Risotto, one of today's most popular restaurant dishes, is actually one of the easiest to make at home. Meaning "little rice," risotto is an Italian dish featuring tender arborio rice slowly cooked in broth and flavored with meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, shellfish, cheese or herbs. The result is rice that is delectably creamy while the grains remain separate and firm. Using everyday ingredients, risotto is a most useful and impressive dish that is remarkably easy to master, for considerably less cost than a restaurant meal.
Risotto begins with an explanation of the principles of making the Italian specialty - cook it slowly, stir continuously, and maintain the correct heat and moisture - and then follows with an inspiring selection of more than 100 variations to suit all tastes and occasions. Risotto recipes include vegetarian, meat, poultry as well as game, fish and seafood: Mediterranean Vegetable Risotto Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto Fragrant Herb Risotto Tuscan Bean Risotto Sweet Chili and Basil Risotto Ham and Leek Risotto Bacon and Spinach Risotto Rosemary Lamb Risotto Creamy Chicken Risotto with Garlic and White Wine Chicken and Lemon Risotto Turkey and Prosciutto Risotto Rabbit and Basil Risotto Risotto with Venison and Mixed Peppercorns Smoked Salmon and Dill Risotto Chili Monkfish Risotto Scallop and Fennel Risotto Mixed Seafood with Saffron Risotto Risotto with Garlic Mussels Chocolate and Vanilla Risotto Cream Cheese and Apricot Risotto Tiramisu Risotto Apple, Pear and Cinnamon Risotto
With its partners -- a supply of arborio rice and flavorings as simple as broth, fresh herbs and parmesan cheese -- Risotto is destined to become a well-thumbed staple in the busiest of households.
