It turns out that non-Italians’ view of Italian food is often a little... off.
First, I learned Italians use far more water to cook pasta than I always have.
Then, I found out some use a secret ingredient to make their tomato sauces less acidic ― and it’s not sugar, as I had grown up believing.
Now, it seems there’s another traditional approach not all of us take when cooking a classic dish.
Risotto, the delicious rice dish, is meant to have a completely different texture than you might have grown to expect, according to Italian-American food writer Susan Russo, and the sun-dried tomato processors Bella Sun Luci.
How should risotto really be cooked?
Writing for NPR, Russo shared that risotto rice is usually toasted before being cooked so that it develops a nutty flavour. This also somewhat firms up its outer layer.
But contrary to how I, at least, approach the dish, Russo says the firming step shouldn’t stop there. Risotto should not be so soft it has no bite, she explains.
Instead, the rice should be cooked al dente, so there’s a slight bite to it (al dente means “to the tooth” in Italian).
That means you might want to add one ladle of stock less than usual when cooking the dish.
Bella Sun Luci agrees, saying: “True al dente pasta and risotto (or ‘riso’, meaning ‘rice’ in Italian) to actual Italians... is ‘firm’.
“To the most traditional of us, it can even be a little crunchy, especially risotto,” they say, adding: “he definition of al dente risotto is, you can feel each individual grain of rice in your mouth.”
You can, of course, keep adding stock if you prefer a softer risotto, but it seems the pasta gold standard applies to the rice grains too.
The only way to check your rice’s done-ness is to taste it, both experts agree.
Speaking of rice...
If you think arborio is the only rice suitable for risotto, Russo says you’re wrong.
Other varieties, like carnaroli and vialone nano, offer a delicious bite that’s slightly firmer than plump, creamy arborio rice’s texture.
You can also opt for maratelli, padano and roma breeds to shake up your midweek meals.
I think I’ll have to try them all (you know, for science)...