What is Risotto?

Series Summary

Risotto is a traditional Italian dish made from a variety of rice, and is the most common way of cooking rice in Italy. Risotto is cooked by first cooking the rice in butter or oil and then adding broth a little at a time in order to achieve a rich creaminess. Risotto is usually finished by stirring in a lump of butter and Parmesan cheese just before it is served. There are many different recipes for risotto beyond the basic dish, and a variety of ingredients, including shrimp, zucchini, peas and mushrooms can be added to enhance the flavor.

In this free video series, our expert will teach you how to make a variety of risotto recipes. You will get step-by-step instructions for making a basic risotto recipe, but also learn how to make shrimp and coconut milk risotto, Tuscan risotto and coq au vin risotto. If you are looking for a classy appetizer or meal for a dinner party, any of these free risotto recipes are sure to please all of your friends and family.

Video Transcript

"ANNE MOONEY: Hi, I'm Ann Mooney. I'm a personal chef here in Orlando in Winter Park, Florida. I'm also a food columnist for Simply The Best Magazine in Delray Beach Florida, and today, I'm here on behalf of Expert Village. Today, we're going to talk about risotto, one of the simplest, most classic Italian dishes that's gaining wide popularity here in the United States for a lot of reasons. For one thing, it's economical because it's filling and nutritious and delicious. It's cholesterol free, unless you put a lot of butter in it, and it's also gluten-free for those who want a gluten-free diet. The basic risotto needs five ingredients and that's it. If you have these five ingredients on hand, and most people do, you can whip up a risotto in exactly 27 minutes. That's how long it takes to cook from start to finish and you have a wonderful meal. The ingredients are, to feed four people as an entree, five cups of some kind of stock--you can use vegetable stock, chicken stock, beef stock or a combination of those, depending on what you have around--a cup of wine or vermouth--that would be dry vermouth--two cups of a short-grain rice--and we'll talk about the rice a little bit more in a minute--three tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of either shallots, onions or garlic, and you've got a risotto."