For years, risotto intimidated me. All the commotion about constant stirring, attention, and exactness scared me out of really giving it a go; it seemed like a dish I was better off leaving to the professionals in restaurants.
Then, when working on a farm in Italy, I met a dear old nonna that shook the fear right out of me. She’d make a giant pot of risotto frequently for the staff and guests staying on the farm and never worked up a sweat. She’d toss in the odds and ends she’d find in the kitchen, stir it frequently but never obsessively, and the result would always be creamy and comforting. After learning Graziella’s ways, it wasn’t long before risotto became not just something I’d make to show off what I learned in Italy, but also something I now lean on pretty much every week.
Once you let go of the belief that risotto is fussy and fancy, you’ll see that it’s one of the most flexible (and, I’ll argue, most enjoyable) things you can make, which is why it should be a constant in your meal plan, just like it’s in mine.
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