champagne and lemon risotto
Risotto was the meal I made most often for friends when I was a broke university student in Montreal. With little more than some Arborio rice, chicken broth, Parm, and an add-in or two, I had an impressive homemade meal. As time has passed, my add-ins have gotten a little more luxe. Enter this classic, which I was first inspired to make when I had some leftover bubbly from a party the night before. While Champagne is nice, less expensive bubbles, like cava or Prosecco, or any good dry white wine, is perfectly fine. You can build a fuller meal around this by serving it after an appetizer such as Roasted Carrots with Carrot-Top Pesto, or as a starter before Rosemary Pork Tenderloin or Chile-Maple Roasted Chicken.
I like a slightly soupy-style risotto, referred to in Italian as all’onda (meaning “wavy”), rather than a drier version. You’ll know it’s ready when there’s just enough liquid in the pan for the cooked rice to ripple yet still have a thick, creamy consistency.
ingredients
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
Kosher salt
1½ cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1½ cups Champagne or other sparkling or dry white wine
¾ cup finely grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 3 ounces), plus more for serving
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
steps
In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low.
In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and softened, 8 to 10 minutes (do not let brown). Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns opaque, about 4 minutes. Add the Champagne or wine, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated.
Add ¾ cup of the hot broth and cook, stirring frequently yet gently and getting into the edges of the pot (mixing too roughly will eventually break the grains, which you want to avoid), until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth ¾ cup at a time, allowing it to be absorbed each time before adding more, until the rice is tender yet still firm to the bite and the risotto is creamy and still slightly soupy, 16 to 18 minutes total. (You may have some broth left over.)
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice and stir until the cheese is melted, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the risotto into bowls and top with more Parm and pepper. Serve immediately.
✨ Tip: A wooden spatula that’s wide and flat at the bottom is the tool I like for stirring risotto because it allows you to stir and fold the rice while scraping the bottom and sides of the pan as you go.
