Ina Garten | No Stir Easy Parmesan Risotto - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

Can you make Parmesan risotto ahead of time? ›

Once it's cooled, you can transfer that half-cooked risotto to sealed containers and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. When you're ready to serve it, just scoop the half-cooked risotto into a skillet and add a ladleful of stock or water. Heat the risotto, stirring the whole time.

Recipe Tips

Pecorino Romano is a sheep milk cheese and is traditional for this dish. You can substitute Parmesan cheese for a milder flavor. Al dente is when the rice grains are still a bit firm and chewy.

Use Salted Water Instead of Broth in Risotto

It's an ingenious tip on many levels.

Always use warm stock.

Warming the broth before adding it to the warm rice coaxes more starch out of each grain of rice and helps prevent it from overcooking. Cool broth takes longer to warm up in the risotto pan and may shock the grain into holding onto its starches while the rice itself continues to cook.

We par cook it. We make the recipe without finishing it with cream or butter or cheese. We pour the hot risotto onto a sheet tray to cool quickly and then store it in a container. Once we are ready to serve, we reheat the risotto with a little chicken stock, and finish with cream, butter, and some parmesan cheese.

Because risotto is cooked uncovered on the stovetop, a lot of liquid evaporates. Plan on about three times as much liquid as rice. And that liquid should be stock of some sort. Chicken stock is the staple, but use whatever stock you prefer — beef, vegetable, seafood.

As a general rule, 60g per person is perfect for a starter, light meal, or if you've bulked out the dish with other ingredients. For more generous portions, go with 75g each. Whatever type of risotto you're making, use piping hot stock – it means the grains will start to soften and cook straight away.

Risotto is most traditionally made with Parmesan cheese, which is stirred in right at the very end of cooking to not only boost the rice's creaminess but als0 lend its signature salty, nutty flavor to the dish.

Rice: To get that signature creamy risotto texture, you must use a particular type of short-grain, high-starch rice like Arborio, Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano that releases its starch as you cook and stir. No other rice will give you the same results.

What is the difference between Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano? ›

The aging period for Pecorino Romano is much shorter than Parmigiano-Reggiano at around five to eight months. Like Parmigiano, Romano is a hard cheese. But Pecorino Romano is white in color and has a slightly saltier and much stronger, more piquant flavor.

Try adding sherry vinegar for mushroom risotto, white or red wine vinegar in place of white or red wine, or even rice or apple cider vinegar to boost the taste in asparagus risotto. Just be sure not to overdo it. A little vinegar goes a long way — remember, you're looking for balance, not a sour, overpowering tang.

One of the most famous risotto dishes is no doubt risotto alla Milanese. The first recipe mentioning the dish appears in cookbooks starting in the 1800s.

In addition to rice as the main ingredient, classic risotto also contains a small amount of onion or shallot sautéed in butter, dry white wine, hot stock, vegetables or mushrooms, and different aromatics.

Short-grain rice – Arborio is our rice of choice, but you can use a different short-grain rice such as Italian Vialone Nano or Carnaroli. White wine – use a dry white wine that is drinkable and avoid using anything labeled as 'cooking wine.'

Mushrooms contain important minerals such as selenium and potassium. They are low in calories and fat, but very high in fibre so they are perfect for a low-calorie diet. They contain vitamins B and D, are rich in antioxidants that help fight ageing and they help lower cholesterol.