The 10 Best Risotto Recipes

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A risotto worth sitting down for

This pale, elegant risotto makes a simple supper feel a little celebratory. Allow about 35 minutes. Choose a dry Prosecco labelled brut: its gentle acidity balances the butter, while a sweet sparkling wine would push the flavour in a different direction. This recipe serves four. Set out the ingredients before you start and use Carnaroli or Arborio rice, without rinsing it: its starch is what makes the risotto creamy.

Before you start

Warm 1.2 litres of mild vegetable stock and keep it on low heat. Finely chop the shallot, grate the Parmesan and measure 200 ml Prosecco. The wine goes into the cooking pan, not into the finished risotto.

Build the flavour

Soften the shallot in 20 g butter in a wide pan for five minutes without browning. Add the rice and toast for two minutes. Pour in the Prosecco slowly; it will foam briefly. Let it simmer, stirring, until most of the liquid has reduced and the sharp wine aroma has mellowed, about three to four minutes.

Cook the rice

Add hot stock a ladle at a time, keeping the rice at a gentle, steady simmer. Stir regularly, sweeping the bottom of the pan, and add more liquid when the previous ladle is mostly absorbed, before the rice dries out. Start tasting after 15 minutes; most risotto rice needs 16–20 minutes from the first stock addition. It should be tender with a little resistance in the centre. You may not need all the stock; if it runs out, use hot water.

Finish and serve

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the remaining 20 g cold butter and 60 g finely grated Parmesan until glossy.

Taste for salt and pepper, then leave to rest for two minutes. Loosen with a splash of hot liquid if needed: the risotto should spread gently across a warm plate when you tap it, rather than sit in a stiff mound. Bring everyone to the table before serving; this is a dish that rewards being eaten straight away.