Chef Graziella
Arancini di Riso alla Siciliana
Golden fried rice balls from Sicily, where Arab cooks first wrapped saffron-scented rice around meat and cheese. The exterior shatters; the interior yields. This is street food elevated to art.
Culinary Explorer
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Risotto al Gorgonzola
Created by
The blue-veined cheese of Lombardy stirred into rice that has been coaxed to creaminess through patience and proper technique. Bold flavor achieved through restraint, not excess.
Main Dishes
Italian, Lombard
Dinner Party
Date Night
15 min
Active Time
35 min cook•50 min total
Yield4 servings
This is not a dish for those who fear strong cheese. Gorgonzola has character. It announces itself. But in risotto, something remarkable happens: the rice tempers the cheese's sharpness while the cheese transforms the rice into something almost sinfully rich.
You will notice there is no cream in this recipe. Americans add cream to risotto because they do not understand where the creaminess should come from. It comes from the starch. It comes from the butter stirred in at the end. It comes from the cheese itself as it melts into the hot rice. Cream is a crutch for those who have not mastered technique.
Use Gorgonzola dolce, the younger, sweeter version. Gorgonzola piccante, which is aged and sharp, will overpower the rice. You want the cheese to be a partner, not a bully. And the rice must be Carnaroli if you can find it. Arborio will do, but Carnaroli holds its shape better through the long stirring.
Gorgonzola takes its name from the Lombard town where it was first made, possibly as early as the 9th century. Legend holds that a young cheesemaker, distracted by a love affair, left his curd overnight and discovered the next morning that blue-green veins had begun to form. Whether or not the story is true, the cheese became one of Italy's great contributions to the world's table, and its marriage with risotto is a natural one in the rice-growing plains of the Po Valley.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
chicken or vegetable broth
Quantity
6 cups
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons
divided
shallot
Quantity
1 medium
minced fine
Carnaroli or Arborio rice
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
dry white wine
Quantity
3/4 cup
Gorgonzola dolce
Quantity
6 ounces
rind removed, cut into small pieces
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
1/2 cup
freshly grated
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
white pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| chicken or vegetable broth | 6 cups |
| unsalted butterdivided | 4 tablespoons |
| shallotminced fine | 1 medium |
| Carnaroli or Arborio rice | 1 1/2 cups |
| dry white wine | 3/4 cup |
| Gorgonzola dolcerind removed, cut into small pieces | 6 ounces |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 1/2 cup |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| white pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 4-quart braiser or wide sauté pan
- •2-quart saucepan for broth
- •Ladle
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Heat the broth
Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep the broth warm throughout cooking. Cold broth added to hot rice shocks the grains and interrupts the release of starch. This is the foundation of failure.
The broth must stay hot. A ladle of cold liquid will undo minutes of careful work. Keep it at a lazy simmer, just below bubbling. - 2
Soften the shallot
In a heavy-bottomed pan or braiser, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add the minced shallot. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is soft and translucent but has taken no color, about 3 minutes. Patience here. Browned shallot will compete with the gorgonzola.
- 3
Toast the rice
Add the rice to the pan all at once. Stir constantly for 2 minutes, coating every grain with the butter. You must toast the exterior starch. The grains should become translucent at the edges while remaining opaque at the center. They should feel hot to the touch if you were foolish enough to touch them. Listen: the rice will make a slight clicking sound against the pan.
- 4
Add the wine
Pour in the wine. It will sizzle and steam. Stir constantly until the wine has been completely absorbed and you can no longer smell raw alcohol. The pan should be nearly dry before you proceed. This takes 2 to 3 minutes.
- 5
Begin adding broth
Add one ladleful of warm broth to the rice. Stir steadily but not frantically. When the broth is nearly absorbed and you can draw a clear path across the bottom of the pan with your spoon, add another ladleful. Continue this way, one ladleful at a time, stirring between additions. The rice tells you when it needs more liquid. Listen to it.
Risotto requires approximately 18 to 20 minutes of stirring. There are no shortcuts. If you do not have 20 minutes to stand at the stove, make something else. - 6
Test for doneness
After about 16 minutes, begin tasting the rice. It should be tender but with a slight resistance at the center, what Italians call al'onda: it should flow in waves when you shake the pan, neither stiff nor soupy. You may not use all the broth, or you may need a splash more. The rice, not the recipe, decides.
- 7
Finish with cheese and butter
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the Gorgonzola pieces, and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir vigorously until the cheeses melt completely and the risotto becomes glossy and flowing. This final stirring, the mantecatura, creates the characteristic creaminess. Season with salt sparingly, as the cheeses contribute salt. Add white pepper to taste.
- 8
Serve immediately
Risotto waits for no one. Spoon it onto warm plates immediately. It should spread slightly, not hold a stiff mound. Once the risotto is plated, invite your guests to put off talking and start eating. In 5 minutes, the texture will have changed. In 10, you will have made rice pudding.
Chef Tips
- •Gorgonzola dolce is essential. The aged piccante version is too aggressive, too salty, and will turn the risotto into a punishment rather than a pleasure. If your cheese counter offers only piccante, reduce the quantity by half and increase the Parmigiano.
- •Carnaroli rice holds its shape better than Arborio through the long cooking. It forgives an extra minute of stirring. Arborio is acceptable, but watch it carefully in the final minutes.
- •White pepper rather than black is traditional with this risotto. Black pepper leaves visible specks that some find unattractive against the pale rice. This is an aesthetic choice, not a moral one.
- •Do not add cream. If you feel the risotto needs cream, you have not stirred enough, or you have added the broth too quickly, or you have not used enough butter at the end. The problem is not with my recipe.
Advance Preparation
- •Risotto cannot be made ahead. It must be served the moment it is finished. This is not negotiable.
- •You may prepare the broth, mince the shallot, and portion the cheeses up to several hours before cooking. Keep the Gorgonzola refrigerated until 30 minutes before you need it.
- •If you must step away briefly during cooking, remove the pan from heat and cover it. The risotto will wait 5 minutes, no more. Resume by adding warm broth and stirring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 290g)
Calories
595 calories
Total Fat
27 g
Saturated Fat
17 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
80 mg
Sodium
2350 mg
Total Carbohydrates
58 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
19 g
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