Food and Drink

Risotto with Caramelized Onions, and Gorgonzola

by
Dan Eley

Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

3-4 Sweet Onions, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp of Butter
Kosher Salt
Red Wine

Half onions and then thinly slice onions starting at one side and working all the way to the other. You’re going for slices that are about 1/8 inch thick. It may look like a lot of onion, but they will cook down quite a bit.

Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a large saucepan over medium until melted and sizzling.

Start by adding a few large handfuls of onions to the pan. Cook, stirring, until onions are soft and starting to turn translucent, 1–2 minutes. Stir in a few more handfuls of onion and repeat cooking and stirring process until you’ve added all the onions. Season with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and add a pinch of kosher salt and continue to cook onions, stirring every few minutes to prevent them from sticking until they are a dark caramel color. As the moisture cooks off, add a splash of Red Wine or Port. The liquid will dissolve the cooked-on bits, which the onions will re-absorb.

Risotto

Ingredients:

8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for finishing
1 large shallot, finely chopped
Kosher salt
2 cups Arborio Rice (carnaroli, or vialone nano rice can also be used)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese

Warm the broth in a medium saucepan over low heat, which helps the risotto come together faster. If you need to skip heating the broth, make sure it’s at least at room
temperature.

Melt the butter in a 10- or 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and cook until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add the rice and stir until every grain is coated with the butter. Add more butter if needed. Continue stirring the rice until the edges have turned translucent but the center is still opaque, about 2 minutes.

Add the wine, and simmer, stirring constantly, until the wine has completely reduced and the pan is nearly dry.

Slowly add the broth in increments, stirring in between. Begin incrementally adding the broth one 1/2 cup at a time, stirring regularly between additions. Wait until the liquid has been almost completely absorbed by the rice before adding the next ladle; dragging your spatula through the rice should leave a dry path where the spatula was. Continue adding broth until the rice is al dente and the broth is creamy.

As a final step, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of butter (optional), the cup of cheese and the caramelized onions. Serve the risotto immediately and sprinkle with gorgonzola cheese to taste.