h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The best rice, I have found, for making a risotto is Arborio. It's quite starchy and therefore makes really filling meals but is also succulent and creamy at the same time. You can do pretty much whatever you want when it comes to risottos, just throw in what ever you feel like, allowing, of course for the cooking times for any meats you may be using. If using chicken I generally cook it first as there's nothing worse than raw chicken ...

Standard Ingredients:

Onion (1/2 per person)
Arborio Rice (approx 75g per person)
Oil (a table spoon)
Stock (approx 1 pint per person)

Exact quantities vary depending on how many people you're trying to feed so you just have to wing it.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and soften the onion
2. Throw the rice in with the onion and stir it to absorb all the oniony flavours.
3. Pour in the stock in smallish quantities and stir regularly until all of the liquid has been absorbed, continuing to do this until it seems that the rice can handle no more.

If you just leave it at that you will have basically a very thick, rice soup, flavoured with whatever stock you used. It's a good idea to use the stock which most compliments the main theme of your risotto (ie if you're having a purely veg risotto then there's little point using chicken stock).

When do I add the excitements I hear you ask? Well, I usually throw everything in at the same time (assuming of course the meat is cooked) ... just lob it all in together. Ok your carrots may be a little 'al dente' (no relation) and your mushrooms may be a little floopy but if you're going for perfection why not cook them seperately and serve them as a side dish?

Current favourites are:
Chicken and Mushroom
Lemon Roasted Chicken and Spinach
Mixed mushroom
Spinach, Mushroom and Broadbean

I've only recently started doing risottos but they just delicious the Lemon Roasted Chicken and Spinach is particularly good with a green salad ...

I must stop ... my mouth's watering ...

Pumpkin, Chicken, Herbs and Pea Risotto
Ingredients: 1/2 1 medium butternut pumpkin (squash), 3 cups of stock, 1 onion, 2-4 cloves of garlic, 250g of chicken breast, about 3 handfuls of mixed fresh Italian herbs (thyme, marjoram or oregano and basil), 2 cups of aborio rice, 1/2 cup frozen peas, 20g of butter and 40mL of olive oil, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Method: Peel pumpkin and chop up. Cook pumpkin in stock until soft and puree in a blender. Chop everything else, except for the peas. Cook the onion and garlic until soft, add the chicken and thyme and cook through. Add the rice and toss to coat it in the butter and oil. Add the marjoram or oregano, and the first ladle of the stock. Stir continuously, until stock is absorbed, and keep on going like this. Before you add the last ladle of stock, add the basil and the peas. Sprinkle Parmesan on top after it is served.
Serves 4.

This tastes really good and it is nice and creamy.