Valentina Harris 100 Great Risottos

This is how the Italian cookery writer Valentina Harris, at the age of four, learned to make risotto from Beppino, a chef at one of Milan’s top restaurants.
“With immense patience, he would explain just how to stir the grains as he poured in the hot stock.  He would teach me how much it needs to stick on the bottom of the pot and how the surface had to ripple.”
Poetic indeed, but don’t let that put you off making this luscious, wholesome dish. Risotto is best cooked at home.  It doesn’t like to be kept waiting, which makes it tricky to do in a restaurant kitchen.
What you need are the right basic ingredients (unsalted butter, olive oil, Arborio rice, good quality stock and freshly grated parmesan cheese) and an understanding of the basic method. You will need a fairly deep, sturdy pan with a solid base, and stock needs to be at a low simmer in a separate saucepan.
A little onion or garlic is sweated in butter or oil, then the rice is added and stirred with a wooden spoon to coat the grains and lightly toast it. The hot stock is added a ladleful at a time and the rice stirred after each addition.  The whole process should take 20 minutes, then the risotto is covered with a lid for the last couple of minutes with the heat off to steam it.  More stock can be added if you prefer a soup consistency – it’s up to you.
The type of rice you choose is also important. In Italy, several different kinds of rice are grown in the north on the river plains.
Although the width varies, they are all short-grain rices. These are divided into different grades: semi-fine, fine and superfine. Superfine is used for risotto, the very best being carnaroli, followed by Arborio and vialone nano.  Carnaroli is hard to find and expensive. The more widely available Arborio is the one to use at home.