be absorbed by the rice before adding more. However, if you have toasted the rice sufficiently, in my experience, you can get away with adding two or three ladlefuls at a time.
Two further points are worth noting. It is generally accepted that you should have no more than three ingredients in a risotto, in addition to the rice. This might be spring vegetables, or several different kinds of mushrooms. Any more than three and the whole assembly becomes too much of a mixed basket. Secondly, the rice is meant to be complemented, not ridden roughshod over, and this should be considered when deciding what to add to it.
Finally, the finishing is important. The idea of ending with a splash of vermouth or white wine is to give a little acidity, and the addition of cheese and butter should be done by tasting as you go.