Real Italian Risotto: Radim Gerlich's Recipe
·Finely chop the shallot
Chop the shallot finely, trying to keep the pieces as even as possible. Otherwise some parts may end up slightly burnt while others haven't turned properly translucent yet.
Heat up the pot
Put a stainless steel pot with a fairly thick base on the stove and turn the heat up to full. Let it heat through, then add a knob of butter or a splash of olive oil. As soon as the butter melts (or immediately after pouring in the oil), add the shallot.
Sauté and add the rice
You can lower the heat slightly, but not too much. Fry the shallot until translucent. Turn the heat back up to full and pour in the dry rice.
Stir constantly
Stir vigorously and don't stop. The rice will change colour as it fries, which takes about two to three minutes. You really must keep stirring the whole time so the rice and shallot don't catch and burn. This is the moment to season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the wine
Pour the wine over the toasted rice, again with the heat on full. Keep stirring and wait until all the wine has evaporated and there's no liquid left in the pot.
Add the stock - gradually
Now it's time for the hot stock, which you should already have warming in a pot on another burner. Start adding it to the rice. Sauté the mushrooms and stir them into the rice.
Ladle by ladle
Add just enough stock each time so the rice sits just below the surface. The grains shouldn't be poking out, but there shouldn't be too much liquid either. If you misjudge the amount of stock towards the end of cooking, you'll end up waiting for it to evaporate while the rice overcooks in the meantime.
Season to taste
Add the pieces of salsiccia and stir. Keep tasting as you go. If the dish needs more salt, add it as early as possible so it has time to soak into the rice grains, not just the sauce.
Fry until crisp
I sliced the second salsiccia and fried it until crisp.
Taste the rice
After about 20 to 25 minutes the risotto should be ready. The only way to know when to stop cooking is by tasting and checking that the rice is soft enough. It definitely shouldn't be overcooked and mushy.
Butter and Parmesan
Take the finished risotto off the heat. Have some chilled butter ready, a few pieces, along with grated Parmesan. Add both to the pot and stir vigorously until the butter and cheese have melted in.
Serving
This step will thicken the risotto slightly and round off the flavour. Serve immediately on warmed plates. Give the bottom of the plate a few firm taps with your palm - a properly made risotto should spread out beautifully across the plate. Garnish with the salsiccia and a little finely grated cheese on top.
