Patience and broth — the secret to a real risotto
In Italy, they say: "un risotto si fa con calma" — a risotto is made with calm. No step can be skipped, no heat should be too high, and above all: good broth. Because a risotto is literally what its broth is. If you use water or a bouillon cube, your risotto will taste like water or a cube. If you use real bone broth, you get that full, creamy flavor that Italian moms have recognized with their eyes closed for generations.
This recipe is the base. Once you master the technique, you can vary endlessly — with pumpkin in autumn, with asparagus in spring, or classic with mushrooms and Parmesan.
Why with HANT bone broth?
Our bone broth is slow-cooked for 32 hours from halal beef bones without additives. The natural collagen and gelatin give your risotto that typical cremoso — that velvety, glossy texture — without needing extra cream or butter. Pure flavor, no shortcuts.
The marrow fat (tallow) or the olive oil in which you sauté the onion forms the flavor base of the whole dish. Olive oil gives a lighter, fresher risotto, marrow fat makes it fuller and richer.
Ingredients (2 people)
- 200 g risotto rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)
- 1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp HANT olive oil or 1 tsp HANT marrow fat
- 4 to 6 tbsp HANT bone broth (2-3 tbsp per person)
- 600 ml warm water
- A knob of butter
- Optional: grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: sautéed vegetables (peas, mushrooms, spinach)
- Pepper and salt
Preparation
- Warm the bone broth together with the water in a small pot and keep it warm over low heat.
- Sauté the finely chopped shallot or onion in HANT olive oil or a teaspoon of HANT marrow fat until soft and translucent — do not brown.
- Add the uncooked risotto rice and stir until the grains are translucent (1-2 minutes). This is called tostatura and is essential for the right texture.
- Add a ladle of warm broth and stir until almost all the liquid is absorbed.
- Repeat this each time until the rice is cooked and creamy — about 18 to 20 minutes. Keep stirring gently, this makes the risotto silky smooth.
- Finish with a splash of HANT olive oil or a knob of butter. Stir well — this is called mantecatura and gives that final shine.
- Optional: add grated Parmesan cheese and sautéed vegetables like peas, mushrooms, or spinach.
Tips & variations
- Pumpkin risotto — add a handful of sautéed pumpkin cubes in step 4 and finish with sage.
- Mushroom risotto — fry finely chopped mushrooms separately in marrow fat and mix in at the end.
- Lemon risotto — finish with some lemon zest and olive oil for a fresh summer dish.
- For children — finish a bit milder and leave out the Parmesan if they are sensitive to salt.
Storage
Risotto is best eaten immediately — that’s what it’s made for. Leftovers? Store in the fridge for up to 2 days in a sealed container. Reheat with a splash of extra broth so it becomes creamy again. Tip: make small balls (arancini) from the leftovers, bread them and fry them crispy — a second life for your risotto.
Did you make it?
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