Truffle Risotto (lidia Bastianich)

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 6 -8 cups water
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 2 cups arborio rice or 2 cups carnaroli rice
• 1 cup wine
• 6 tablespoons butter, in tablespoon-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup freshly grated grana padano cheese or 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1 ounce truffle, brushed clean

Recipe

• 1 heat the water in a pot almost to boil; cover and keep it very hot on the stove, near the risotto pan.
• 2 add olive oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the saucepan and set over medium heat.
• 3 stir well as the onion starts to heat and soften; stir frequently and cook until it is wilted and just starting to color, 8 minutes or so.
• 4 pour in the rice all at once, increase the heat, and stir the rice and onions continuously, toasting the grains (but not browning them), until they make a clicking sound as you turn them in the pan, 2 minutes or more.
• 5 pour in the wine, and keep stirring for another couple of minutes, all around the pan, until the moisture has evaporated and the rice is dry.
• 6 immediately ladle in 2 cups of the almost simmering water, enough to cover the rice, and decrease the heat.
• 7 cook, stirring steadily, until the water is almost totally absorbed, 4-6 minutes.
• 8 quickly ladle in more water to cover the rice, add another 1/2 teaspoon salt, and keep stirring, as the rice swells and releases its starches and a thick creamy suspension starts to form.
• 9 again, when the water is almost completely absorbed--and you can see the bottom of the saucepan as you stir--ladle in another cup or so of water.
• 10 remember how much water you add; after incorporating 6 cups (or a bit more) over a period of 15-19 minutes, taste the rice for texture and seasoning--add more salt and/or incorporate more hot water if needed.
• 11 when the risotto is perfectly cooked--at once al dente and creamy--turn off the heat.
• 12 without delay, drop the butter pieces into the saucepan and stir vigorously to mount--or amalgamate--the risotto with butter.
• 13 stir in the 1/2 cup cheese.
• 14 for each serving, spoon a mound of risotto into a warm pasta bowl, and immediately shave paper-thin flakes of truffle over the top.
• 15 serve right away, as the heat releases the aroma of truffle into the air, and dish up the next portion.