ingredients
serves 4
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 pint dry white wine
11 ounce arborio rice
1 3/4 pints chicken stock
large pinch of saffron strands
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra to serve
salt and pepper
method
1. Melt half the butter in a heavy-based pan. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes to soften. Add the wine and boil rapidly until almost totally reduced.
2. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until all the grains are coated with the butter and glossy.
3. At the same time heat the stock in a separate pan to a steady, low simmer.
4. Add the saffron and a ladleful of the stock to the rice and simmer, stirring, until absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, until the rice is tender but still has some bite to it. (Adding the stock slowly in this way helps to release the starch and make the risotto creamy.) It takes about 20 minutes; you may not need to add all of the stock.
5. Add the remaining butter and grated Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once, with extra Parmesan.
