Risotto alla Parmigiana or Parmesan Rice with lemon

How to make a lemon parmesan risotto .

Risotto is one of the most popular dishes in northern Italy.

One of the pillars of its gastronomy, which is mainly cooked between the west of Lombardy, the east of Piedmont and the Milan area. Precisely in the latter, the legend says, this dish arose.

Italians define it as ” minestra asciuta ” or ” dry soup “, a creamy but not broth dish that should be taken with a fork and not with a spoon.

It must also be ” legato ” or linked, with whole grains and al dente, a concept that in Spain we are catching little by little.

It was born in the Milan area in 1574 during the Renaissance, although in 1300 rice was already cultivated in the Naples area.

Legend has it that in the 15th century a young Italian fell head over heels in love with a beautiful Italian, the daughter of one of the most popular teachers in Italy. This Italian, very fond of cooking, ordered to prepare a dish with which to surprise his guests on their wedding day.

Since it had to be quick and easy, the chosen ingredient was rice and the guests were delighted with the result. When choosing the rice for our risotto, it must have a low amylose content and a grain size between small and large.

For this risotto we have used Scotti risotto rice, which is perhaps the most easily found in supermarkets and supermarkets.

Currently, depending on the region of Italy, they elaborate it in one way or another. In the north of Bussolengo, San Martino, Sona … housewives prepare it in a traditional way, but the broth is added to everything at first.

In this case we have added the broth little by little, as they taught me, without letting the rice absorb it and without stopping stirring to obtain as a result a creamy rice, with a great texture and without having to add the butter at the end .

We have used a touch of lemon juice and its zest to add a touch of citric contrast to the recipe, I assure you that it marries these days when spring begins.

I hope you like it and cheer up with it, easy and simple, perfect to start cooking .

The choice of ingredients, the basis of a good risotto

• In this type of Italian rice we are going to appreciate the action of the starch, the delicious flavor provided by the butter and controlling the correct cooking point.
• The fine line between crude and past of a Spanish and an Italian may not be the same. The important thing is that you try it and little by little you get an authentic risotto, I hope to help you with this recipe.
• The broth is essential  since it will be the one that flavor the rice. In this recipe we are going to use a bird broth with some vegetables, I assure you that it is the point of flavor that you will need.
• And finally we must use a good Reggiano Parmesan . There are two varieties of Parmesan ( Reggiano and Grana Padano ), Reggiano is the one made from raw milk and is the one that should really be used. It is more expensive, but it is also cleaner and the texture is much creamier.

Preparation of Risotto alla Parmigiana

1. In a separate saucepan we heat the broth so that when it comes into contact with the cooking of the rice it does not stop the heat.
2. All risotto is more or less similar to the beginning, we start from a basic recipe with a fairly similar preparation although the accompanying ingredients are different.
3. In a low casserole or a wide frying pan, melt a generous nut of butter, once it has melted and before it begins to change color, fry a very finely chopped onion slowly until translucent, almost transparent.
4. Remove from the casserole and reserve.
5. We toss the chosen rice and toast it in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, with 1 or 2 minutes over high heat it arrives. When the rice grains become translucent we start adding a ladle with the hot poultry stock.
6. We have to wait for this broth to evaporate before adding another ladle again, checking that there is never too much broth in the casserole but it is not dry either.
7. Add the fried onion that we have reserved and stir.   We must incorporate the water little by little, stirring very frequently .
8. We repeat the process until the rice is tender but whole, a little al dente, harder than we are used to in Spanish cuisine.
9. It is perhaps the most important step, I do not set cooking times as it depends a lot on the type of cuisine you have and the temperature you use, but do it little by little, without hurry. Although times vary between 15 and 20 minutes, calmly but without pause.
10. We remove from the fire and ” butter “, that is, we stir slowly without force with the grated cheese so that our rice is as creamy as possible.
11. I use  Parmigiano Reggiano , a hard, semi-fatty, slow-maturing cheese, perfect for a risotto. It will give our rice a creamy, not soupy texture.
12. I do not add butter, because with the cheese for my taste it is already very creamy, but if you want you can add it in small amounts, so that it is even creamier.
13. It must be removed without stopping, so that the residual heat distribution of the casserole is uniform and we also make it easier for the rice to release its starch.
14. When the rice is done, al dente, flavorings can be added.
15. In this recipe the juice of a lemon squeezed by hand so that it does not bitter and the zest of it (only the skin without reaching the white part). Even a point of saffron will go that not even painted, I leave it to your liking. We mix to bring the flavors together.
16. We have not added salt at any time, I do it at the end because the cheese has enough and that does not happen.
17. We serve freshly made, warm, with a few slices of lemon or lime to decorate. Simply delicious.

Choose from all the rice recipes that you will find on the blog, with simple ingredients such as ” risotto with boletus edulis and prawns “, ” octopus risotto ” and ” risotto with artichokes and lamb “,   with saffron , the original octopus risotto  or a classic sea ​​and mountain . I am sure your favorite risotto will be there.