Risotto al Barolo

Ingredients

• 320 g Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice
• 500 ml Barolo or Langhe Nebbiolo wine, young, fruit-forward; warmed before use
• 250 ml beef or veal stock, warmed; combined with wine to form total cooking liquid of roughly one-third stock to two-thirds wine
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 60 g unsalted butter, divided: half for initial cooking, half cold for mantecatura
• 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
• Optional
• 40 g Castelmagno cheese, crumbled; used alongside or in place of Parmigiano at mantecatura

Method

1. 1
   Warm the Barolo and stock separately over low heat; they must not simmer, only remain hot. Cold liquid added to the pan causes thermal shock that slows starch release and uneven absorption. The wine is ready when steam rises gently from the surface.
2. 2
   Melt half the butter in a wide, heavy pan over moderate heat. Add the shallots and sweat until completely soft and translucent, with no colour. Add the rice and toast, stirring continuously, until each grain is coated in butter and the edges turn faintly opaque — the rice will give off a faint nutty scent.
3. 3
   Add the first ladleful of warm Barolo. Stir constantly until it is fully absorbed; the pan should hiss and the liquid should be drawn into the rice before the next addition. Continue adding the warm wine and stock — roughly two-thirds wine to one-third stock — one ladle at a time, stirring without cease and allowing full absorption between additions. This is where the dish lives or dies: insufficient absorption of wine leaves tannins uncooked and the risotto astringent; too brief a process fails to drive the purple-red colour deep into the grain. After 16–18 minutes the rice should be al dente at its core, the colour a deep garnet-purple throughout, and the taste vinous but without sharpness.
4. 4
   Remove the pan from the heat. Add the remaining cold butter, cut into small pieces, and the Parmigiano-Reggiano (and Castelmagno if using). Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon or shake the pan in a rapid back-and-forth motion — the mantecatura — until the risotto is glossy and emulsified. It must be all'onda: tipped, it should flow slowly like a wave, not hold a stiff mound.
5. 5
   Rest the risotto, covered, for one minute. Plate immediately in warmed shallow bowls. The surface should shine; the colour should be a uniform deep garnet with no pale or pink patches.