When done right, risotto is absolutely delicious, rich both in taste and consistency. Yet although it is an apparently quick and simple dish to make, it’s actually one that most get wrong. Here are 7 cardinal sins to avoid committing when making risotto, as brought to you by Hugo Chetcuti’s skilled chefs at Hugo’s Pizza & Pasta.
1. Use a wide pot
Rice grains need to be able to bump and grind enough to generate starch, which is not possible if the pot is too wide. Using a wide pot will result in the rice being cooked in a thin layer.
2. Stir constantly
For the perfect, creamy consistency, stir the rice often but not constantly. Stirring constantly will add air into the risotto, making it gluey, while not stirring much will cause the rice to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
3. Don’t cook at too low a heat
Although risotto is meant to be a slower cooking process, it will never cook if the heat is too low. Ideally, the rice is kept at a medium simmer throughout cooking.
4. Use cold stock
Quite the contrary, you should avoid adding cold stock to a hot pan as this will cool everything down and mess up the cooking process. Rather, keep stock at a simmer in a small pan so everything stays hot and cooks evenly. The stock should be added one ladleful at a time, all the while stirring continuously. Spending a bit of time on the stock is definitely worthwhile.
5. Cook vegetables with the rice
Unless you want to end up with a mushy mess, cooking vegetables with rice is not a good idea. Rather, cook your vegetables separately (particularly tender greens and veg such as spinach and mushrooms) and only add them into your risotto after the rice is cooked.
6. Add cheese early on
Ingredients like Parmesan should be added to the dish at the end of the process to avoid its fat breaking down.
7. Cook the rice till it’s mushy
Rice, like pasta, should be al dente, not overly mushy and starchy.
If you’d rather have it all done for you by Hugo Chetcuti’s team of experts, come to Hugo’s Pizza & Pasta, where you can choose from our two delicious risottos, cooked to perfection and made using top quality ingredients.
Try our delectable Black Forest risotto – with its mushrooms, truffles, funghi porcini, vegetable stock and white wine, topped with parmesan shavings. Alternatively, for all the seafood lovers out there, opt for the Prawn Risotto – another of Hugo Chetcuti’s favourites. The dish incorporates ingredients like king prawn’s, fish bisque and white wine, baby spinach and saffron. If that doesn’t make your mouth water, we don’t know what will!
Our restaurant in St. Julian’s also offers a wide range of pasta dishes and pizzas – all made with love! Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date!
