Best secret for risotto (and lots of other dishes, for that matter) is to use a *really* good stock. Buy a liquid one rather than stock cubes or powder. Get that right, and your risotto will taste great. Anything else you add just 'specialises' the flavour, so don't go mad with quantity. Fresh coriander is nice if you like the taste, but for traditional Italian you're looking at oregano and basil really. Use proper Italian rice, and cook it in the traditional way (e.g. briefly fry onions & garlic in a bit of oil, then add the uncooked rice to the hot oil and stir it around until all the grains are coated. Then keep adding stock a bit at a time whenever the mixture dries out (the stock should be simmering in a separate pan, diluted with water of course, ready for use). Stir *continuously*, don't stop, and keep going until the rice reaches the level of firmness you want).
I generally cook a basic risotto as above then add other ingredients at the end -- this is especially important for things like mushrooms that tend to go horrible if you overcook them.
Hope this helps! (ps, should you not remember who I am, I am doseybat's other half -- I talked to you at the_alchemist's party. See here (http://findatlantis.com/) or here (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~st326/) for further dirt on me.)
I agree that cube stocks are crap, but I'm not prepared to shell out for chiller cabinet 'fresh' stock when I can make my own for free every time I've cooked meat on the bone! Never quite sussed how to make vegetable stock without ending up with a sort of soupy substance or something that looks like dishwater, mind.
I don't tend to buy the fresh stuff either -- too expensive. You can get liquid stock that lasts weeks after the bottle has been opened. I can't remember the brand name off hand, but it is very good. I have occasionally made my own, but the tiny kitchen near my college room isn't up to that kind of thing, really!
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I generally cook a basic risotto as above then add other ingredients at the end -- this is especially important for things like mushrooms that tend to go horrible if you overcook them.
Hope this helps!
(ps, should you not remember who I am, I am
I agree that cube stocks are crap, but I'm not prepared to shell out for chiller cabinet 'fresh' stock when I can make my own for free every time I've cooked meat on the bone!
Never quite sussed how to make vegetable stock without ending up with a sort of soupy substance or something that looks like dishwater, mind.