Risotto. Even the word sounds voluptuous as it rolls off the tongue.
If cheese is milk's leap to immortality, then risotto surely is rice's descent into sin. It tastes so rich and silken and creamy that it almost seems naughty to eat it.
For those who have not tried the Northern Italian rice dish, it is an amalgam of short-grain rice swollen with broth and bound with -- usually -- butter and Parmesan cheese.
In Italy, risotto is served, as pasta is, as a first course before the meat or fish entree. But just as Americans have made pasta a main course, they have moved risotto from the wings to center stage.
Chic restaurants are adding all kinds of ingredients to risotto and offering it as a hearty entree. Even non-Italian restaurants are getting into the act, throwing decidedly non-Italian ingredients into the pot.
These inventions illustrate what noted Italian cooking teacher Marcella Hazan meant when she wrote, "There are so many things you can do with risotto that it is almost a cuisine all by itself."
But while the add-ins may vary, the rice doesn't. Plump, short-grain arborio is the rice of choice for risotto. It is increasingly available in supermarkets, where it sometimes is labeled "risotto rice."
Arborio rice is especially suitable because it plumps up and becomes creamy when liquid is absorbed. Because the liquid must be added slowly to the rice, traditional risotto is not a quick fix. The liquid -- chicken broth, fish stock, water or even wine -- is added a little at a time. The mixture is stirred over heat until the liquid is absorbed, then more liquid is added.
The process is repeated until the grains are swollen and bound together in a creamy mass. For centuries, it took 20 to 30 minutes to make a proper risotto. Then heretics discovered the microwave.
Nuked risotto isn't quite as creamy as the real thing, but it's close. And it's a whole lot quicker and easier to make.
For the microwave version, arborio rice is combined with all of the liquid and seasonings, and cooked on high power for about eight minutes. On a rushed weeknight, the slight difference in texture and flavor is made bearable by the convenience.
Although risotto tastes a lot richer than it actually is (it doesn't contain that much butter and cheese), it can be made in a low-fat version.
