recipe: risotto al limone

who doesnt like risotto?? is it possible? so delicious, & yet so simple...

this week's fri26aug2011 fridaynightdinnerbox is all about simplicity, in flavour, in ingredient, in method:

for the risotto:                          for the salad:                                                       for the veg:

olive oil & butter                      rocket leaf                                                            courgette bean spinach

shallots/onions & garlic        bean & alfa & sango sprouts                         cracked pepper

thyme & parsley stalks           almonds sunflower & pumpkin seeds       olive oil & lemon juice 

aborio rice                                   olive oil & lemon juice

homemade chicken stock       

lemon, zest & juice

parmesan cheese

*3 pans on: one for boiling water, one for boiling chicken stock, one for cooking yr risotto

*olive oil/butter in the warm risotto pan & be generous here. finely dice the onion/garlic, into the pan & sprinkle over salt & a little thyme. leave it, covered, on a low heat till the sweetness & translucency thing happens, shaking the pan from time to time.

*separately, bring chicken stock to the boil

*turn risotto heat up & add aborio rice, turning it in the pan to coat all the little ricicles with olive oil for a cpl of minutes. then slowly add about a cup or so of stock, just covering rice. let the risotto simmer gently now, waiting till the liquid has been absorbed before adding a bit more as its required. in this manner, keep going till the rice has reached the al-dente stage, which means: firm to the bite; firm but not crunchy, softening but not gluggy. understatement alert (>) this is pretty important. just imagine mamma mia is standing over yr shoulder checking its a la perfecto-rama.

*about half way thru the process i zest a cpl of lemons into the risotto & squeeze the juice in as well

*add a little cream to finish, grating parmesan over & some watercress bunched on top to serve

*while yr risotto is coming along, slice courgettes, beans, carrots, spinach...whatever your veg of choice, & blanch them for about 30-60 seconds in the boiling water. immediately take them out & plunge them into an iced water bath, blanching colour fasts the veg so that it doesnt go grey & washed out & people arent subjected to the torture of mushy over boiled things on the plate.

*when yr ready to serve, just drop them in the boiling water again for 30 seconds & theyr done! squeeze lemon juice over the top & a drizzle of olive oil, season with salt flakes & cracked pepper.

*the salad is quickest, so is done last. toss rocket leaf bean & alfa sprouts, toasted seeds, dried cranberries in some olive oil & lemon juice.

in the eating of this dish, i like to bring it all together, folding the rocket thru my risotto. the crunch of the salad greens meets the creaminess of the rice, salty seediness, tang of parmesan, sharpness of lemon, peppery fire... to me is close to the blissful state

important to note here, while the risotto is best done a little slowly, its important to stay with it while it cooks, 10-20 mins depending on heat. also, while it can be made a day or 2 in advance, the veg must be done on the day & the salad must be done at service time. 

if you take away the lemon factor, this risotto is a base for many other flavour combos, all of which can be made to order, bringing variety to your risottos with minimal preparation. 

lend me yr imagination for just a mo: 

...you arrive home, starving tired. its not a friday night so you cant emergency dinnerbox it pablo style.  

...heating the plain risotto in a pan, you rummage round for olives s/d tomatoes artichokes & the like in the fridge (yknow, the ration essentials no self-respecting refrigerator would ever be seen without) 

...after a quick dash to the balcony garden yr chopping a handful of parsley, 

...in goes a spoonful of cottage cheese/marscarpone/fraiche/sourcream/plainyoghurt(ummm?)

...& suddenly yr looking at those masterchef muppets with slightly less wistfulness than before :)

>fast fwd 20 seconds

...yr just about to say "yummy!" when someone else beats you to it

enjoy!