“I was first introduced to risotto in his cookbook. I love how it is a recipe but also more a way of visually recognizing how to make risotto. On another note, risotto is one of my desert island foods and I would eat this everyday.” –Blair Lebsack
Melt 2 5g of butter in a hot pan. Chop up a small onion into fine pieces and cook it in the butter with a sprig or so of fresh thyme. Cook until soft, but not brown.
Stir in 200 g of arborio rice with a decent pinch of turmeric, and make sure the rice is coated in the hot butter. Again, do not brown.
Pour in 150 ml of steaming hot vegetable or chicken stock. Stir like crazy. The rice will release starch. Starch is what makes the risotto creamy.
Over a medium heat, carry on adding 250 ml of hot stock in small quantities, until the rice has absorbed it. You know how to do this, I don’t really need to tell you: add a bit of stock, stir until most of the stock has been absorbed, add a bit of stock, stir.
As you’re stirring, mix in 250g of courgettes, cut into small diced cubes. I tend to cut up my vegetables for this sort of thing into fairly small dice, as I think, visually at least, it looks neater, and it will take less time to cook.
It’s important not to overcook the rice. The Italians like their risotto rice to be reasonably firm, yet bound in a creamy, fairly sloppy sauce. This is the great art: firm rice, wet sauce; and it’s not especially easy to get right the first time you make it.
Just before you reckon the rice to be ready, pour in 50ml of dry white wine. This will stop the cooking. Stir in a knob of butter, check the seasoning, and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.