We remember the late 90's when every food magazine offered the definitive risotto technique. Writers trudged to Italian villages to learn how rural matrons made this popular dish. Even as newbie foodies, we rolled our eyes at these accounts. Why make it sound so treacherous?

We have a tried and true technique, learned not at the side of a Piemontese peasant woman but through observation and common sense. Risotto is a stress-free dish that's perfect for a quick meal on a winter night. It's nothing more than rice, liquid, dairy, and optional add-ins. The only trick is to use a short-grained Italian rice such as arborio or carnaroli. These special rices absorb a large amount of liquid and sport a starchy endosperm that will add creaminess to the final product.

Photos by Melissa Schneider

First, bring some liquid to a simmer in a pot. A lot of that liquid will end up in the rice grains, so you want something with flavor. We often use stock, but we've used wine, the liquid left after rehydrating dried mushrooms, and so forth. Even a rind of Parmiggiano-Reggiano simmered for twenty minutes in a pot of water will create a rich taste. We use three to four cups of liquid per cup of rice to account for evaporation, and about one cup of rice for a main course for two people.

In a separate pot, sauté garlic, onions, or shallots in butter or oil. Add your rice and stir to toast the grains and coat them with fat. After a minute or two, you'll be able to lean over the pot and hear a slight whistling noise from the rice kernels. This is the sound of moisture in the kernels escaping as steam, but don't fret; you'll replace that moisture with your cooking liquid.

Once your rice starts singing, add a couple ladles of liquid. It will hiss and sputter in a satisfying way. Cook over medium heat so the pot stays at a gentle simmer and keep just enough liquid in the pot for the rice to swim a bit as you stir.

Because you'll stir the whole time. We've heard "experts" suggest that you only stir in one direction, but we think that's nonsense. You're stirring to break up that starchy coating on the rice grain, which will in turn thicken the liquid. Stir and add liquid as needed.

In about 15-20 minutes, the rice will be tender with a firm core. Let the liquid reduce, and add dairy for a burst of richness. We often use Parmiggiano-Reggiano, but cream is another popular choice. Season to taste, and serve immediately on warm plates; as the risotto sits and cools, the starch molecules harden and form a globby mess. (If you end up with leftover risotto, leave it in the refrigerator overnight, and form the hardened risotto into balls. Dredge in flour, buttermilk, and flour again, and then deep-fry.)

Our basic technique covers every risotto we've ever made, but the fun and diversity of this dish comes from the other ingredients you include. Add them into the pot based on their cooking times. When we made a butternut squash-chestnut risotto two weeks ago, we added the raw squash cubes and peeled nuts at the beginning so that they'd have time to cook in the hot liquid (we used more liquid as well). But when we made a turkey-sage risotto with Thanksgiving leftovers, we added the cold, diced turkey near the end to reheat it, and added the sage at the last second so it wouldn't cook too much and lose flavor.

Roasted garlic-rosemary risotto is popular in the SFist test kitchen. We roast two heads of garlic, and squeeze the cloves into the rice at the beginning of the cooking, so that the garlic gets puréed into the rice. We add the finely chopped rosemary near the end, because as a woodier herb it takes a little longer to soften.

The creamy quality of risotto wants a complex, acidic wine to cut through the fat on your tongue. Choose a pinot noir if you want a red wine, or a Vouvray or Riesling if you want a white wine.

Got some favorite risotto combinations? Let us know in the comments.