Risotto milanese

You’ll need some good stock, but everything else is worthy of a storecupboard staple.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
60g	butter
1	small white onion, finely diced
400g	risotto rice, (Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone Nano)
2 generous pinches	saffron strands
	salt
	freshly ground black pepper
175ml	dry white wine, about 1 glass
1 litre	chicken stock, hot, (use 50:50 with water, or use 100% veg stock or water if you prefer)
80g	parmesan cheese, grated

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt half the butter over a moderate heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 8–10 minutes.
Add the rice, saffron and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, turning the heat up slightly. Move the rice about the pan, coating the grains and saffron strands in the hot fat. Do this for about 2 minutes.
Add the wine and your pan will give a gasp, absorbing all the wine. Stir until all the wine has evaporated.
Reduce the heat back to moderate and add the first ladleful of hot stock to the pan. Stir continuously until all the liquid has evaporated.
Repeat with another ladleful of stock, stirring until evaporated.
Do this until most or all of the stock is used up. Check the rice continually from about 12 minutes into the cooking time. You want the grains to be tender but with a modicum of bite left in the very centre.
When the rice is ready, add the remaining butter and half the Parmesan. Beat like you mean it! The risotto should be glossy and creamy. Take off the heat, put the lid on and rest the pan for 5 minutes.
Serve at the table with the remaining Parmesan to add per person – perfect consistency for risotto is when you add a portion to the plate and the risotto just glides across the surface. It shouldn’t clump or be swimming in liquid. Like magma, semi-fluid.