Risotto 'alla Parmigiana'

Method

1. Finely chop the onion and sauté in a little olive oil and about half of the butter until it turns a pale golden colour.
2. Add the rice to the pan and stir for a few minutes to stop it from sticking and let it absorb the oil.
3. Cook the rice by adding a little stock at a time.
4. About 5 minutes before the rice is done, add salt and pepper to taste, 30g of butter and a little freshly grated, 30-month matured Parmareggio Parmigiano Reggiano.
5. When the rice is ready, stir in the remaining butter and add plenty of freshly grated, 30-month matured Parmareggio Parmigiano Reggiano. A perfect "risotto alla parmigiana" should be "all’onda", meaning the risotto should be very soft so that the other ingredients melt with the rice.
6. Decorate with a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wafer, if you like.

Chef's tip

Making Parmesan wafers is child's play! Take 100 g of freshly grated, 30-month mature Parmareggio Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a 10-12 cm frying pan. Put the frying pan on the heat and when it is very hot, sprinkle an even layer of Parmesan cheese on the base of the pan. When the cheese has melted, carefully lift up the wafer and remove from the pan using a pair of tongs and set aside to cool.

Serving suggestion

This primo is great followed by a meaty course or a vegetable dish (non-starchy vegetables, though). If you want to keep the menu light, just match it with a nice colourful salad.

Wine selection

Alturio Refosco Friuli Aquileia DOC for the red wines, Colli di Parma Sauvignon for the white ones.

Family tip

To achieve the best result possible, we recommend you to use Carnaroli rice, the 'King of rice', ideal for fine risottos thanks to its grain structure and thus better holds its shape cooking. 

Dish history

Risotto 'alla Parmigiana' is probably the easiest and best loved risotto recipes, the father of all other risottos and the basis for most of them, since it can be modified and enriched according to your own taste with meat, mushrooms, vegetables, spices.. to create brand-new recipes. In spite of its simplicity, this risotto is both savoury and delicate at the same time. The special ingredient here is Parmigiano Reggiano, the famous hard cheese that gives creaminess, aroma and taste to the risotto. Its flavour is usually enhanced by the meat stock used for the cooking, but you can use a vegetable stock to make the risotto vegetarian, the result will still be excellent. A great first course, this fine and light recipe will make both adults and children happy!