Shallot and Gorgonzola Risotto
Recipe for Shallot, Gorgonzola and Rocket Risotto
This recipe for a creamy risotto comes from Yorkshire TV's 'Flying Cook' Rachel Green. It uses shallots, which are sweeter and milder than onions to give it flavour.
Northern Italy is the home of the risotto – it’s often served as a first course instead of pasta - and you do get the best results if you use proper risotto rice. This recipe from Rachel Green uses shallots – le scalogne, (which I've found that Italians seem to use more frequently than people in the UK), as well as rich, blue gorgonzola cheese and rocket - rucola. It serves 4
Risotto Recipe
Ingredients:
- 12 shallots, peeled and roughly diced
- 320g risotto rice
- 40g butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1l good chicken or vegetable stock
- 200g cubed gorgonzola cheese
- 50g grated parmesan
- 1–2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- Dash of white wine
- 50g rocket, (or baby spinach) washed
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method:
- Heat the stock in a saucepan until just simmering, leave on a low heat. Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy based saucepan until the butter is just foaming. Add the diced shallots and sauté, stirring for 2 – 3 minutes until softened but not brown, then add the rice and garlic and mix with the shallots butter and oil. Cook until the rice turns slightly opaque but not browned, approximately 1 minute. Add a good ladleful of hot stock. Stir until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock a ladleful at a time stirring constantly until the rice is slightly al denté. The consistency should be a thick porridge. Add the two cheeses and mix well. Season with black pepper and sea salt.
- Stir in the rocket – or baby spinach - and cook for a further 30 seconds or until the leaves have just wilted. Remove from the heat. If the risotto becomes too thick add a little more stock, then serve with roasted whole balsamic shallots and shavings of parmesan.
- To make the balsamic shallots, roast peeled whole shallots in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of sugar at 180°C until golden brown and soft.
You can get more information from: www.UKShallot.com
The copyright of the article Shallot and Gorgonzola Risotto in Italian Cooking Techniques is owned by Rebecca Ford. Permission to republish Shallot and Gorgonzola Risotto must be granted by the author in writing.
