Perfect Risotto

Every time I try to make risotto, I brace myself for the contineous stirring required. At least 30 minutes of stirring, adding a little bit of liquid at a time until the kernels open up and release their starch.

I always struggle with the amount of liquid required. Sometimes too wet, sometimes not completely cooked through. Blame the gene pool, my grandmother was not northern Italian.

Thirty minutes during which I cannot do anything else. Mostly in that time I have visions of perfect accompanying side salads, roasted peppers antipasta, mushroom tapas, even chicken milanese as a second course. Ah, the waisted time.

There must be a better way to make perfect risotto each time without chaining myself to the stove. I know that restaurant cooks don't cook each risotto serving from scratch, but still make each plate to order. How do they do that?

The answer is parboiling. During prep they cook the risotto until just done, right before it starts to open up. When it is time to assemble the plate, they sautee the rest of the ingredients and cook the rice in the mixture until perfectly cooked.

Parboiling however is not easy. Again it depends on how much liquid you need to use to create the right consistency, which requires skill and training. How can us simple house cooks mimick this without a stage in an Italian restaurant?

Well: risotto is rice and rice you cook with your trusty kitchen companion the rice cooker. I measure out a cup (perfect for 4) and add enough liquid to cook the rice. Same way as I would cook any other rice. I just replace water with chicken stock.

Out comes perfect rice. My risotto was never better.
Here is my risotto recipe:

• 1 cup of cooked risotto
• 1 onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• couple of asparagus cut on the bias 1 inch thick (when you feel like them, of course)
• pancetta diced
• white wine
• parmagiano cheese

Render the pancetta and sautee the vegetables until translucent
Deglaze with white wine
Add the risotto
Add a little bit of stock and stir for a couple minutes until the kernels burst open
Finish with the cheese and maybe a little bit of milk

As you can see I ommit the butter and cream from the recipe. It is just too rich for my taste, and for our household's taste buds it is not required.