Risotto al Limone – Creamy Italian Lemon Risotto

Ingredients

• 320 g Carnaroli rice
• 2 unwaxed lemons (zest of both, juice of 1)
• 1.2 litres good-quality vegetable or light chicken broth, kept hot
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 80 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed (divided)
• 80 g Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Method

1. Warm the broth in a saucepan over low heat and keep it at a bare simmer throughout cooking — cold broth will shock the rice and ruin the starch release.
2. In a wide, heavy-bottomed pan (a light-coloured pan helps you judge the toasting), heat the olive oil and 20 g of butter over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and sweat gently for 5–6 minutes until soft and translucent, never coloured.
3. Add the Carnaroli rice and toast it, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the grains turn slightly opaque at the edges and smell faintly nutty — this step protects the grain and builds flavour.
4. Pour in the white wine and stir vigorously until fully absorbed, about 1 minute.
5. Add the lemon zest from both lemons now, so it perfumes the rice from the inside out. Begin adding the hot broth one ladleful at a time, stirring frequently and waiting until each addition is almost fully absorbed before adding the next. Continue for 16–18 minutes until the rice is al dente — tender with the faintest resistance at the centre.
6. Remove the pan from the heat entirely. Add the lemon juice, the remaining cold butter (cubed) and the Parmigiano Reggiano all at once.
7. Mantecatura: beat and fold vigorously with a wooden spoon or by gently shaking the pan for 1–2 minutes until the risotto is glossy, creamy and flows like a slow wave — all'onda. Adjust salt and add white pepper.
8. Divide immediately into warm bowls, finish with a little extra lemon zest and a drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil. Serve at once.

Tips from the kitchen

Frequently asked questions