>> A creamy, soft and “mantecato” risotto, whose grains do not compact, but remain distinguishable on the palate and al dente, a result that is usually obtained by adding butter and Parmesan at the end of cooking, mixing and amalgamating everything with a wooden ladle. >>
Auguste Escoffier
“Il risotto all’italiana”
The Classic Carnaroli grain has all the fundamental characteristics to obtain this result: it has the unique ability to cook evenly, absorb the seasonings and not fall apart, maintaining a compact structure, releasing the right amount of starch needed for creaming.
THE PREPARATION OF THE RISOTTO IS SIMILAR IN ALMOST ALL THE RECIPES
- Cooking is completed in about 16-18 minutes, maintaining the right consistency during plating, and adapting perfectly to both land and sea risottos.
- To prepare the risotto you need a saucepan with an 8-10 cm rim, a wooden spoon, and a soup ladle.
PREPARATION OF THE SOFFRITTO
Melt the butter in the saucepan (alternatively an excellent extra virgin olive oil can be used), add the finely chopped onion making it lightly browned over medium heat, then add the rice for toasting.
RICE ROASTING
It makes the grain lose moisture and “weld” it to prevent it from breaking during cooking and losing too much starch, lasts from 1 to 3 minutes, always on a moderate flame, turning it gently with a wooden spoon to distribute the heat evenly on all grains.
DEGLAZE WITH WINE
Many recipes require, at this point, the addition of half a glass of wine which, sizzling and evaporating in the pan, gives the nuances of its flavour (optional).
ADDITION OF BROTH
When the rice is toasted and wine has evaporated, start adding the broth, which, prepared in a separate pot, is left to simmer. After the first addition of broth, which must cover the rice for a couple of centimetres, mix everything with a wooden spoon to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Allow the broth to be almost completely absorbed and add some (always hot so as not to stop cooking) one ladle at a time until completely cooked. The salt should be added to the broth thus favouring the penetration of the salt into the grain and not just on the surface; it is advisable not to exaggerate with the salt (bearing in mind that as the water evaporates it concentrates in the broth) being able to make small corrections at the end of cooking and also bearing in mind that the addition of Parmesan during creaming will increase its flavour.
MIXING
Simply stir gently each time you add the stock.
COOKING
Al dente cooking varies from region to region and from the type of rice. In general, you start tasting from the 14th minute after adding the broth: if the grain is still hard, let it cook for another minute and then taste it and so on until half a minute is missing for satisfactory cooking. The rice must be moist and must not drown in the broth: at this point the heat is lowered and left to rest for 1 or 2 minutes, then proceed with creaming.
MANTECATURA
It consists in delicately mixing, with a wooden spoon, the butter cut into small pieces and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano, mixing them with the rice and giving it a soft consistency. It is stirred with the flame off for 1 or 2 minutes, obtaining a risotto with well-distinguished al dente grains in a soft and creamy whole.