Pesto and Parmesan Risotto with homemade pesto and homemade vegetable stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Heat the stock in a small pot and keep it hot over low heat until the end.

   StoveSmall saucepan

   💡The stock stays hot in the small pot: cold stock stops the cooking with every ladle, and the rice cooks unevenly.
2. 2
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Add the onion and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 5
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
2. 6
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
3. 7
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 8
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
5. 9
   Add the rice, without rinsing it, and toast 2 minutes, stirring, until the grains are glossy and coated in fat.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡Don't rinse the rice: the starch on the grains is what gives risotto its creamy texture.
6. 10
   Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed.

   Stove
7. 11
   Add the hot the stock one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until each ladle is absorbed before the next, about 18–20 minutes, until the rice is creamy and al dente: soft outside with a bite in the center.

   StoveLadleWooden spoon

   💡Ladle by ladle, stirring: the friction releases starch from the grains that thickens the liquid into a creamy sauce. Taste from minute 16: the grain should be tender with a firm center.
8. 12
   Grind the leaves in a food processor with the nuts, garlic, salt and black pepper.

   Food processor

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
9. 13
   Add the Parmesan and grind.

   Food processor
10. 14
    Add the olive oil in a thin stream, while Tahini, until to a smooth sauce.

    Food processor

    💡Pesto keeps in the fridge about two weeks in a closed jar, covered with a layer of olive oil. The top layer darkens from the air, and that doesn't mean it has spoiled.

    💡The thin stream is everything: fat that goes in too fast can't bind, and the sauce breaks. For mayonnaise and hollandaise, if this happens, start with a fresh yolk and slowly add the broken sauce to it; if the sauce is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of water.
11. 15
    Remove from the heat and add the butter, Parmesan and pesto and stir vigorously, until the risotto is creamy and glossy.

    💡The butter and cheese go in off the heat, with vigorous stirring: they melt into the starch and give the risotto a sheen and a velvety texture.
12. 16
    Season with salt and black pepper.
13. 17
    Serve immediately, with the basil scattered on top.