The rich, creamy goodness of risotto, a staple of northern Italian cuisine, is delicious and it is a great teacher. For years, I thought the process of making risotto was too hard to try. Then a friend of mine said, “It’s just rice! The trick is choosing the right kind of rice, slowly adding liquid, and a lot of stirring.” 

The first time Annie and I made this dish together, I realized that risotto was a perfect dish for Cooking 101. It is a fantastic vehicle to teach someone how to cook because it teaches specific culinary skills, builds confidence, and makes some people better cooks than others. It builds a little thing called cooking intuition. When you know, you know.

Risotto is a journey. It teaches you how to scrape all the brown bits off a pan when deglazing; when to add more broth; when to adjust the heat, and, most importantly, when to call it done. None of these things are ever written down in a recipe. They need to be experienced. So put away the distractions and focus on this dish. It creates a meditative state. Cooking with Annie created lifelong memories and started important conversations. It involves intention, care, and focus. So does friendship. The trick is to be present and fully immerse yourself in the process. Risotto is a perfect vehicle to learn how to do just that.

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis – Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 C Chicken broth
  3 T Butter
  ¾ C Finely chopped onion
  1 ½ C  Arborio rice
  ½ C Dry white wine
  ½ C Fresh-grated Parmesan Cheese
  ½ t Salt
  ¼ t Fresh ground black pepper

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep it hot over low heat.
• In a large, heavy saucepan, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender but not brown, about three minutes. 
• Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer for about three minutes, while the wine evaporates. 
• Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about two minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. 
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining butter, and the salt and pepper. Serve immediately