Ingredients (4 servings)

• 7 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 3 finely chopped shallots
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice
• 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine
• 3/4 cups of grated parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup of shaved parmesan for garnish
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Chopped fresh herbs for garnish (I used parsley, basil, and chives)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.
2. While the broth is heating up, melt the butter over medium heat in a separate large saucepan.
3. Add the shallots and garlic to the butter and saute until the shallots are softened. Then add the rice and stir for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the wine and raise the heat to medium-high. Allow it to boil, stirring constantly until the liquid has evaporated.
5. Once the broth has boiled, remove it from the heat and slowly pour about 1/2 cup of it at a time into the rice pan. Gently mix each portion of broth into the rice until it’s soaked up before adding the next 1/2 cup. Continue until all the broth has been added to the risotto.*
6. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the grated parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
7. Dish it up and top off each serving with shaved parmesan, chopped fresh herbs, and salt and pepper.

Note: While this technique may seem painstaking and long, trust me, it actually saves time. Once I tried adding all the broth in with the rice at once and it took well over an hour for it all to be absorbed. By the time it did, the rice had basically disintegrated into a mush. So the smaller amounts of broth added a bit at a time is really the fastest way to cook the risotto properly. It’s also important to stir continuously, and be gentle enough to not break the rice.