Italian Vegetables Recipes - Piedmontese Risotto Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2/3 cup dry white wine

• 2 1/2 cups risotto rice

• pinch of saffron threads

• 6 1/4 cups hot Chicken or Vegetable Stock (refer recipe)

• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

• salt and pepper

Serves 6

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Method:

1. Melt half of the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and sauté gently for 5 minutes, until softened but not colored. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring, until almost all the liquid has evaporated.

2. Add the rice and saffron and stir well to coat the grains with the butter. Add the stock, a large ladleful at a time, and stir until each addition is absorbed into the rice.

3. Continue adding stock in this way, cooking until the rice is creamy but the grains are still firm. This should take about 20 minutes.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the remaining butter and the Parmesan.

5. Cover the pan and leave the risotto to rest for a few minutes, then serve.

Note: The Piedmont borders on both France and Switzerland and is a famous farming region of northern Italy. The word Piedmont literally means "foot of the mountains".