Video: Bayly’s Bites | Risotto recipe

Next on our Bayly’s Bites adventure through Italy, Head Chef Nathan Jackson shows you how to create a perfect risotto at home!

Ingredients

1.5 litres organic stock, such as chicken, fish or vegetable

1 large onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 carrot

3 sticks of celery

90 g Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

unsalted butter

400 g risotto rice

2 wine glasses of dry white wine

2 bunches asparagus, peeled and chopped. Tips reserved.

Method

Heat the stock. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, trim and finely chop the celery and carrot. Finely grate the Parmesan.

In a separate pan, heat the oil and 1 small knob of butter over a low heat, add the onions, garlic and celery, carrots and fry gently for about 15 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.

Add the rice and turn up the heat – the rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After 1 minute it will look slightly translucent. You will hear it snap, crackle and pop. Add wine and keep stirring — it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.

Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of sea salt. Turn the heat down to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside.

Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and almost massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 -20 minutes. Taste the rice — is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. Add your asparagus rounds and tips.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit for 2 minutes. Add the cold butter and grated cheese and mix vigorously. This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat it as soon as possible, while the risotto retains its beautiful texture.

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