Risotto

A famous Italian rice dish that originates in the northern part of the country. Risotto should be creamy with slightly al dente rice kernels. It can be flavored in a multitude of different ways. The procedure though is fairly standard-- sweating onions in butter, adding the rice which continues to sweat for a few moments, and then adding small amounts of hot liquid in stages. It is important to allow the rice to absorb each addition of liquid before adding more liquid. The rice used for risotto can be one of several different Italian short grain varieties from the Po River Valley (Arborio, Vialone Nano, and Carnaroli).