Parm, Basil, and Prosciutto Risotto

Risotto. I’ve always been too scared to make it, but it’s always looked ridiculously amazing and delicious. Under the watchful eye of my grandmother (who used to own her own catering business) I tackled We Are Not Martha’s Bacon, Basil & Tomato Risotto  for Easter dinner this year. Though it was exceptionally labor intensive, it was really, really easy. It just involves alot of stirring.

As awesome as the Bacon, Basil, & Tomato risotto was,  I wanted to use a different flavor profile and found that particular recipe semi-difficult to adapt to my needs. Luckily, I own pretty much every cookbook Giada De Laurantiis has ever written. Her first cookbook,  Everyday Italian, has a really simple and basic risotto recipe that perfect for creating your own flavor combinations. I choose prosciutto and basil…can you really go wrong with that?

The one thing to remember is you have to stir constantly, so do as much prep work and measuring as possible before you even start cooking. Keep everything within reach of where you will be cooking so your not running around looking for ingredients.

Risotto with Parmesan Cheese, Basil, and Prosciutto

Basic Risotto (adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis)

• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter (the original calls for 3, but I used 2)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup grated (I used shredded) Parmesan cheese
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Additional Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• bunch of fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced, deli-cut Prosciutto di Parma

Using a medium sauce pan, heat all 4 cups of broth over high heat. When broth begins to boil, reduce heat and keep at a simmer.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a heavy, deep frying/sauce pan (the higher edges make it easier to add the broth and stir without having to worry about spilling and making a mess). When butter is melted, add the onions to the pan and saute for about 3 minutes. Do not brown the onion; they should be translucent. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat with butter.

Pour in white wine and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. This should take about 3 minutes and will make your kitchen smell like a wino for a few minutes, but it’s totally worth it!

Use a ladle to add the simmering broth to the rice pan. Add about 1 1/2 ladlefulls at at time. Stir rice as the broth simmers and cooks in. All each batch of broth to absorb into the rice before adding the next ladlefull. Continue adding until all broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes in total. The rice should be creamy but still have some firmness when you bit into it.

Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

Remove from heat and mix in prosciutto, followed by basil. Serve immediately!

If you have leftovers (I’m not sure why you would, but hey to each their own), you can store them in the fridge for a few days. The risotto heats up pretty well, and you could always be adventurous  and try to make arancini  (fried rice balls).

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