Risotto al Barolo

Tonight I made my first batch of risotto, and it was absolutely phenomenal. Following is the recipe I used, from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano, with my notes interspersed in red.

Makes 4 very large servings.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice (I used half a large onion, plus 4 cloves of garlic, finely diced)
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup Barolo or other dry red wine (I used Alice White Cab. Sav., since we have gallons of it around)
8 cups chicken stock, heated until hot (I used the store-bought stuff in the carton, brought to boiling, then taken down and left at a simmer)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

1. In a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until almost smoking. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and translucent but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until toasted and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. It turns a really lovely nutty brown color right at the 4 minute mark.

2. Add the wine, then add a 4- to 6-ounce ladleful of stock and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue stirring and adding the stock a ladleful at a time, waiting until the liquid is absorbed each time before adding more, until the rice is tender and creamy yet still a little al dente, about 18 minutes (you may have a little stock left over). -- It took about 23 minutes for me, and I only used 5 or so cups of stock.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and parmigiano until well mixed. Divide the risotto among four warmed plates, and serve with additional parmigiano. -- Since I was using this as a side, I skipped the whole "warmed plate" business. I'm sure that would be a lovely touch, though.
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I served this and some green beans that we brought up from TN alongside a really delicious pork loin we got at the farmer's market. I splashed a bit of the wine over the loin and seasoned it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stuck it in the oven at 350 until it reached an internal temp of 155 degrees (love my meat thermometer!). It was perfectly moist and a really nice complement to the risotto.

This was much, much easier to make than I anticipated. It did take a while, and it required constant attention/stirring, but it wasn't difficult, and the results were well worth all the stirring. I have a new favorite comfort food.