Three-Herb Risotto

We learned the principles of cooking risotto in Milan, Italy. At Trattoria Masuelli San Marco, Max Masuelli and his son, Andrea, use neither chicken broth nor onion, and at Trattoria Trippa, Diego Rossi showed us that skipping the traditional wine and adding a splash of vinegar at the end produces bright flavor. These unconventional approaches yield a risotto with an especially light, clean flavor. Here, we use a simple five-ingredient homemade vegetable broth as the cooking liquid. We also add a trio of fresh herbs and a touch of lemon zest, ingredients that nicely complement the Parmesan and butter.