Classic risotto - 8 step-by-step recipes

It is not for nothing that risotto is considered one of the most delicious dishes that Italians are proud of. Delicate rice melting in your mouth, fragrant seafood or chicken, vegetables, mushrooms - risotto can be prepared with almost any topping, or without additives: the main thing is the correct rice cooking technology and certainly grated cheese.

The classic recipe for homemade chicken risotto

For the classic risotto with chicken, fillets are usually taken, but if you want to add more flavor and juiciness to the dish, it is better to choose chicken thighs: the meat in them is no less tender than in the breast, but much more juicy.

Cooking time: 1 hour.

Cooking time: 10 min.

Servings - 2.

• 
  Rinse and dry the chicken fillet, cut into slices about 1.5-2 cm.
• 
  Fry in a deep frying pan, adding olive oil there, so that the chicken pieces acquire a pleasant golden hue.
• 
  Put the chicken in a separate container, and instead of it, pour the chopped onion head, cloves of garlic and butter into the pan. Cook vegetables until they are clear but not crisp.
• 
  Pour wine into the pan, let it evaporate a little, and then add a little broth. Pour in the specified amount of rice and mix well so that the grains are evenly covered with the resulting liquid.
• 
  When the wine and broth are absorbed, you need to add a new portion of the liquid so that it covers the rice. While stirring, wait until the new portion is absorbed, and repeat the procedure until the rice is ready. This can be understood by its special creamy consistency: it should be very tender and melt in your mouth. At the end of cooking, season the dish with salt and pepper. Grate the cheese into shavings, add ready-made chicken slices and cheese to the risotto, mix quickly, let the cheese melt for a couple of minutes under the lid, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Classic Italian risotto with seafood

Seafood and fish broth give risotto a wonderful holiday flavor. It is better to take fresh unopened mussels, which should open during cooking. It is better to remove unopened shells from the dish. Unrefined seafood imparts much more flavor and aroma to risotto.

Cooking time: 1 hour.

Cooking time: 10 min.

Servings - 2.

Ingredients:

• Bulb onions - ½ pc.
• Garlic - 2 teeth
• Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
• Arborio rice - 150 gr.
• Chopped parsley - 1 tablespoon
• Dry white wine - 150 ml
• Tiger shrimp - 2 pcs.
• Langoustine - 2 pcs.
• Fresh mussels - 10 pcs.
• Fish broth - 400 ml
• Ground white pepper - to taste.
• Salt to taste.
• Ground cayenne pepper - to taste.

Cooking process:

1. Finely chop the onion, chop the herbs in any convenient way, and crush the garlic, but do not chop.
2. In a deep frying pan or saucepan, fry the garlic for about a minute, so that the characteristic appetizing aroma appears, and then remove it from the oil: it is important that it only gives its smell to the oil.
3. After that, put the onion in the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until a beautiful golden color appears.
4. Pour in the rice, which must be dry: you do not need to rinse it beforehand. The seeds should become transparent in a minute or two. After that, you can add parsley to the cereal and pour in dry wine. Heat the contents of the pan so that the alcohol begins to evaporate.
5. Place the seafood ingredients on the rice and add a small portion of the broth. Prepare the risotto, stirring constantly and pouring in the next portion of the liquid only after the first has been absorbed. At the end of cooking, add the right amount of salt and pepper, and with care, add the hot cayenne pepper.
6. Before serving, remove the seafood from the dish, add a little olive oil to the rice and stir quickly. Put the cereals in a portioned plate, beautifully distribute the seafood on top and serve.

Step-by-step recipe for making risotto with mushrooms

Mushrooms are a very good ingredient for risotto, and it is especially aromatic when using wild mushrooms. It is important to cook them with garlic, this is how you get the most delicious dish. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper will accentuate the mushroom flavor.

Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes.

Cooking time: 15 min.

Servings - 4.

Ingredients:

• Fresh mushrooms - 750 gr.
• Arborio rice - 300 gr.
• Hard cheese - 200 gr.
• Butter - 150 gr.
• Bulb onions - 1 pc.
• Dry porcini mushrooms - 60 gr.
• Parsley - 1 bunch.
• Garlic - 5 teeth
• Chicken broth - 750 ml
• Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
• Freshly ground black pepper - to taste.
• Sea salt to taste.

Cooking process:

1. Pour the dried mushrooms with hot water and leave for about half an hour, then drain the water, and cut the mushrooms into rather large pieces.
2. Pour fresh mushrooms (champignons, forest) with cold water in a deep container to rinse, and then put on a paper towel and let the remaining water drain off. Cut the mushrooms into slices no more than 2 cm in size.
3. Fry pieces of fresh mushrooms in a saucepan or deep frying pan, adding olive oil.
4. Finely chop the peeled onion and garlic, add half of the chopped garlic to the mushrooms first, cook for 1 minute, and then add salt and freshly ground pepper and continue to fry for another 4 minutes.
5. Put the butter in another deep heat-resistant container, and when it softens, pour the pieces of onion there. Cook it until it becomes transparent. Put the dried mushroom slices and the second garlic to the prepared onion, cook everything together over low heat for about 1 minute, and then add the rice. Mix everything well.
6. Add chicken broth to the rice in small portions so that the liquid is completely absorbed by the grains, and then pour in a little more broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is tender and melts in your mouth. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. It is important not to forget that the dish will also include cheese that already contains salt, so you need to season it with care.
7. Grate the cheese on a special grater or ordinary fine, chop the parsley. Before serving, mix the risotto with the mushroom mass, add the cheese, parsley and a little more butter, serve as soon as the cheese begins to melt.

How to cook risotto with vegetables at home?

You can add almost any vegetable to a vegetarian risotto, based on your preference. It is better to choose ingredients with a bright color: this will make the dish look more appetizing.

Cooking time: 35 min.

Cooking time: 15 min.

Servings - 4.

Ingredients:

• Round grain rice (arborio) - 200 gr.
• Bulb onions - 1 pc.
• Carrots - 1 pc.
• Sweet pepper - 200 gr.
• Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
• Canned corn - 150 gr.
• Salt to taste.
• Fresh herbs (parsley, basil, marjoram) - to taste.
• Hard cheese - 100 gr.

Cooking process:

1. Rinse the rice grains well so that the water becomes clear. Pour the cereal with clean drinking water, bring to a boil and cook for about 12 minutes, lightly salting.
2. Cut the onion so that you get beautiful half rings, the carrots - into cubes or semicircles.
3. Extract seeds and inner veins from pepper and grind into large cubes.
4. In a deep skillet, sauté the carrots and onions, adding a little olive oil to them, then put the pepper there. Cooking for a few minutes.
5. Transfer rice and canned corn to the vegetables. Mix well, add salt, if necessary, add grated cheese and chopped herbs. Serve as soon as the cheese begins to melt.

A simple and delicious recipe for shrimp risotto

Delicious rice dish with shrimps, decorated with hot parmesan and white pepper, which emphasizes the taste of seafood. The risotto combines different structures - delicate melting rice and dense, sweetish shrimp.

Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes.

Cooking time: 15 min.

Servings - 5.

Ingredients:

• Arborio rice - 250 gr.
• Shrimp - 600 gr.
• White onion - 1 pc.
• Garlic - 2 teeth
• Dry white wine - 50 ml
• Parmesan cheese - 50 gr.
• Chopped dill - 2 tablespoons
• Chopped parsley - 2 tablespoons
• Fresh basil - 1 bunch.
• Olive oil to taste.
• Salt to taste.
• Ground black pepper - to taste.
• Ground white pepper - to taste.

Cooking process:

1. The shrimp are peeled, the shells and heads are folded into a saucepan and fried until they turn red. Then they are filled with water, they need to be salted and boiled for about 20 minutes, and then the broth is filtered.
2. The peeled garlic cloves are minced, mixed with olive oil, and spread over the shrimp to marinate. It is required to leave the seafood for 20 minutes.
3. Cut the onion into very small cubes and sauté with olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then rice is added there, it should be stirred and kept on low heat for a couple of minutes so that the grains become transparent.
4. Wine is poured into the rice and, stirring, you need to evaporate it for about 5-6 minutes.
5. As soon as the wine is absorbed, the shrimp broth is added in small portions, the rice is constantly stirred so that it is evenly soaked in the liquid. As soon as the whole portion of the broth is absorbed, add a new portion of it. Keep the risotto on the fire for about 20 minutes, until the seeds are tender and melt in the mouth.
6. The greens are finely chopped, added to the rice, then you need to put the shrimp meat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and hold for about 5 minutes more over very low heat.
7. Shredded cheese is poured into the risotto, mixed, aged for a couple of minutes and served in portions. Bon Appetit!

Homemade risotto with dried porcini mushrooms

Dried porcini mushrooms have an amazing taste and incredibly bright aroma that is easily absorbed by rice. The result is a delicate, nutritious dish with an amazingly rich taste, which is also suitable for those who do not eat meat or are fasting.

Cooking time: 2 hours 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 min.

Servings - 6.

Ingredients:

• Arborio rice - 2 tbsp.
• Dried porcini mushrooms - 50 gr.
• Bulb onions - 2 pcs.
• Meat broth - 1.4 l
• Dry white wine - 1 tbsp.
• Butter - 4 tablespoons
• Extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp.
• Ground saffron - to taste.
• Salt to taste.
• Freshly ground black pepper - to taste.
• Fresh white mushroom or ice cream for serving - 1 pc.
• Parmesan cheese to taste.

Cooking process:

1. Sort out the mushrooms and pour 1 tbsp. hot broth, leave for 1.5 hours, and then remove the mushrooms, and pour the fragrant liquid into the remaining broth, which must be heated to a boil, and keep on minimal heat all the time the risotto is cooking. Cut the mushrooms into small slices.
2. Mix 3 tablespoons. saffron wine and leave for 20 minutes.
3. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the olive oil and butter and sauté the onion, chopped very finely, in them until softened, which takes about 5-7 minutes. Then add rice to the onion and keep on fire, stirring, for 3 minutes, so that the grains become transparent.
4. Pour the rest of the wine and some broth into the rice, cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Then add a little broth and cook the rice until tender and completely saturated with broth. This usually takes about 25 minutes of continuous stirring. At the end of the risotto, season with salt and pepper, and add wine with saffron and mushrooms.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add butter and grated cheese to the rice, mix everything and leave for a few minutes. Garnish with porcini mushroom slices when serving.

Risotto with chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce

Chicken, leeks and mushrooms perfectly complement delicate rice, wine gives the dish a slight sourness, and saffron gives a rich golden hue. It is important to let the dish sit for at least a minute after adding the cheese so that it melts and evenly spreads over the risotto.

Cooking time: 55 min.

Cooking time: 10 min.

Servings - 5.

Ingredients:

• Arborio or carnaroli rice - 300 gr.
• Chicken broth - 2 l
• Chicken fillet - 1 pc.
• Fresh champignons - 300 gr.
• Butter - 110 gr.
• Dry white wine - 100 ml
• Leeks - 1 pc.
• White onion - 1 pc.
• Carrots - 1 pc.
• Garlic - 1 tooth
• Ground saffron - ¼ tsp
• Parmesan cheese or grana padano - 80 gr.
• Ground paprika - 2 pinches.
• Freshly ground black pepper - 1/3 tsp
• Fine sea salt - to taste.
• Olive oil - for frying.

Cooking process:

1. Cut the washed and dried mushrooms into thin slices and fry in olive oil, add ground paprika and pepper to the mushrooms, simmer for 5 minutes, and lightly salt at the end of cooking.
2. Pour the saffron into 2 tablespoons of dry wine, rub the parmesan or grana padano, and chop the butter into pieces no more than 1 cm.
3. Cut the chicken into slices and fry separately in olive oil until the slices are browned. Pepper and add some salt.
4. Chop the leeks and onions very finely, chop the carrots using a food processor or blender.
5. Melt half of the butter in a saucepan over very low heat, add two types of onions and cook for about 7 minutes, so that it becomes transparent, but not overcooked. Add carrots and crushed, but a whole clove of garlic there.
6. Pour rice into the base of vegetables, mix well and wait until the oil is absorbed into the grains. Pour in the wine and heat for about 5 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
7. After that, gradually, in small portions, you need to pour the broth into the rice and stir it immediately so that the liquid is evenly absorbed into the cereal. Continue cooking in this mode for about 15-18 minutes.
8. After about 10 minutes from the beginning of adding the broth, add mushrooms, chicken and wine with saffron to the rice, mix well and continue cooking.
9. Remove the risotto from the stove and add cheese and cubes of butter for flavor, stir very vigorously, add salt, if required, and arrange on deep warmed-up plates. Serve the dish immediately. Enjoy!

The classic recipe for making risotto in a slow cooker

For those who do not have the ability to control the preparation of real risotto on the stove, you can use a multicooker: the dish turns out to be no less tender and melting in the mouth, and at the same time the device prepares it on its own.

Cooking time: 50 min.

Cooking time: 10 min.

Servings - 6.

Ingredients:

• Round rice (arborio) - 400 gr.
• Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
• Broth (vegetable, chicken) - 1 l
• Garlic - 2 teeth
• Bulb onions - 1 pc.
• Dry white wine - 2 tbsp.
• Butter - 70 gr.
• Celery (root) - ½ pc.
• Parmesan cheese - 100 gr.
• Vegetable oil - for frying.
• Salt to taste.

Cooking process:

1. In a heat-resistant dish with a thick bottom, you must first fry the rice grains with the addition of a small amount of vegetable oil.
2. Combine butter and vegetable oil, chopped onion, garlic and celery root in a multicooker container and put on the "Fry" mode, stirring regularly so that the vegetables soften, but not overcook.
3. Pour rice into the vegetables and continue cooking in the "Fry" mode so that the grains become transparent.
4. Pour wine into the contents of the multicooker and cook in the "Stew" mode with the lid open until the wine is absorbed and the smell of alcohol disappears.
5. Pour 1.5 tbsp into the bowl of the device. broth, stir and continue cooking in the "Stew" mode. If you need to add liquid, do it in small portions, try the grits with salt and add, if necessary. Do not forget that cheese will be included in the dish, so it is better to slightly undersalt the dish at this stage.
6. As soon as the rice reaches the desired consistency - tender on the outside with light hardness inside the grains - al dente, add cheese to it, mix and hold in a slow cooker for a couple of minutes. After that, put on warm plates and serve.