.jpg) Risotto withspeck andgoat cheese | |
| Course | Primo (Italian course) |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | |
| Main ingredients | Arborio rice,broth,butter,onion,white wine,Parmesan |
Risotto (/rɪˈzɒtoʊ/riz-OT-oh,Italian:[riˈzɔtto,-ˈsɔt-]; fromriso, 'rice')[1][a] is anItalianrice dish cooked withbroth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish or vegetables. Many types of risotto containbutter,onion,white wine, andParmesan cheese. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy.Saffron was originally used for flavour and its signature yellow colour.[2][3]
Risotto in Italy is usually afirst course (primo), served before asecond course (secondo), butrisotto alla milanese is often served withossobuco alla milanese as a one-course meal.[4]
Rice has been grown insouthern Italy for centuries, and gradually made its way tonorthern Italy, where the marshes of thePo Valley were suitable for rice cultivation.[5] According to a legend, a young glassblower's apprentice of theVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano fromFlanders, who used to usesaffron as a pigment, added it to a rice dish at awedding feast. Risotto is believed to have originated in what is now known asLombardy.[6] The first recipe identifiable as risotto dates from 1809. It includes rice sautéed in butter,sausages,bone marrow, and onions with broth with saffron gradually added.[2] There is a recipe for a dish named as a risotto in the 1854Trattato di cucina (Treatise on Cooking) by Giovanni Vialardi, assistant chief cook to kings.[7] However, who invented risotto in Milan cannot be stated with certainty.[8]
The rice varieties associated with risotto were developed in the 20th century, starting withMaratelli in 1914.[9]
A high-starch, round, medium- or short- grainwhite rice is usually used for making risotto.[10] Such rices can absorb liquids and release starch, so they are stickier than thelong grain varieties. The principal varieties used in Italy areArborio, Baldo,Carnaroli,Maratelli, Padano, Roma, andVialone Nano.[11] Carnaroli, Maratelli (a historical Italian variety), and Vialone Nano are considered to be the best (and most expensive) varieties, with different users preferring one over another. They have slightly different properties. For example, Carnaroli is less likely than Vialone Nano to get overcooked, but the latter, being smaller, cooks faster and absorbs condiments better. Other varieties such as Baldo, Originario, Ribe, and Roma may be used but will not have the creaminess of the traditional dish; these varieties are considered better for soups and other non-risotto rice dishes and sweet rice desserts. Rice designations ofsuperfino,semifino, andfino refer to the grains' size and shape (specifically the length and the narrowness) and not the quality.[9]
There are many different risotto recipes with different ingredients, but they are all based on rice of an appropriate variety, cooked in a standard procedure.[12] Risotto, unlike other rice dishes, requires constant care and attention.[13] The rice is not to be pre-rinsed, boiled, or drained, as washing would remove much of the starch required for a creamy texture.[14][15]
Therice is first cooked briefly in asoffritto ofonion andbutter orolive oil to coat each grain in a film of fat, calledtostatura;white wine is added and must be absorbed by thegrains. When it has been absorbed, the heat is raised to medium–high, and boilingstock is gradually added in small amounts while stirring constantly. The constant stirring, with only a small amount of liquid present, forces the grains to rub against each other and release the starch from the outside of the grains into the surrounding liquid, creating a smooth creamy-textured mass.[15][16] When the rice is cooked the pot is taken off the heat formantecatura, vigorously beating in refrigerated balls of gratedParmesan cheese and butter, to make the texture as creamy and smooth as possible. It may be removed from the heat a few minutes early and left to cook with its residual heat.[17]
Properly cooked risotto is rich and creamy, even if no cream is added, due to the starch in the grains.[15] It has some resistance or bite (al dente) and separate grains. The traditional texture is fairly fluid, orall'onda ('wavy' or 'flowing in waves'). It is served on flat dishes and should easily spread out but not have excess watery liquid around the perimeter.
Many variations have their own names:
| Name | Photo | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Risotto alla milanese | .jpg) | There are various versions ofrisotto alla milanese. According toElizabeth David in herItalian Food, "The classic one is made simply with chicken broth and flavoured with saffron; butter and grated Parmesan cheese are stirred in at the end of the cooking, and more cheese and butter served with it. The second version is made with beef marrow and white wine; a third with Marsala. In each case saffron is used as a flavouring."[18] |
| Risotto alBarolo | A speciality ofPiedmont, made with red wine, which may include sausage meat orborlotti beans | |
| Risotto al nero di seppia |  | A speciality ofVeneto, made withcuttlefish cooked with their ink sacs intact, leaving the risotto black |
| Risi e bisi |  | A Veneto spring dish that is correctly served with a spoon rather than a fork; it is a soup so thick that it resembles a risotto. It is made with green peas using the stock from the fresh young pods, flavoured withpancetta.[19][20] |
| Risotto alla zucca |  | Made with pumpkin,nutmeg, and grated cheese |
| Risotto alla pilota | .jpg) | A speciality ofMantua, Lombardy, made with sausage, pork, andParmesan cheese |
| Risotto ai funghi |  | A variant made withmushrooms such asporcini,Suillus luteus,Kuehneromyces mutabilis orAgaricus bisporus |
| Risotto ai frutti di mare | A variant made withseafood of seaside Italian cities | |
| Risotto al tartufo nero |  | Made with, usually, black truffle |
| International | |
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