Parmesan Risotto

I have tried several risottos and every time I do, it always fascinates me how a simple rice dish can be so tasty.  For us Filipinos, rice has always been paired with viands whether be it saucy or soup-based. But a risotto can be eaten on its own without any additional dish.

So  I finally decided to give it a try. But this time, I did a few research on how exactly it is done rather than cooking right away based solely from what I have tasted. I came up with two important facts. First, risottos are supposed to be creamy and oozy, not clumped up and sticky (about half of what I tried from various restos served me the latter). And second, you cannot use an ordinary rice. Nope. Sinandomeng, Dinurado nor malagkit won't work. It's gotta be an Italian rice like arborio, ribe or carnaroli, which I used here.

Then I decided what kind of risotto I want to cook.  That was easy.  Since I'm a sucker for cheese I thought a parmesan risotto would be the best to do. Here's the rest of the ingredients you'll need:

1 liter of stock, slowly simmered, 1/2 cup minced white onion, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (or more, adjust to your liking),  2/3 cup risotto rice, 1 cup white wine, butter (optional)

Pour the oil on a non-stick pan and heat over medium fire. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add rice and roast for a minute mixing continuously.

Add wine and simmer until the rice absorbs all the wine. Stir. Add a ladle of the stock. Continue stirring, adding another ladle of the stock whenever it dries up. Do this until your rice is cooked, which is about 12-15 minutes. When the rice is about to cook, season with salt and add the cheese. Remember to keep the rice from being all clumped up. Remove from heat, add a tablespoon of butter and mix well.

Tip: When transferring to a plate, place the risotto at the middle then tilt the plate at the sides. The rice should   be oozing. Serve immediately.

Here I added a few pan-seared scallops only as garnish.

Happy eating!

I'm on Twitter @imavjavier

Go and Share!