Risotto is one of my go-to recipes. It´s simple, very tasty and perfect to make when you´re cooking alone. And you can always mix it up, according to season. Just exchange the vegetables for whatever might be in season right now, risotto can be made with pretty much everything. Pumpkin, Mushrooms, saffron…

This recipe is for my sister who once told me that she needs 40 minutes to make a risotto. For her and for anybody else who might struggle with risotto or maybe never tried it before: Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a perfect risotto. Everybody who is more experienced in risotto making is also very welcome to try out this recipe. I am sure, more recipes will follow, but for the start I am going to show you how to make a simple vegetable risotto.

With this recipe I started making risotto. You need:

200 g Risotto rice

700 ml vegetable stock

120 ml white wine

1 onion

1 garlic clove

1 zucchini

3-4 tomatos

Dried herbs

50 g grated Parmesan

1) Peel and cut the onion and the garlic clove. Wash the zucchini and cut into small pieces. Wash the tomatos, take out the seeds and cut into small pieces. While you´re cutting the vegetables you can also heat water for the vegetable stock.

2) Heat 2 tbsp. of butter or oil in a pot. Add onions and garlic and steam for a little while. Add risotto rice and dried herbs. Then, add white wine and let boil.

3) Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add a little bit of the hot vegetable stock. It should cover the rice. Now you only have to let the rice boil at medium heat. Keep adding the stock once it the rice has absorbed it and stir regularly. It takes about 20 minutes for the rice to be done. Taste it, it should be soft but with a slight bite. If you run out of stock, add boiling water, if you have stock left over, don´t worry. The measurements are not always correct.

4) Add the zucchini to the rice after 10 minutes. The tomatos are added a little later, about 5 minutes before the rice should be done.

5) After 20-25 minutes, the rice should be soft, with a slight bite. Now it´s time for the best ingredient: Parmesan! Parmesan is what makes the risotto creamy and smooth and adds a certain note to it. So for the finishing touch, add a tbsp. of butter and parmesan and stir well. Don´t forget to add salt and pepper as well. If everything went as planned, you should have a perfect, creamy and tasty risotto!

Risotto is one of my favourite things to make. It´s easy, very tasty and and good for both, stomach and soul. It tastes best if you make the deluxe-version, meaning with good wine and parmesan. But, as a college student, these things can not always be afforded. Don´t worry though, it also tastes good in the low-budget-student-version. You can leave out the wine and exchange parmesan for fresh cheese or cream. This has the same effect as parmesan; it makes the risotto smooth and creamy. If you follow this recipe, you shouldn´t have any problems making a very good risotto. This was only the start, there will definitely follow more recipes.