Q&A -- Risotto-- Rice in the Spotlight

[Scarpetta]

Hi, Craig - I've just got back from Greece and read your excellent piece on risotto. Following your instructions, anybody will obtain impeccable results. As for the difference between a stock and a broth, the fundamental one is that to make stock you start by browning bones and vegetables in the oven, THEN you proceed to boil them. So the taste of stock (AND its color) is somehow darker, different from that of a broth.

May I suggest that the rice - when first added to the soffritto - ought to be well toasted for a few minutes. As you whisk it in the pan with a wooden spoon, you should hear it ring out as it hits the walls of the pan. This "tostatura" seems to seal a bit each rice kernel and is an important stage in risotto-making.

Also, after the "mantecatura" is completed risotto should be covered and allowed 2-3 minutes' rest to blend the aromas. Of course one must allow for this longer time in order to have the rice well al dente. Ciao.

[lorea]

Following your instructions, anybody will obtain impeccable results.

Thanks for the great class, Craig! I made your risotto milanese to go with my Osso Buco for lunch and it was beautiful.

[Allura]

Can you make a dessert risotto ala rice pudding? What do you use for the "broth," and would you sweetne the broth or the risotto itself, etc?

I make a very simple but time consuming rice pudding that is just rice simmered with milk & water, and sugar added at the end. It takes forever, and I'm thinking risotto would be faster!