French Onion Risotto

Risotto

Risotto is a classic rice dish that you can find in many restaurants. It’s generally viewed as an elegant dish, so many home cooks stay away from it. But have no fear! Our French Onion Risotto comes together easily and tastes absolutely delicious.

This recipe calls for Arborio rice. You’ve got to have it. You can easily find it in your local store next to the regular rice. Can you use regular rice instead? Unfortunately, no. Arborio rice has a higher starch content than regular rice, which is essential to making the risotto creamy.

How to Make Risotto

When I think of risotto, I think of Gordon Ramsey shouting at amateur cooks. But it’s really quite simple to make. All you need is your ingredients prepped and a little patience.

To start with, get your rice measured out, your onion chopped, your cheese shredded, and your herbs ready. It’s also important to get your stock in a pot on the stove. It doesn’t need to be boiling, but it needs to be hot. Adding cold stock to the rice results in uneven cooking.

Start by melting some our amazing Fresh Churned French Onion Butter in a pan. Make sure the pan is deep enough to accommodate the rice (remember rice gets bigger as it cooks). Add the onion (make sure it’s a small dice) and saute the onion until translucent. The French Onion Butter and the onion give a great base of flavor to the rest of the dish.

Then add the rice.

Patience

Stir the rice in and let it cook for thirty seconds or so, then add some stock. This is where you have to be patient. Add just enough stock so that the rice is covered– a ladle or two. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the stock is gone. Then add another ladle full. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked. It will take 15-20 minutes. Patience! Keep the heat at medium, and keep stirring. A little stock at a time, until the rice is done.

When the rice is tender, double check your creaminess. Drag your wooden spoon through the pan. If it leaves a trail, and the rice slowly comes back together, you know you’ve done it right. But if it rushes back together too quickly, you need to let the stock reduce a little more. If it stays without moving back, it’s too dry, and a little more stock is needed. We want creamy– not dry, not soupy.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice, and your fresh herbs.

Salt and pepper to taste– though the stock may be salty enough that you won’t need more.

Enjoy!

French Onion Risotto

Recipe by Chef ShamyCourse: Sides

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup Arborio rice

• 4-6 cups vegetable stock, hot

• 4 T Fresh Churned French Onion Butter

• 1 cup onion, small diced

• 2 T lemon juice

• 1 cup Parmesan cheese

• 2 tsp fresh parsley

• 2 tsp fresh thyme

Directions

• Make sure all your ingredients are ready before hand– your rice measured and your stock hot.
• In a pan, melt French Onion Butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
• Add rice, and stir in. Toast rice for 60 seconds, then add a few ladles of stock– just enough to cover the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stock has reduced. Add more stock, again, just enough to cover the rice. Continue this process, stirring frequently, until rice is cooked, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve.