Pair Risotto alla parmigiana with a still, medium-bodied red wine like a Merlot from Friuli or Tuscany, a Valpolicella Classico Superiore or a Sangiovese di Romagna.
Difficulty: easy
Method: 15
Cooking: 35
Chef Danilo Angè
Difficulty: easy
Method: 15
Cooking: 35
Method
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01 / Prepare the crisps
Mix the Parmesan cheese and the paprika in a bowl
Heat a non-stick pan over low heat
Cover the bottom of the pan with the Parmesan mixture, it should be firm but thin
Cook until the cheese melts and the crisp is coloured
Remove the crisps from the pan with a spatula and place on a chopping board
Cut the crisp while still hot
Let it cool down it becomes crispy
Repeat the process until the mixture is finished
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02 / Prepare the sauté for the risotto
Finely chop the onion
Put in a saucepan with extra virgin olive oil over moderate heat
Cook for about 5 minutes until it wilts, it should not brown
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03 / Toast the rice
Add the rice to the fried mixture
Turn the rice for a couple of minutes until toasted without changing colour – it should be extremely hot when touched with the back of the hand
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04 / Cook the risotto
Add the white wine and let it evaporate
Add the boiling broth , the rice must always be covered with liquid
Cook, stirring occasionally, adding a little stock at a time when necessary
Remove from the heat after about 18 minutes
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05 / Blend the risotto
Add the Parmesan cheese and cold butter
Hold the handle of the saucepan and move it vigorously back and forth to mix the ingredients
Add salt and pepper to taste
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06 / Serving
Arrange the risotto on serving plates
Garnish with the Parmesan crisps
Wine pairing
Risotto should be prepared and served there and then, but you can prepare the stock in advance.
Another particularly useful tip is to replace the fried onion or shallot with a flavoured oil you can prepare in advance and use for other recipes too. Chop the onion/shallot, put it in a saucepan and cover it completely with extra virgin olive oil. Cook it on a low flame or in the microwave until the onion/shallot is transparent. Leave to infuse and cool, filter, and store the flavoured oil covered in the fridge.
The onion must not brown in the frying pan.
The rice must not change colour during the toasting process to seal the rice grain and allow it to release the right amount of starch when needed.
From mid-cooking onwards, the stock should only be added as necessary, as it is absorbed, so as not to end up with a risotto with too much broth.
The “mantecatura“, the blending operation, must be done with the heat off, with cold butter and Parmesan cheese for the creaminess of the risotto.
The risotto should be served strictly hot and freshly made, without allowing it to darken and dry.
If you want to use the leftover risotto for other preparations, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container up to a couple of days.
If you want to recycle it, the easiest and quickest way to reuse risotto alla parmigiana or alla milanese, without adding other ingredients, is to cook it al salto (stir fry). In Milan, you can often find it cut into cubes, even in venues serving aperitifs.
The most suitable rice qualities to obtain a creamy risotto are Carnaroli, Roma, Arborio and Vialone Nano.
In the traditional recipe, the rice was fried with butter, about 25 grams, and onion. Nowadays butter is replaced more and more with extra virgin olive oil.
Replace the vegetable stock with meat stock if you wish but it should be without salt and used hot.
In Italy it is said that a successful risotto must be “all’onda“: this means that it must be thick and creamy enough to allow creating a wave in the saucepan with a sharp blow with your wrist during the “mantecatura”, the blending phase.
Ingredients for 4 people
320 g Carnaroli rice
100 g of onions
50 ml white wine
1 l di vegetable stock
40 g butter
80 g grated Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the crisps (optional decoration)
100 g grated Parmesan cheese
Smoked paprika to taste
Wine pairing
Pair Risotto alla parmigiana with a still, medium-bodied red wine like a Merlot from Friuli or Tuscany, a Valpolicella Classico Superiore or a Sangiovese di Romagna.
