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

FAQs

Can I use mozzarella instead of Parmesan in risotto? ›

Either shredded mozzarella or fresh mozzarella works, but I do have a preference for the latter.

"Don't stress about constantly stirring risotto," Salvatore says. "It's much better to stir once every 30 seconds and trust the cooking process to do its thing." Over-stirring is one way to quickly ruin a risotto's texture.

A Smeared Grain Is Plump and Fairly Smooth

Take a grain out of the pan and place it on a smooth surface, like your countertop or a plate. Smear it with your finger. If it's rough and chunky, with a large white center, it's undercooked. If it has no opaque center and is super smooth and soft, it's overcooked.

Never wash your rice beforehand as this removes the starch, which is what helps give risotto its smooth texture. Cook your risotto on a low, simmering heat and add the stock gradually, one ladle at a time. This gives the rice time to fully absorb the liquid and flavours. Rushing your risotto will only ruin its texture.

For risotto, that ingredient is salted water, according to chef and writer Naomi Pomeroy (via The Kitchn).

Make your risotto even richer with the addition of the rinds! Put the rinds in the risotto after it's halfway done cooking. Let everything simmer as you stir and add more broth. Remove the rinds before serving.

Arborio is the most popular short-grain rice for making risotto. It is capable of absorbing large amounts of liquid and produces a relatively creamy risotto with a hearty texture. Carnaroli is a plumper, larger grain of rice that has a high starch content.

Be sure to rinse them well under water. Pecorino Romano cheese is used in this recipe, simply because I LOVE the flavor, but you could always substitute parmesan.

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.

Ingredients for Mushroom Risotto

Broth: Homemade chicken broth is always the best choice for flavor, but you can use store-bought chicken broth for convenience. Choose low-sodium broth and adjust the seasonings at the end.

Why does my risotto taste bad? ›

One of the most surefire ways to ruin risotto is by overcooking it. Like pasta, the rice should be al dente—just cooked with a little bite to it. If you can mold your risotto into a shape, you've cooked it too long. When cooking risotto on a stove top, taste it periodically to test its doneness.

If your risotto is still hard, it hasn't finished cooking. Keep adding more stock until it becomes al dente or your preferred texture.

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.

Yes, the foundational creaminess of well-made risotto should come from the starches that the grains release slowly over the cooking process—but a bit of actual cream doesn't hurt, either. Make sure to season the risotto with salt after you've added the whipped cream.

"Boil salted water, throw in the rice, boil it for nine minutes, strain it and throw it on a sheet pan. It's 90% cooked, so all you're doing is just picking it up. Once it's blanched, I can make risotto, from beginning to end, in three minutes."

For the risotto:

Add the Arborio rice to the onion and stir to coat the grains in oil. Add half of the stock to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Ensure it retains a constant heat and gently stir as it cooks – it should take around 20 minutes.

The key, instead, is to undercook the risotto and cool it rapidly to prevent that rice from overcooking, so you can easily finish cooking it later.