Risotto

This is an easy one.

Heat:
8 c. vegetable stock until simmering.
Prepare:
1 large onion, finely chopped
and sauté over medium heat in 1-2 T. butter or olive oil until golden in places. Toss in some chili flakes at the end of the sautéing if you’re like me and think almost everything needs chili flakes.
Add:
2 c. arborio rice
and cook, stirring, until the edges of the rice are translucent.
Add:
½ c. dry white wine (I am perfectly happy to use red if that’s all that’s around – the risotto does come out pink, though it tastes good.)
and cook over medium heat until the wine evaporates. At that point, add 1 c. of vegetable broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s absorbed. Continue adding a cup of stock at a time and cooking, stirring occasionally, until it’s absorbed, until you get to the last cup or so of stock. At that point, add:
1 c. grated hard cheese (I use Dry Jack most often, but Gruyere, Romano, or Aged Gouda would also work. Parmigiano-Reggiano is too much for risotto, I think – it gets kind of bitter.)
and then taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary. At this point, you can zig and zag with risotto as desired, leaving it plain, or adding fresh herbs and/or vegetables. When your additions are complete, add a splash of wine and the last of the stock and serve piping hot.