I bought a packaged risotto once, and decided I could do better. This is a dish that has evolved, and it's different every time I make it. As with Chinese cooking, this is a recipe in which you must do all your preparation first. Once you start cooking, you won't have time to do anything else. Veggies One component of my risotto is sauteed vegetables.
Onions are essential.
I tend to use four to six vegetables, and chop them into thin strips or cross-sections. You want to end up with three to four cups of chopped vegetables. Raisins, chopped dried apricots, and dried cranberries have all worked well. Next time, I'm going to try dried cherries. You want to end up with one cup or so of dried stuff.