Italian cuisine has long been the main attraction of the republic, attracting the interest of millions of gourmets from around the world. However, to learn about how to cook risotto, which has become a symbol of the northern part of the country, it is not at all necessary to cross other people's borders.

Risotto - the story of the appearance of the dish

The first official mention of this popular Italian dish was recorded in the Treatise on Cooking in the mid-19th century. Who exactly came up with the risotto has not been established for certain.

They talk about a young glassblower who decided to use saffron not only in his craft, but also to add rice to the boiled for a wedding celebration. The effect exceeded all expectations - grain became the main course of the table, an ingredient over which the best Italian masters “conjure” even today.

Varieties of dishes depend on the regions of the state.

  • So, distinguish the Piedmont version with the addition of meat and wine.
  • In Milan, they cook a dish on bone marrow, seasoning products with cheese and saffron.
  • The inhabitants of Mantua supplemented the dishes with Parmesan and Mortadella (boiled sausage).

There is also a risotto with vegetables and mushrooms, and for lovers of liquid food, chefs serve a thick aromatic soup, seasoned with pinchetta and green peas.

The dish once invented is so universal that every master, who “put” his culinary touch on the canvas of the culinary dish, becomes the author of the created masterpiece.

Classic White Wine Risotto Recipe

Despite the many variations in cooking, the Milanese version of the dish is traditionally recognized.

Product Composition:

  • bone marrow (beef) - 60 g;
  • hot broth - 2 l;
  • rice (preferably Carnaroli, Arborio, Vialone Nano) - 600 g;
  • white wine - 200 ml;
  • onion - ½ head;
  • oil (olive or cream) - 120 g;
  • shredded cheese shavings (Grana Padano, Parmesan) - 100 g;
  • saffron stigmas (sachet of ground composition) - 30 pcs.

Cooking method:

  1. Melt the butter in a pan with high sides, fry chopped onion and bone marrow in it. The vegetable should turn out soft and transparent.
  2. Further add Italian rice, which in no case washto preserve starch and obtain a dish of the desired consistency.
  3. We fry the grains to a brilliant state, fill with wine, continue heating over high heat until the liquid evaporates. Alcohol will not only open the pores of each grain, but also complement them with pleasant wine notes.
  4. We pour in part of the hot broth, covering completely the amount of rice, attach the crushed saffron. Two minutes do not interfere with the composition, allowing the gluten to completely free, then we actively work with a wooden spatula.
  5. The subsequent addition of portions of the broth is done after the next portion is completely absorbed by the rice.
  6. Beat butter, combine with grated Parmesan (Pecorino), introduce the composition into an almost ready dish.

In this way, Italians create a delicate creamy consistency in the risotto. Always remember the classic cooking!

Read also:classic risotto recipe

Cooking with Chicken

Poultry meat is most often used to create “little rice,” as risotto sounds from Italian.

Dish ingredients:

  • black olives - 80 g;
  • chicken breasts - 800 g;
  • shredded cheese chips - 100 g;
  • rice - 600 g;
  • bulb;
  • broth (vegetable or meat) - 2 l;
  • olive oil - 120 g;
  • paprika - 2 g.

Cooking:

  1. We heat the natural oil and fry the rice in it until a smooth film appears on it. Season the grains with paprika and the desired amount of salt. Add portions of the broth according to the original Italian technology to a soft grain condition.
  2. We sieve finely chopped onion in olive oil, attach the chopped breast (2 cm) breast and process the product for up to 2 minutes over high heat.
  3. We spread the fried poultry meat into almost finished rice and gently mix the composition. Add the cheese chips and send the food for 6 minutes in the oven (200 ° C).

Risotto aged in the oven acquired the magical taste of a truly Italian dish.

With seafood at home

We improve our knowledge with information on cooking healthy dishes with the presence of our favorite seafood.

Necessary components:

  • oysters and mussels - 400 g each;
  • peeled squids - 200 g each;
  • rice - 350 g;
  • wine (dry varieties) - 100 ml;
  • onion, chive, chili;
  • olive oil - 40 g;
  • fish broth - 250 ml;
  • carrots and celery - 1 pc.;
  • salt, parsley, pepper.

Cooking Technology:

  1. Peeled and washed squid cut into rings. We put the mussels in a pan and add 2 tablespoons of wine to them. We heat the mollusks until the shells open and remove them from the shells.
  2. Cut vegetables, fry in oil, add rice and wine. When the alcohol evaporates, spread the squid, chopped parsley, pour in the portions of the broth, adding it as it is absorbed by the grain.
  3. Place shrimp, mussels, squid and oysters in the dish. Season with pepper and salt, then remove from heat.

Risotto with seafood will warm in the cold season and will cheer you up on the most cloudy, rainy days.

Mushroom risotto

List of ingredients:

  • porcini mushrooms - 300 g;
  • bulb;
  • rice - 300 g;
  • clove of garlic;
  • vegetable broth - 1 l;
  • oil (olive and cream) - 30 g each;
  • cheese - 60 g;
  • salt, pepper, parsley.

Step-by-step preparation:

  1. Pour 2 liters of purified water into the pan. We place in it coarsely chopped onions, celery and carrots. Salt and boil the vegetables until cooked, filter the odorous broth.
  2. Fry chopped garlic in oil. We spread mushrooms divided into plates to it, salt them and pepper.Cook another 10 minutes until the product is golden brown.
  3. In another pan, we chop the chopped onion in the oil. When it becomes soft, pour in rice, fry the grains for three minutes and pour in portions of the prepared broth.
  4. Put mushrooms in almost ready rice and after 7 minutes. set the container off the fire. Season the dish with grated cheese and the remaining oil, carefully mix the aromatic mass.

The presented dish will be a wonderful decoration of any festive table.

Tender dish with minced meat

Very satisfying and mouth-watering food, vaguely reminiscent of our navy pasta. It is just as tasty, simple and economical from the available products.

The list of components:

  • on a jar of canned peas and tomatoes;
  • carrots and pickles;
  • minced meat - 400 g;
  • rice - 200 g;
  • Parmesan cheese - 100 g;
  • butter - 50 g;
  • wine (Vermouth, Sherry) - 120 ml.

Cooking method:

  1. Remove the peel from pickled tomatoes and grind them with a blender along with aromatic brine. The resulting composition is poured into the pan, after dropping a little oil into it. Add 500 ml of purified water, heat the tomato mass to a boil, reduce heat to a minimum.
  2. Pour oil into a large roasting pan and heat. We put in it minced meat, chopped cucumber, carrots, pepper and salt. Cook for 10 minutes.
  3. We add wine to the products, and after 2 minutes. pour rice and level its layer. Add 2 cups of hot tomato mixture. We continue the process by the method of languishing, adding new portions of the tomato composition until the grains become soft.

Season the finished risotto with chopped herbs, grated cheese and bright green peas. Mix all the ingredients and serve hot.

How to cook in a slow cooker

To get the perfect dish in an electric appliance, we use Arborio rice, which is distinguished by a high starch content.

Required Products:

  • favorite mushrooms - 300 g;
  • rice - 360 g;
  • Parmesan cheese - 120 g;
  • cloves of garlic - 2 pcs.;
  • olive oil - 100 ml;
  • turnip onions;
  • Sherry (other wine) - 100 ml;
  • cream - 100 ml;
  • cube of broth.

Cooking process:

  1. Pour oil into the multicooker bowl, put onion chopped in cubes and fry it for 10 minutes, setting the “Baking” mode.
  2. Add sliced ​​mushrooms and continue cooking for the same amount of time.
  3. Then pour the rice, heat the cereal for 2 minutes and pour the wine.
  4. We dissolve a cube of broth in 800 ml of water and send the composition to the unit's capacity after complete evaporation of the alcohol from there. We add cream, salt and pepper, chopped garlic. Stew all together for a quarter of an hour using the Rice program.

Season the risotto cooked with grated cheese and insist 30 minutes.

The sumptuous result was delicate, creamy, pleasantly fluid. Like real Italians!

Vegetarian with vegetables

Prudent masters of cooking risotto did not ignore the interests of people who prefer vegetarian food.

Ingredients Composition:

  • sweet yellow pepper;
  • carrot;
  • rice - 300 g;
  • cheese chips - 20 g;
  • eggplant and zucchini - 100 g each;
  • green peas - 60 g;
  • cherry tomatoes - 150 g;
  • vegetable broth - 1 l;
  • celery and turnip;
  • wine - 50 ml;
  • regular sugar - 30 g;
  • olive oil - 200 ml;
  • salt pepper.

Risotto cooking:

  1. Cherry tomatoes are divided in half. The remaining vegetables (except onions) are chopped in small pieces of approximately the same size.
  2. We chop the half of the chopped onion in oil (creamy and olive) until soft. After that, we spread zucchini, blue ones, half the composition of carrots, sweet pepper, green peas and salt to it.
  3. The rest of the sweet root, the second half of the onion and celery are fried separately for 10 minutes. Add rice, heat it slightly and pour the wine. After the evaporation of alcohol we attach portions of the broth.
  4. When the cereal absorbs the required amount of liquid, put the halves of miniature tomatoes in it and mix the food, sprinkling with cheese and chopped parsley.

Risotto with vegetables turned out to be unusually tasty and nutritious. The nutritional and energy value of the dish is at the highest level!

With shrimp and salmon

The composition of the components:

  • bulb;
  • rice - 200 g;
  • cloves of garlic - 2 pcs.;
  • oil (olive and cream) - 30 g each;
  • salmon fillet and peeled shrimp - 200 g each;
  • a pinch of saffron, salt, pepper.

Cooking method:

  1. Finely chopped onion and fry until soft in a mixture of oils along with whole cloves of garlic.
  2. We remove the burning pieces from the pan, put rice in their place and heat the grains for 7 minutes. After that, pour a glass of water or broth, season with salt, saffron, pepper. Next, we act in the usual manner, adjusting the amount of liquid by the degree of evaporation and the readiness of the cereal.
  3. The shrimp recipe allows the use of the alcohol component. How to do this, we already know from the classic way to get risotto with white wine.
  4. We continue cooking, constantly stirring the dish. When the rice reaches the desired condition, we attach to it the salmon, shrimp and greens, cut into medium pieces.

We warm all the components together for another 5 minutes, after which we serve a hot dish, enjoying its piquant taste.

Risotto with corn and peas

Ingredients:

  • rice - 150 g;
  • peas and corn (canned) - 150 g each;
  • chilli;
  • onion head;
  • broth - 300 ml;
  • 2 cm ginger root;
  • vegetable oil.

Cooking process:

  1. Finely chop the onion turnips and heat in oil along with a piece of chopped ginger.
  2. After 3 minutes, we send rice to the pan for the risotto, pour in a third of the broth (chicken or vegetable) and mix the composition. Very quickly, small grains, like living ones, begin to grow in size, actively absorbing aromatic moisture.
  3. After 7 minutes we attach the rest of the liquid. Supplement with corn, peas and chopped chilli. Season with salt and pepper, Provencal herbs and spices. Stew food until rice is cooked.

The contrast of the colorful products that make up the risotto resembles a bright spring lawn. Just like in the Italian Dolomites.

Fancy Cuttlefish Ink Recipe

Despite the fact that we are already accustomed to exotic dishes, one name of this dish can introduce a person, figuratively speaking, into a short-term stupor. The way out of this state will come very quickly and will be extremely pleasant!

Ingredients:

  • fish broth - 500 ml;
  • onion and chive;
  • shrimps (large) and scallops - 5 pcs.;
  • olive oil - 300 ml;
  • Rice "Viola" - 250 g;
  • cuttlefish ink - 1 tbsp. l .;
  • lemon juice - 1 tsp;
  • salt pepper.

Cooking an unusual risotto:

  1. We pass chopped garlic and chopped onion in oil.
  2. When the vegetables become soft, add seafood to him and heat everything together for another 5 minutes. We lay a few scallops and shrimp in a bowl for decoration.
  3. Next, we put rice and cuttlefish ink to the semi-finished ingredients, pour in part of the broth and prepare our unusual dish in the traditional way. Grains should reach the state of al dente (“a tooth”), as Italians say.
  4. Serve the food in a deep plate, decorate it with prawns and scallops.

Italian cooks, the true guardians of national traditions, know best how to cook risotto for old reasons. However, they also allow themselves to "correct" the ancient recipe. Why don't we take some reasonable initiative and imagination to contribute our modest contribution to the never-ending culinary process.