I'm sure you'll get lots of recipes and tips, but this is one that's always worked for me.

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

RISOTTO CON PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO

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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
5 cups canned low-salt chicken broth -- (about)
4 tablespoons butter -- (1/2 stick)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Shaved Parmesan cheese

Bring broth to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover saucepan.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion; sauté until very tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Add rice and stir 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups warm broth. Boil gently until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add another 1 cup broth; stir until broth is absorbed. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and 1 cup grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and shaved Parmesan.

Makes 4 First-Course or 6 Side-Dish Servings.

Bon Appétit
May 1997
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I did a search for that thread, too. No luck.

Here's my own recipe, with notes:

RISOTTO GIUSEPPE

Serves 4; probably 8 as a small side dish to chicken

Ingredients

5 cups light chicken broth*
½ cup white wine
4 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, diced fine
1 cup Arborio (or other risotto-type) rice
4 Tbs butter
4 medium mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups, loose spinach, chopped
1 Tbs parsley, chopped
1 Tbs basil, chopped
1 Tbs parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Combine and heat chicken broth and wine**. Keep just warm.

In a large pan over medium high heat, heat three Tbs of the olive oil to sauté the onion and carrots; sweat the onions until soft.

Meanwhile in a separate sauté pan, heat butter and remaining olive oil. Quickly cook the mushrooms and garlic. Turn heat to low, add spinach, parsley, and basil, toss and cook until just wilted. Remove from heat.

Add the rice to the carrots and onions and cook, 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is opaque.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup of the stock-wine mix. Stir and cook until liquid is nearly gone. Add another 1/2 cup stock-wine, stir, cook, until liquid is nearly gone. Repeat until stock from the saucepan is all used (but 1/4 cup) and risotto is soft***.

Add mushroom and spinach mix plus the parmesan cheese to the rice, mix thoroughly, stir in the remaining stock and serve immediately.

* I make my own chicken broth and usually cook it for about an hour. But for using it in risotto, I ladle out some at the 1/2-hour mark. It boils down and concentrates during the risotto cooking process and I find straight-up broth gets a bit heavy.

** the traditional method for risotto is to pour in the wine after the rice is heated in the olive oil, to deglaze the pan. I find it works equally well when added with the broth and it saves a step.

*** some risotto recipes (or books on risotto) say that authentic risotto is finished at slight al dente. Not for me.

I have many other risotto recipes but I think the above might be the best one with chicken.

Joe

Mine is "same thing only different"...being the lazy soul that I am, I try to use only one pan....it's my Le C dutch oven.
2 T butter
2 T evoo
heat and sautee the white part of
6 green onions ( save the green) and
6 oz chopped mushrooms...I like porto bellas best for this.
When the shrooms and the onion are almost done, add
3 cloves of garlic, chopped or thinly sliced...sautee another minute.
Scoop the veggies out of the pot, add
another 2 T EVOO and when it begins to shimmer add
1 cup arboria rice.
Cook on medium high stirring until every grain is coated with oil and the rice begins to turn translucent....add
1/2 cup dry white wine all at once, turn the heat way down and when the wine has almost boiled away, begin adding the warm chicken broth a cup at a time you will need:
5 to 6 cups of chicken broth, preferably home made.
Stir about every minute ( you can do other things while it's cooking, but you need tos tir often) and as soon as one cup of broth is absorbed, add another.
When you have added 4 cups of broth,
chop the onion greens and add to the rice, add another cup of broth and test the rice....it should be chewey but not raw and there should be a creamy "sauce" in the pan....add more chicken broth if it's not at that stage.
As soon as it gets done, turn off the heat, and add
1/4 cup parm Reggiano and
2 T chopped fresh parsley and serve.

I have had risotto that was wonderful with no "pieces of stuff" in it....I can only assume that the way to get the flavor was to have a very very rich and flavorful broth.
Maybe I'll make some risotto tonight....
Linda C

linda:

I would LOVE to be able to do all this in one pan. How do you get "warm chicken broth" without another pan.

And you make a point -- when one is making a "plain" risotto, then it becomes imperative to have a tasty stock/broth. Because of the concentrating effects of the process, I think a regular-strength stock/broth is plenty. But it MUST be a good, not salty/phony stock.

When I add "pieces of stuff", they are the flavoring, not the stock/broth.

Also, I no longer use saffron in any of my risotto (and you do not show it in your recipe, Linda). It, in itself, adds a heap of flavor. Not my favorite taste.

Joe

Cindy, do you have a pressure cooker? Makes risotto very easy.

Or, if you have a pressure cooker, there's an even easier method. Saute the onion and rice, then add 3 1/2 c. cold broth for 1 1/2 c. rice, whatever other add-ins that need to be cooked for the entire time (peas, asparagus tips, etc. need to be added at the end). Slap the lid on, bring it up to pressure, cook for 6 minutes, release the pressure. Perfect risotto, no stirring needed.

I don't use saffron...it dominates....the chicken broth is warmed in the microwave.
I usually have "stuff" in my risotto....but am remembering one fabulous 4 star place in Venice...it was just off Piaza San Marco...think it was Do Forni....the risotto was fabulous and there was no "stuff" in it, just flavor!

Thank you all so much! I'm copying & pasting for my recipe file.
Becky, since you were the first one to post, and I had all the ingredients, I made yours. It was super for my first attempt! Maybe a bit salty as I didn't have the lower sodium chicken broth, but DH didn't notice.
Joe & Linda, yours sound great, too. I can just imagine the spinach, garlic, mushroom, basil combos! I'll sure be making risotto more often.
I did use my Le Creuset, but I've never owned a pressure cooker. My grandpa always used one, and it seems there was always a fear about them "blowing up!" I'm sure that's not the case now, just haven't had a need or the space to have one.

As others have said, the basic technique (for the stovetop) is to saute whatever aromatics you're using, toast the rice, then add your first ladle of stock. Keep both the pot of stock and the risotto at a gentle simmer, and keep adding stock, a ladle at a time, waiting until it's absorbed before adding the next ladle. When the tenderness is to your liking, you're done. It should take about 20 or 25 minutes to be done. Veggies can be added whenever, cheese and cream at the end.