Risotto al Barolo Lombardo

Melt half the butter in a wide, heavy saucepan over a medium flame. Add the shallots and sweat without colour until fully softened and translucent, keeping the heat gentle so the shallots release their sweetness rather than their bitterness — the fat should remain pale gold throughout.

Add the Carnaroli rice to the soffritto and toast, stirring constantly, until each grain is too hot to hold between the fingers and the pan releases a faint, nutty fragrance, because a fully toasted grain builds a firm outer layer that holds the starch inside and gives the finished risotto its body rather than its glue. Under-toasting at this stage produces a starchy, glue-like result; the rice must be fully sealed before any liquid enters.

Add the Barolo in stages — never all at once, which would shock the starch and destroy the wave-like flow — beginning with one generous ladleful and stirring until absorbed before adding further wine, alternating progressively with ladles of hot stock so the tannins soften little by little rather than seizing the starch all at once. This is where the dish lives or dies: the staged addition of wine is what allows the rice to build the correct, loosely flowing all'onda consistency rather than a gummy, dense mass. Continue until the rice is cooked through but retains a slight resistance at the centre.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cold butter in pieces along with roughly half the Parmigiano, using cold butter specifically so it emulsifies into the hot rice gradually and gives the sauce a glossy, cohesive body rather than separating to an oily slick. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon or shake the pan to achieve mantecatura — the risotto should flow in a slow wave when the pan is tilted. Keep it wetter than you would a white wine risotto, since the tannins tighten the starch on standing; add the Grappa di Barolo if using.

Plate immediately onto warmed plates so the residual heat of the porcelain does not stiffen the risotto before it reaches the table. The risotto should spread slowly of its own weight to a loosely pooled disc — not hold a mound, not run flat like soup. Finish each portion with the remaining Parmigiano.