To Prepare the Cheese Wheel:

Make sure to carve and break the middle part, creating a hole so that the risotto can be finished in the cheese and you can mix it through and make it creamy.

Mark the spot where you’ll make the well so you concentrate on that area.

To carve the cheese wheel, it's best to use the specific Grana Padano knife, otherwise you will need something quite sharp and specific.

Clean out the remaining cheese in the well and put it to the side - make sure you taste some as you go. This cheese at room temperature is even more flavoursome that you might think!

To Prepare the Risotto Alfredo:

Pour the extra virgin olive oil into your pot, then place chopped onions in the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Sauté this for 3 minutes. then once the onion is nice and brown, time to add the Acquerello rice in the pot. The rice does not need to be toasted because it’s an aged rice - if using an alternative be sure to toss it for 3-4 minutes.

Add half glass of white wine and start counting the cooking time from now. Use the instructions noted on your packet of rice for the time - mine needs 15 min cooking time to be ready

Always stir while cooking the rice so it does not stick and also so it cooks evenly.

Let the wine evaporate and then add the stock until it covers the rice.

Add more stock when the rice dries up - keep following this process until you reach the cooking time and/or you are happy with the consistency of the rice.

Make sure that the rice is always is the moist while cooking!

Once you are happy with the texture, leave a small amount of liquid in the rice to help create the creamy texture for your cheese wheel risotto.

Switch off the stove THEN add the butter and combine before adding a generous amount of black pepper - freshly ground is best!

If using a cheese wheel, add the risotto to it at this point, mixing the risotto in and scooping up some of the cheese and combining it as you go - this should melt into the rice.

Now, your cheese wheel risotto alfredo is ready to serve and eat.

E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!