Russell Loades, chef at Graze in Cirencester, tells us how to make this classic Italian rice dish

After working for one of the biggest names in Italian cookery, it seems only fair that I share what I learned with you about risotti bianco, the classic risotto base.

It’s such a show-stopper when you get it right, and a real foodie thing to cook and to share with friends and family.

So please feel free to listen to opera music and have a glass of wine (just one though, please) and most of all enjoy it!

Ingredients

One large white onion 3 sticks celery washed 3-4 cloves of garlic Olive oil 50ml Small glass of white wine 2.5 litres of stock – you can use store bought or make your own if you have the time parmesan and butter ( you decide, I use a lot!)

Method

You’ll need two pans on at the same time, one heavy-bottomed empty pan to cook in, and one filled with a beautiful stock of your choice. For this we will use vegetable, but you can use fish or chicken stock depending on what you want to finish your risotto.

Next take one large white onion, three sticks of celery and 3-4 cloves of garlic depending how much you like it, and finely dice the lot. You can use a food processor and blitz in batches, but using a good quality sharp knife brings you closer to the action.

Heat a good slug of olive oil in the heavy bottomed pan and add the onions and celery. Sweat briefly with no colour, then add the garlic for a few seconds, and after this the wine. This will release one of my favourite smells in the kitchen – hope you like it too.

Allow the wine to reduce by half, then throw in the rice and stir to incorporate all the vegetables.

You should notice the wine will be absorbed by the rice, season at this stage, only a little, flavour is something you have to build gradually.

Cook the rice slightly until it becomes waxy. Do not allow the vegetables or rice to colour, this will ruin the final product and give you a speckled appearance and tough grains. So, turn your hob down when you approach this stage, and make sure you stir from the very outside of the pan to ensure all grains are evenly distributed throughout the cooking. Now it’s time to add our beautiful stock, ladle by ladle until it has almost completely been absorbed by the rice, before adding the next one.

Make sure you keep the rice moving, massaging the starch from the rice will add a silky smooth texture to the dish, and ensure even. This stage should take between 10 to 15 minutes.

Don’t be scared to get involved and try it occasionally. At the restaurant I am constantly explaining to my team to taste everything they prepare at all stages. It gives you a better understanding of what you’re cooking and will soak up the wine your drinking too! Haha!

If you feel it needs more seasoning, do it, but please remember to only season gradually – you can put it in but you can’t take it out.

When the rice is tender but still has tiny crunch to it (al dente) remove from the heat and allow to rest for a minute. This helps with the finish massively.

To finish your dish, add freshly grated, good quality Parmesan and butter (French or Irish). Trust me on this – splashing out a little will reward you tenfold when you come to eat it. You can use olive oil for a slightly healthier version.

I like to use white truffle oil, nutmeg and freshly shaved black truffle. It’s so simple but has really luxurious taste, and has a huge wow factor when shared with friends You literally can add anything to this base. If you use a fish stock, you could add smoked salmon, samphire, peas and lemon zest. You could use chicken stock and use leftover chicken for a meaty version with tarragon and wild mushrooms.

Remember that anything you add to the risotto may contain seasonings already, so be prepared to adjust what you put in to it.

Good luck people, happy cooking. See you again soon with another chef’s tip.