Published: 04/08/2021

I’m a foodie. I eat and I love to cook. It’s my biggest passion next to family and work. It’s an inspiring and delicious way to live. Today, I’m going to walk you through how I make Risotto. It could be plain risotto, it could be mushroom, asparagus or even just onion garlic risotto; the steps are the same, just pick your favorite mix-ins and enjoy the process

What is risotto

Risotto is a rice with a suit on. It’s not any old type of rice, it’s not the long grain brown rice you’d get at the grocery store. It’s specifically the Arborio rice. It’s named after a town in Italy, it’s short grain and grown all over the USA. You could use another rice in its place, but let’s not be silly or cheap, just spend the extra $1 on the bag of Arborio or order from Amazon.

Risotto isn’t just rice, it’s all the components, cooked over a simmer and takes only about 20 minutes to perfection. Its creamy, it’s delicious and it’s perfect for lunch or dinner (I just made some for my lunch). It’s fancy and easy.

On its own, if you don’t dust it with cheese when plating it’s typically vegan. The main components are oil, onion, and Arborio rice. I LOVE risotto, I love the fact that I can make it at home and feel like a rich guy. I feel rich and I love eating gourmet every day.

What is different about risotto is that it is a food that requires constant and active involvement to get it right. It’ll take you less then 30 minutes, but it’s not set it and forget it like steaming rice.

What you’re going to need

Foodies you will need

Tools

Directions

  1. Start by chopping your onion, use as much or as little as you’d like. I use about half an onion or a whole shallot. Set aside.
  2. Next either mince or press your garlic into a small dish. Set aside.
  3. Now chop your veggie of choice, I choose mushrooms. Set aside.
  4. Now chop your garnish, such as chives or basil, then set aside.
  5. Take your skillet, put the oil in it and heat it up to a medium high heat. For my stove this takes about 3 minutes to get to the right temp.
  6. Dump the onions in and cook for several minutes until they start to turn brown. Stir or flip the onions to get consistency of color and heat.
  7. As the onions continue to brown, take the mushrooms or veggies and dump them in.
  8. I like to let my mushrooms brown, change color and texture quite a bit typically 3-4 minutes before adding the garlic. Add in the garlic after you’ve cooked the mushrooms a bit.
  9. Add a little bit more oil, then add in your rice, turn up the heat to high for about 2 minutes while constantly stirring. This is the “toasting” stage. We’re “toasting” the rice, to give it better flavor.
  10. After 2-3 minutes, turn back to medium heat and put just a little bit of wine or stock, about 1/4 cup. Add a pinch of salt. Give it a bit of a stir.
  11. Allow the rice to simmer in the wine or stock, typically will start to cook off in about 2-3 minutes, just keep adding more, 1/4 cup at a time with some salt and gradually letting it cook.
  12. Now you should be done with your wine or stock, take a taste. If it has the right firmness that you’d like (not hard and not mushy) then turn the heat off if you’re going to finish with cheese or keep it on if you’re going to use Nutritional yeast.
  13. Add in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of boiling or really hot water to the pan, stir in your Nutritional yeast until you can’t see the flakes of yeast anymore. Cook for about 2 minutes.
  14. Plate your risotto and top with your freshly chopped chives or herbs.

My results

Here’s a picture of the one I made today! It’s creamy, delicious and filled with love!