This recipe is for 2 people. Just double the quantities for four. Or, it is plenty for four people as a starter, as it would be in Italy.
Ingredients:
Olive oil
One large red onion
160g arborio rice
150g mushrooms (open cup have more flavour)
1 chicken stock pot or cube
700ml boiling water
40g mature cheddar cheese
Method: Peel the onion and dice it Wipe the mushrooms and slice thinly Grate the cheese Bring the water to the boil and pour it into a measuring jar. Add the stock pot/cube and stir well. Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a sauté pan and heat it on a medium heat. Add the onions and fry until they are soft and translucent Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes whilst stirring. Add the rice and stir everything together making sure the rice is well coated with oil. Now pour in a ladle of the stock and stir. Keep stirring until the rice has all but absorbed the stock, then add another ladleful. Keep stirring until this has also been absorbed, then pour in another ladleful. Keep doing this until all the stock has been absorbed. If the rice is not quite soft, add some more boiling water. On the other hand, if the rice seems cooked and you have not used up all the stock, do not add any more. It is vital not to stop stirring. The risotto should have the consistency of a rice pudding. This process will take anything from 20 - 30 minutes.
Finished dish: Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese. Put it into a serving dish. Some chopped chives or parsley looks pretty on the top. You might like to have a little more grated cheese on the table for people to help themselves. Risotto can be made with almost anything as its main ingredient. If you are adding prawns, they should only be stirred in at the end of the cooking time. If adding bites of fish, just lay them over the top of the finished risotto, pop the lid on and continue cooking on a low heat for a couple of minutes, or until the fish looks opaque. Lardons or chopped streaky bacon is good. Chicken, peppers, butternut squash, courgettes, are all good basics, but make sure you have cooked them before adding the rice.