Risotto al Parmigiano-Reggiano

This is the risotto that teaches you everything. There is no saffron to dazzle, no mushrooms to distract, no seafood to impress. There is only rice, broth, butter, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Four ingredients. If you cannot make this well, you cannot make any risotto well.

The technique is not difficult, but it demands your attention. You cannot walk away. You cannot answer the telephone. For twenty minutes, you stand at the stove, adding broth one ladleful at a time, stirring, watching, listening to the rice absorb the liquid. This is the rhythm of risotto. Italians have done this for generations without complaint.

What you keep out is as significant as what you put in. There is no cream in proper risotto. The creaminess comes from the starch released by the rice and from the mantecatura, the vigorous stirring with cold butter and cheese at the end. Americans add cream because they do not understand this. They think more richness means better flavor. The opposite is true.

The finished risotto should flow like a wave when you shake the pan. Italians call this all'onda. If your risotto sits in a stiff mound, you have failed. Add more broth. Learn to recognize when the rice is ready.