Jamie Oliver's risotto trick for deliciously soft rice that melts in your mouth

07 October 2023 , 10:17

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Risotto is deceptively simple (Image: Getty Images/Westend61)

Warming, wholesome and rich, risotto is a comforting meal. The starchy Italian rice dish is an deceptively simple one pot meal, yet it's got a bad reputation for being tricky. For example many people think you need to add double cream in, but the starch of the rice is what emulsifies the dish. People get turned off by the concept of having to constantly stir it - they don't know whether you're meant to put all your liquid in at once or add it in sporadically.

Jamie Oliver has revealed his top tips to perfect risotto in a new Facebook video. In his recipe for ratatouille risotto, Jamie nails down the basics to what makes a good risotto from how to get the rice texture perfect to keeping your vegetables crisp. The recipe only requires five ingredients, gives you two of your five a day and only takes 30 minutes.

Starting with a pack of roasted Mediterranean vegetables from Tesco, which he described as a "fantastic little time saver", he cooks it down for 10 minutes and takes out half to add back in later. Then, he adds in 300g of his Arborio risotto rice, mixing it in with the oil and vegetables to soften slightly.

"The stock - we're going to add, stir, add and stir", he explained taking the sporadic approach to risotto in which you add your liquid little by little. While it requires a little more attention, it means that your rice can consistently soften and won't get stuck to the bottom.

"Instead of traditional parmesan, we're going to add goats cheese", Jamie said, as he added 100g of soft creamy goats cheese to the dish. "It will just melt. It will go creamy." He then added basil to the dish, folding it into the rice for a fresh, herbal flavour.

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"I'm going to put these veggies back into the risotto", he said as he poured in the Mediterranean vegetables he'd cooked earlier back into the dish. "Now, turn the heat off. Just leave it for a minute just to relax." Pouring the risotto from the pan into a dish, he pointed out the colours of the meal. "This is such a beautiful dish." He garnished it with sprigs of basil and goats cheese on top.

The top tips for perfect risotto:

• Taking half the vegetables out only to put it in right at the end
• Gently stir the risotto as you go
• Turn the heat off at the end and leave the rice to relax

Bryony Gooch