Basic Risotto

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 diced small onion
• 2-3 minced garlic cloves
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6-8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup any vegetable (such as peas)

Directions

1. Prep everything that will be going in to my risotto ahead of time and keep it right next to the stove.
2. Keep your stock warm in a saucepan over low heat, it should be just steaming by the time you start the risotto.
3. Put the peas in a strainer and drop it into the stock just for a couple of minutes at this point to soften them slightly, then I set them aside.
4. In a high-sided saut� pan, heat 1 tbsp of the butter and your olive oil over medium high heat.
5. Add in the onion and cook until translucent and beginning to break down and then add in the garlic
6. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the rice and stir well to make sure every grain is coated in butter and oil.
7. Continue stirring until the edges of the rice have turned translucent but the center is still opaque, you should also be able to smell the aroma of toasted rice. Now it�s time to deglaze the pan, which is optional, and if you don�t want to use wine in this dish you can skip this step.
8. Pour in the wine and use your spatula to scrape up any brown bits that are sticking to the bottom of the pan and continue to cook until all the liquid has evaporated.
9. Now you�re going to start adding in your broth incrementally one ladle full at a time. Pour in your first ladle and cook, stirring continuously, until the liquid has almost evaporated completely.
10. This gradual addition of liquid is key to getting the rice to release its starch which will make it�s own sauce so you can�t rush this part.
11. Continue adding your stock, keeping in mind that you may not need all 8 cups of it� you want just enough to cook the rice and no more.
12. Start tasting the rice at 12 minutes� it is ready when it�s al dente (still has a bit of chew) and has the consistency of a thick porridge.
13. If you run your spatula through the risotto and it starts to slowly fill in that space, then it is ready.
14. The final step of the risotto is to add one more ladle full of broth, the remainder of the butter and the cheese to make it extra creamy.
15. Stir in your vegetable.