A faultless risotto will bring raves at the table. Serve it as a first course with dinner or as a meal in itself - either way, it's lovely.

One bite of rich-tasting risotto and you think you are putting away countless fat calories. But it's actually rice starch that makes each forkful a creamy delight.

Risotto is a specialty of northern Italy, where rice takes precedence over pasta. It's made in a great range of styles from plain (made with just butter, rice, broth, and Parmesan cheese) to versions mixed with vegetables, seafood, smoked meats, poultry, and various cheeses.

The dish is enjoying a surge of popularity in American restaurants, maybe because people assume that anything so delicious must be impossible to duplicate at home. But there's no real rocket science involved. Success with risotto is a only a matter of good ingredients, proper stirring, and careful timing.

Wanting to know more about risotto and how to perfect this dish, I consulted a favorite cooking reference book, Kitchen Secrets, compiled and published by READER'S DIGEST (see pp130-132). The book describes perfect risotto as a dish where every grain of rice remains separate and firm-tender, yet the rice is held together by a creamy substance. These characteristics are what make risotto unique among rice dishes.

Here are the steps and details (from Kitchen Secrets) that contribute to a perfect risotto:

1. Bring broth to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
2. Meanwhile, heat butter or oil in a separate saucepan; add a little chopped onion, if desired, and cook until soft.
3. Then stir in rice until it's well coated with butter or oil. This step helps ensure that the grains will remain separate through the cooking process.
4. Add simmering broth to the rice, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring into the rice with a wooden spoon. Add more broth to the rice only after each addition has been completely absorbed.
5. Stir continually while the rice cooks.
6. Toward the end of the cooking time, stir in freshly grated Parmesan - and a little cream, if desired.

When done, the rice should be firm to the bite but not the least bit hard; soft and creamy but not dripping wet. A plain risotto, made as described, takes about 25 to 30 minutes to prepare. If you add a vegetable or seafood, the cooking will take a little longer.

Now let's talk about the kind of rice that makes the best risotto. The one recommended by professional chefs if Italian Arborio Rice. Its short fat grains look like tiny footballs and have the capacity to absorb a lot of liquid - and yet retain their shape - while standing up to constant stirring. Long-grain rice will disintegrate in the stirring process. Arborio also has more starch than other rices. The starch becomes creamy as it softens and the rice is stirred.

Until recently, all Arborio rice was imported from Italy. Now, however, very good Arborio rice is grown in the United States, which has reduced the price considerably.

And be sure to choose your other ingredients carefully. Use a homemade broth or stock if possible and a good quality Parmesan. Parmesan is salty, so be sure to taste risotto before adding any extra salt.

Don't wash the rice before cooking it. You'll wash away some of the starch that is so important to the dish. Be careful not to overpower the flavor of risotto with too many onions or herbs. This is easy to do. And add only 1/2-cup of broth at a time, as previously mentioned.

The rice should never be submerged or come to a boil. And stir the rice over moderate heat. If the temperature is too high, the broth will evaporate before the rice has the chance to absorb it. If the temperature is too low, the rice will become soft and the grains will lose their definition.

Taste a few grains of the rise periodically to check for doneness. Blow on the gains before putting them in your mouth - piping hot risotto is a tongue scorcher.

Mary Ann Espositio, host of the TV food show, Ciao Italia, says: "To save time, risotto can be partly made a day ahead. Allow 2/3 of the broth to be absorbed by the rice. Spread the rice on a lightly buttered baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Return the rice to a saucepan and warm slowly. Reheat the remaining broth and add slowly to the rice in small amounts, allowing the rice to absorb each addition. The rice should remain firm-tender, but fluid and creamy." Serve risotto immediately when done. For best results, don't try making it for more than 6 people.

Finally, wild mushrooms and asparagus are two particularly nice additions to risotto. And one more suggestion: You'll find an abundance of excellent risotto recipes online, and when you find the one you really like, be sure to load it into your Cook'n Recipe software for future easy-finding.

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Sources:
www.organicguide.com
www.tasteandshare.com
www.kitchendaily.com
www.thekitchn.com
www.omgtoptens.com
www.penandfork.com
www.culinaryseductions.com