Risotto is the kind of food a guy orders when he wants to impress a lady. The dude wants the girl to think, “Wowzers! What a worldly guy – he didn't order the spaghetti and meatballs.” Of course he could have saved himself some good coin, and made the risotto himself – then she'd really be impressed. Risotto is pretty easy to make. There is only one rule you have to follow for perfect risotto: liquid should be added to the pan in small amounts and it should be absorbed by the rice before adding more liquid. You really can't go wrong with this recipe.*

Ingredients:
- cup dried mushrooms
- pound (2 sticks) butter
- 1 small onion, finely diced white pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 pound Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialaone Nero rice
- 5 cups chicken broth
- teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1 cup chicken broth
- cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese



1. Put the mushrooms in a large strainer and run under cool water to rid them of any dirt that may be there. Rinse several times until they are thoroughly clean. Then put them in a small bowl with about 1 cup warm water to soak, preferably for 2 hours, but minimally for 1. (Do not soak mushrooms beyond several hours.) Drain and have ready for use.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add some white pepper. Add the wine and cook over high heat, uncovered, until the wine evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add the rice, stir well to coat the rice and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the drained mushrooms.

4. Add the broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring all the time. When the broth is absorbed, add another 1 cup. Keep doing this until the broth is used up, about 20 minutes. When the rice is al dente, add the saffron and its liquid. The saffron will make the rice a wonderful yellow color. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.

5. To serve, put all the rice in a shallow bowl, and top with remaining cheese.

*This recipe is an excerpt from A Cook's Tour of Italy by Joe Famula, used courtesy of Penguin Books.

[A Cook's Tour of Italy is in stores now.]