Cauliflower Risotto with Prosciutto & Crisped Garlic Breadcrumbs

Cauliflower is in season at the moment…and the specimens I have seen at my local stores have been pristine (and on sale!).  The abundance inspired me to feature cauliflower in my February newsletter…  sautéed in a pasta with chickpeas…  roasted in a Mediterranean spiced bulgur pilaf with carrots (and more chickpeas).  Because cauliflower has been a constant presence in my kitchen for the last month or so, I have been eating a lot of it.  And I suppose I have been more tuned in than usual to how other cooks are preparing it as I scroll my social media feeds, thumb through food magazines and cookbooks, etc.

This past week, Diana Henry’s weekly newsletter for The Telegraph featured a recipe for Cauliflower Risotto with Pangrattato (fried breadcrumbs) in the “week in recipes” section.  I was of course curious to see how she might be treating the cauliflower, so I clicked through.  And I loved what I found.  Since I had cauliflower on hand I decided to use her recipe as a starting point for my Sunday supper.

The main thing I loved about her recipe was the fact that she cooked the cauliflower in the broth that she then used to cook the risotto.  Any time I can enhance the flavor of a dish by using the liquid the vegetables were cooked in to finish the dish, I always try to do it.  I frequently cook vegetables destined for a pasta sauce in the pasta water…and many years ago I shared a Risotto-style Farro with Asparagus that uses water the asparagus stems have been cooked in for the cooking of the farro. 

The method she used to cook the cauliflower for the risotto also reminded me of a cauliflower & broccoli pasta recipe I had just made.  Both recipes instruct you to poach large florets of cauliflower until just tender (not mushy).  In Henry’s risotto recipe, she then allows the stirring action during the final half of making of the risotto to break the florets down further into smaller florets and nubbins.  In my pasta, I rough chop the poached cauliflower before finishing it in the sauce.  I decided to use the method I use when I make the pasta to make the risotto (since it allows me a little more control).

Bucatini with Cauliflwer, Broccoli, Pine Nuts & Currants--a recipe that uses a similar method for cooking the cauliflower and broccoli

I think it would be fair to say that I used Henry’s recipe mostly for inspiration.  I added some julienne prosciutto and lemon zest to the pan with the cooked cauliflower (I think cauliflower gets a boost from a little extra salt and a little lemon).  And because I always like to see some of what’s in my risotto perched on top of my risotto, I held back about a quarter of the poached cauliflower, cut it into smaller, attractive florets and then sautéed them in a little butter.  I think they make a lovely garnish…but you could of course skip this step.  

Other than her method of cooking the cauliflower, the only thing I copied was the final addition of toasted breadcrumbs (Pangrattato).  I love finishing pastas (see the aforementioned cauliflower & broccoli pasta), savory tarts, gratins, etc. with crisped breadcrumbs.  I don’t know why it never occurred to me to top a risotto with them.  They add the perfect garlicky crunch. 

I love breadcrumbs used in this way so much that I try to keep a bag of coarse “fresh” breadcrumbs in my freezer.  As it happens when I made the risotto this time, I didn’t have any.  But since I always have sliced bread in my freezer, I just took out a slice, cut the crust off and used a large-holed grater to grate the still frozen bread into coarse crumbs.  It worked perfectly.

Before I close, I wanted to give a quick plug for my newsletter, Notes from For Love of the Table.  I know newsletters are becoming ubiquitous.  But there is a reason for that.  They are a great way to get the work you do directly to the people who enjoy what you do.  For the writer/creator/recipe developer, they are a reasonable way to earn a living from the actual work they do, rather than relying on irrelevant and intrusive ads.  So…if you like the recipes I share…and the way that I share them…I hope you will check it out—and consider subscribing. I will continue to post free content here on my blog as I am able.  But I’ll be honest and admit that my creative energies go first to my newsletter and my private dinner service.  My newsletter comes out once a month and usually includes three recipes (sometimes more). I also share tips and tricks to help make your life in the kitchen easier. You can see a list of the things I have shared since the newsletter's inception here.

Whether or not you subscribe, I do hope you'll give this risotto a try.  It is delicious...  subtle, light, and satisfying.  A perfect way to enjoy cauliflower.

Cauliflower Risotto with Prosciutto & Crisped Garlic Breadcrumbs

 1 1/2 T. unsalted butter

1/2 of a medium onion (about 3 oz.), finely diced

1 small (or half a large) clove of garlic, minced

2 1/2 c. chicken stock

7 oz. large (1 1/2 to 2 inches) cauliflower florets

2/3 c. Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1/3 c. white wine

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 T. olive oil

1/2 c. coarse breadcrumbs—see notes

1 small (or half a large) clove of garlic

1/2 T. minced parsley

3/4 to 1 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (2 slices), cut crosswise in 1/4-inch strips

1 t. lemon zest

1 to 1 1/2 T. butter

1/3 c. (1 oz.) finely grated Parmesan

1 T. minced flat-leaf parsley

 

Heat 1 1/2 T. of the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and sweat until very soft, but not brown—about 10 minutes. 

Cut the cauliflower in large florets 

While the onions cook, place the chicken stock in a small saucepan, cover the pan, and bring to a simmer.  Add the cauliflower florets and cover.  Simmer until just tender to the tip of a knife—about 5 minutes.  Use tongs or a slotted spoon to lift the florets out of the stock.  Place them on a plate.  Cover the stock and keep it hot for the cooking of the risotto.

When the onions are soft, add the rice and continue to cook for 2 or 3 minutes—or until the rice is hot and the grains look pearly white in the center.  Add the wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry.  Begin to add the stock.  Add enough so that the stock is at the same level as the rice in the pan.  Adjust the heat so that the rice cooks at a slow and gentle simmer.  When the pan is nearly dry, add more stock and season lightly with salt & pepper.  Continue to stir and cook the rice, adding more stock as each addition is absorbed. 

While the rice is cooking, sauté the breadcrumbs and finish preparing the cauliflower: Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a small nonstick pan set over moderately high heat.  Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring regularly until they are golden and crisp—a minute or two.  Turn off the heat and using a microplaner, grate the small clove of garlic into the pan and add a half tablespoon of parsley along with a pinch of salt.  Stir until fragrant.  Scrape the seasoned crumbs onto a plate and set aside.  Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and set the pan aside.

Take a quarter of the cooked cauliflower and cut it into smaller (1-inch or less), attractive florets.  Set aside.  Coarsely chop the remaining cooked cauliflower.  You should have a rough mixture of small and medium pieces.

When the rice is about half cooked (after about 10 minutes of cooking), stir in the chopped cauliflower, prosciutto, and lemon zest.  Continue to cook, stir and add stock until the rice is al dente—about 10 minutes more (for a total about 20 minutes from the time of the first addition of stock).  If you run out of hot stock, you can finish the risotto with boiling water.

Two or three minutes before the risotto is done, return the pan the breadcrumbs were toasted in to a moderately high flame and add a half tablespoon of butter to the pan.  When the foam subsides, add the reserved cauliflower and let sizzle until golden in spots, stirring/tossing once or twice.  Season with salt and remove the pan from the heat. 

When the risotto is done, remove from the heat and add a tablespoon of butter, the Parmesan and a tablespoon of parsley.  Stir until the risotto is very creamy.  Cover and let rest off of the heat for a minute or two. Taste and correct the seasoning. Divide the risotto among two shallow bowls, spoon the cauliflower garnish over each and shower with the toasted breadcrumbs.  Serves 2.

Notes: 

• The breadcrumbs should be made from a slightly stale, country style loaf.  Cut away the crusts and process in the food processor to get a coarse chop.  You will need about an ounce of bread with crusts to make a half cup of coarse crumbs.  You can make coarse crumbs anytime you have some leftover bread.  They keep very well in a ziplock bag in the freezer.  If I don’t have crumbs in my freezer, I usually have slices of bread.  To get coarse crumbs you can cut the crusts off and grate the still frozen slices on the large holes of a box grater.
• If you don’t want to go to the trouble of sautéing some of the cauliflower for garnish, simply chop all of the cauliflower (instead of 3/4) and add it all to the risotto with the prosciutto and lemon zest. 

Printable Version

Baked Risotto…with Mushrooms & Spinach

Almost every holiday season I teach a class that includes several recipes for meals that are relatively quick and simple.  The goal is to give cooks a few tools to prepare fresh hot meals for their families in the midst of a season when there isn’t a lot of time to cook.  Not surprisingly, it is a popular class.  I have heard back from several people who have made some of the recipes part of their regular repertoire.  Two of the recipes (Butternut Squash & Black Bean Burritos and Broccoli Cheese Soup)  have already appeared on my blog.  Today—even though the holidays are mostly over—I wanted to share another: Baked Risotto with Mushrooms & Spinach.

 

You may notice that I used the phrase “relatively quick” when I described the recipes in this class.  I always start this particular class with my definition of a “quick” meal.  Not everyone’s definition is the same.  To me, if I can sit down to the table an hour after I walk into the kitchen, that’s quick.  I know that to some people less than 30 minutes is the bar…and there is a place for this kind of speed…but to me this falls more into the realm of warming up leftovers…or throwing together a sandwich or minimal salad.  It isn’t typically the kind of thing I would teach in a class.

 

This baked risotto fits easily into my one hour window.  And you can shorten your time to 45 minutes if you have good knife skills.  Begin by preheating your oven, heating the stock, dicing the onion and mincing the garlic.  As soon as they are cut, start cooking the onion and garlic.  While the onion cooks, slice and sauté the mushrooms.  At this point (after about 15 minutes of work) you will add the rice to the onions

..and then the wine.  When the wine has reduced, add the mushrooms 

and an amount of hot stock equal to twice the volume of your rice.  Salt, stir, cover and transfer to the oven and cook for 10 minutes. 

During this ten minute window prepare the spinach and grate the Parmesan.  If you are using boxed, triple-washed spinach, just remove any large stems and chop very roughly.  If it is truly baby spinach, you probably won’t need to chop it.  If you have unwashed spinach (from the farmer’s market, for example), this will add to your prep time.  In this case, the first thing I do (before I start the onion) is to start washing the spinach.  I trim/strip away any large stems and rinse it in as many changes of water as is necessary to get rid of the grit (check out my post on washing greens if you are unsure of how to do this).  I weave in multiple changes of water and spinning the leaves dry while I’m cooking the onions and mushrooms and grating the cheese.

After ten minutes of cooking, take the risotto out of the oven.  Give it a good stir.  It will have absorbed most of the stock.  If it seems very tight, add enough of the hot stock to loosen it up, remembering that the spinach will release liquid while it cooks.  Add the spinach and stir in.  Taste…season if necessary.  Cover and return to the oven.  At this point you will have ten to fifteen minutes (while the risotto finishes cooking and rests) to set the table…pour wine…start the dishes…or even cook a piece of fish or a chicken cutlet if you want to serve the risotto as a side. 

Check the risotto after eight minutes.  It should be al dente.  If it is still a bit crunchy, return it to the oven for another couple of minutes.  When the risotto is done cooking you will have the opportunity to correct the creaminess and consistency by stirring, and by adding stock, 

butter and Parmesan—just as you would with regular stove top risotto.  Aim for a thick—yet fluid—consistency.  Cover and let the risotto rest for three to five minutes.  Correct the consistency again and serve. 

This method can be easily adapted to other additions.  As with this recipe, you can introduce the additions at any point (beginning—like the mushrooms…middle—like the spinach…or end—herbs, other cooked elements, etc.).  The addition of the liquids will be exactly the same as in this recipe.  Simply start with liquid (stock) equal to twice the volume of rice, adding a bit more half way through and again at the finish.  (You will probably end up using almost three times the volume of liquid as rice.)

The finished risotto will not have quite the creaminess or finesse of a risotto you have tended and cooked in the usual way…but it will be very good.  Better, I would contend, than most of those convenience foods that you would be able to get to the table in less than 30 minutes….

 

  

Baked Risotto with Mushrooms & Spinach

3 T. unsalted butter

1 small to medium onion (about 6 oz.), finely diced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 c. Arborio rice

1/2 c. white wine

4 to 4 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock, hot

1 T. olive oil, plus more as needed

12 oz. mushrooms (white, crimini, oyster, shiitake, etc.), trimmed as necessary and sliced

5  to 6 oz. cleaned (large or stringy stems pinched off or stripped away) baby spinach, washed, dried and roughly chopped if necessary

2/3 c. finely grated Parmesan (2 oz.)

3 T. unsalted butter

Heat the butter in a 3 1/2-quart (or slightly larger) straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven.  Add the onion and garlic and sweat until soft, but not brown—10 minutes or so. 

While the onion cooks, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over medium high heat.  When the pan is hot add the mushrooms and sauté until golden and softened and any liquid they release has been reabsorbed.  If the mushrooms seem dry, add a bit of butter or more olive oil.  (If you don’t have a non-stick sauté pan, use a regular sauté pan and deglaze the pan with a splash of water, wine or stock.  Reduce to a glaze.)  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

When the onions are nice and soft, add the rice and continue to cook for a minute or two.  Add the wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry.  Add the mushrooms and 3 cups of the hot stock.  Bring to a boil, taste for salt, cover and transfer to a 400° oven.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and stir well.  Taste and add salt if necessary. If it seems dry, add a splash of the remaining hot stock.  Add the spinach and stir it in.  The pan will seem crowded, but this is OK…the spinach will collapse quickly as it cooks—and it will release more liquid to help moisten the rice.  Cover the pan and return the pan to the oven. 

Continue to bake the risotto until it is tender.  Check after 8 minutes.  It should be al dente…but not crunchy.  If it seems crunchy, return it to the oven for another couple of minutes.  When done remove from the oven and stir.  Add and stir in as much of the remaining broth as you need to obtain a creamy, soft consistency.  Add the remaining butter and the cheese and stir well...again, adding more stock if necessary.  Cover the pan and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. 

Serve immediately.  Serves 4 generously.  Serves 6 generously as a side dish.

Variation:  This dish is a great way to use leftover roast turkey or chicken.  Add 4 to 6 oz. (about 1 1/2 c.) shredded roast turkey or chicken after the rice comes out of the oven (warm the meat briefly in a bit of stock before adding).

Printable Version

Leek & Prosciutto Risotto with Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms

In my previous risotto posts I have made a point of discussing how to achieve differences in flavor and texture by how and when you choose to add the vegetable garnish (cooked vs. raw…at the beginning, middle or end…).  But stirring a vegetable into a risotto isn’t the only way to alter the way in which the dish is perceived.  Just as you can serve risotto topped with a portion of cooked meat or fish, you can also serve a risotto with an attractive portion of a cooked vegetable—making it so that one vegetable becomes the star of the show, rather than just one of many supporting players.

I bring all of this up for a couple of reasons.  The first is that sometimes I like to eat risotto all by itself.  It makes a wonderful starchy side dish…but it is special enough on its own that sometimes that’s how I want to enjoy it: either as a first course for a formal dinner…or as the entrée for a simple and informal supper.  In each of these cases, I always do everything I can to make my bowl of risotto look like something other than a mound of hot breakfast cereal.  I adorn it with a sprig of herbs…some nicely shaved Parmesan…or some other small garnish.  And this approach is just fine, but sometimes you want something more.  Topping the finished risotto with a separately cooked—and attractively arranged—complimentary vegetable is a great way to get that ‘something more.’

I have to admit though that sometimes creating a beautiful plate isn’t at the top of my list for a weeknight meal (neatly and cleanly plated is usually more than sufficient) and I am much more likely to go to this extra step for a client’s dinner.  However, sometimes at my own table find that I have a special and beautiful vegetable that I want to highlight a bit…so it doesn’t get lost in the crowd.  Examples include a few spears of fresh asparagus, just picked from a friend’s field…local fava beans (a rarity indeed in my region)…morel mushrooms that are so expensive I can only justify purchasing a few…etc.  This is a great time to make a risotto with complimentary flavors to act as a bed/background for your perfectly cooked, special item…which then gets perched right on top for all to see.

I used this approach recently to highlight the beautiful oyster mushrooms that a new purveyor has been bringing to the winter farmer’s market.  I used to consider oyster mushrooms a run-of-the-mill grocery store item.  Sadly they have disappeared from my local stores.  Since they are a favorite of mine I was excited when I found out that they would be coming to my farmers’ market…and even more excited when I saw the wide variety on display: Blue oyster, Pearl oyster, Elm oyster, etc.  This winter I have enjoyed these mushrooms in pastas…and on pizzas…and recently on top of this leek and prosciutto risotto.

I made this risotto just because I wanted to show off these wonderful mushrooms.  I could of course have just stirred them into the risotto—and it would have been delicious.  But it wouldn’t have been nearly as beautiful—or as much of a celebration of this wonderful ingredient.

If you are new to risottos…or sautéing mushrooms…before you begin check out some of my previous posts on how to make risotto (where I go into the details of the process and the goal) and on how to sauté mushrooms.  And if you don’t have access to oyster mushrooms, this dish will still be delicious with whatever mushrooms you are able to find—the sweet leeks and salty prosciutto are a wonderful backdrop for the savory mushrooms.

Finally, speaking of “topping” risotto with something special, if you have never formed some leftover risotto into a little cake, fried it in butter, 

and topped it with a softly cooked egg (poached or fried), you are missing out.  Make sure that you make some extra risotto, just so you can have this glorious concoction for lunch the next day.   After tasting it, you will probably find yourself making extra risotto on purpose..

Leek & Prosciutto Risotto with Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms

2 to 3 large leeks, white and pale green parts only

3 T. unsalted butter

1 large or 2 small shallots (about 2 to 3 oz.), finely diced

2 t. minced thyme (optional)

1 1/2 c. Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1/2 to 2/3 c. dry white wine

About 6 c. hot chicken stock

3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (about 6 slices), cut crosswise in 1/4-inch strips

2 T. butter

1/2  to 2/3 c. finely grated Parmesan

Salt & Pepper, to taste

8 to 10 oz. (trimmed of tough portions of the stems and weighed after trimming) oyster mushrooms, larger ones torn in half (see note)

Olive oil

2 T. butter

1 1/2 to 2 T. minced Italian flat leaf parsley

Prepare the leeks: Trim away the root and the dark green portion of the leeks.  Cut the white and pale green portion in half lengthwise.  Slice each half thinly crosswise (about 1/4-inch thick).  You should have 3 1/2 to 4 cups of leeks.  Rinse the leeks well in several changes of water to make sure that they are entirely free of soil and sand.

Heat the butter in a heavy medium saucepan (preferably one that is wider than it is deep) over medium heat.  Add the leeks along with the shallots and thyme and sweat until the leeks have wilted and the shallots are soft—about 10 to 15 minutes.  Add another tablespoon of butter if the leeks seem dry as they cook. 

Add the rice and continue to cook for a minute or two until the rice is well coated with the butter and is sizzling a bit.  Add the wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry.  Begin to add the stock.  Add enough so that the stock is at the same level as the rice in the pan—the rice should move freely, but not be ‘swimming’ in the liquid.  Adjust the heat so that the rice cooks at a slow simmer.  Stir occasionally and regularly (this will enhance the creaminess of the final risotto.) When the pan is nearly dry, add more stock and season lightly with salt & pepper.  Continue to stir and cook the rice, adding more stock and seasoning lightly as each addition is absorbed. 

While the risotto cooks, sauté the mushrooms:  As always, when sautéing mushrooms, do not over-crowd the pan.  If necessary, sauté in batches.  Heat a non-stick sauté pan over high heat.  Add a thin film of oil to the pan.  You should see a wisp of smoke if the pan is hot enough.  Add the butter and the mushrooms. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned, tender and any liquid that they have given off has evaporated.  Season with salt and pepper.  If sautéing in batches, transfer the mushrooms to a plate and repeat with the next batch.  When all of the mushrooms have been sautéed, return all of the mushroom to the pan and heat through.  Add a splash of the stock to the pan (or use water or white wine if you have used all of the stock for the risotto) and allow it to reduce around the mushrooms.  Toss in the parsley.  Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper.  Set aside until the risotto is done.  Reheat briefly if necessary before serving.

When the rice is al dente—about 18 to 20 minutes from the first addition of stock, stir in the prosciutto.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese and parsley….and adding more stock as necessary to achieve a fluid consistency. 

Taste and correct the seasoning and serve immediately topped with the wild mushrooms.  Serves 4 as an entrée

Notes:  

• If you are unable to find oyster mushrooms, any favorite mushroom (crimini, white button, shiitake, chanterelles, etc.) will work.   For mushrooms other than oysters, trim and slice 1/4-inch thick before sautéing.
• Pack the left over risotto into an oiled dish, spreading about 3/4-inch thick.  Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.  Fry the cold risotto in a cast iron (or other nonstick skillet):  melt some butter over moderate heat.  Cut a portion of the cold risotto and carefully lift it out of dish with a wide spatula.  Place it in the sizzling butter with the top side down.  The top will be dryer than the bottom (which will be a bit gooey) and will be less likely to stick or fall apart.  When the first side is golden brown and crispy, carefully flip the cake and brown the second side.  Serve topped with a poached or fried egg.

Printable Version

Asparagus Risotto with Prosciutto & Lemon

Earlier this year I taught a class on grains.  I included a recipe for barley "risotto".  Besides the fact that I happen to like this particular dish, I decided to teach it because I thought that traditional risotto (made with Arborio or Carnaroli rice) had become "old hat" to American cooks and I wanted to offer something a little bit different.  But while I was teaching the barley risotto, it became apparent from some of the questions that quite a few people didn't feel comfortable or confident about cooking regular risotto.  I decided after that class that I should teach a traditional risotto in my next new class.

As it happened, my next new class was all about ways to use early spring ingredients....asparagus, radishes, all kinds of peas, spring onions, etc.  To some, this might not seem like the ideal place to tuck in a risotto recipe.  Risotto is, after all, rich...filling....creamy....   basically all the things we want in our food during the fall and winter months.  Risotto is not typically associated with the words light or fresh...which are the kinds of things we tend to crave in the spring.  But I love spring risottos—other than butternut squash or wild mushroom risotto, risottos that feature the tender herbs and green vegetables of early spring are typically what come to my mind when I think of risotto.  The delicate flavor of the rice is a perfect backdrop for these ingredients...and the creamy texture is somehow just the thing at the end of a cool....perhaps rainy....spring day. 

Since I have already fleshed out the basics of how to make risotto in an earlier post, I won't belabor them here.  No matter what ingredients you add, the basics of a properly cooked risotto won't change.  The biggest variation will be in whether you choose to add pre-cooked vegetable additions near the end of the cooking time...or whether you will use raw vegetables, adding them at an appropriate moment during the cooking process so that they will cook with the rice.  The former method produces a risotto with distinct punctuation marks of the vegetable flavors and textures, the latter a risotto that presents itself as a unified and blended whole...rice and vegetable flavors melding together.  The asparagus risotto I'm posting today falls into this latter category, but you could morph it into the former by adding blanched asparagus at the end.  (If you choose to do this, use some of the blanching liquid in place of some of the stock in the risotto itself.)

You can alter this recipe to include all kinds of spring vegetables...alone or in combination.  Cooked artichokes could be added near the end.  Fresh peas...or fava beans...could be added five to ten minutes before the risotto is done.  The lemon and prosciutto will compliment any of these spring vegetables nicely.

In my class I found that the greatest difficulty concerning the preparation of risotto seemed to center around understanding exactly what the final texture and consistency should be.  To answer that question here (since you don't get to taste one that I have made for you) I will quote Paul Bertolli on how to finish a risotto. (As I mentioned in my first post on risotto, his description of the process and the result in the book Chez Panisse Cooking is the best I have ever come across.)

Finishing the rice involves gauging the proper consistency (it should be slightly chewy, never hard in the center), enriching the risotto with butter, correcting the seasoning, and allowing the liquid to reduce until rice and sauce are unified.  The goal is to bring about a marriage of rice and broth.  The rice should be coated and in proportion to the sauce so that it is nearly pourable; the sauce should be reduced to the point that it doesn't separate from the rice.  The challenge in cooking risotto lies in simultaneously bringing about these final refinements—a little more broth, a bit more butter, raising the heat to hasten the reduction, adding a dash of vinegar.  The adjustments can be numerous or few, depending on the state of the risotto near the end. 

There is one point at which risotto is done:  when all elements conspire in a union of flavor, texture, and consistency, a timeless moment in cooking, one that can be shared if you serve the dish immediately. (Chez Panisse Cooking, pp. 156-7)

One of the things I love about his description of making risotto is that it is a beautiful rendering of what it means to truly cook:  to engage your senses and interact with the food and the process in such a way that you are able to achieve your desired result.  Observe....   Touch....  Taste....  Adjust.  Making this asparagus risotto for your table some evening soon would be a great way to practice.

Asparagus Risotto with Prosciutto & Lemon

3 T. unsalted butter

1 medium onion (about 6 oz.), finely diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 1/2 c. Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1/2 c. white wine

About 6 c. hot chicken stock

9 oz. (trimmed weight—you will need to start with a 16 to 18 oz. bunch) asparagus, sliced on the diagonal 1/4-inch thick

2 t. minced thyme

1 1/2 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (3 slices), cut crosswise in 1/4-inch strips

2 to 3 T. butter

2/3 to 3/4 c. grated Parmesan

Juice & zest of half a lemon (you should have about 2 T. juice and 1 1/2 to 2 t. zest)

3 T. minced flat-leaf parsley

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Shaved Parmesan to garnish

Heat the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and sweat until soft, but not brown—5 to 10 minutes.  Add the rice and continue to cook for a minute or two—or until the rice is hot and the grains look pearly white.  Add the wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry.  Begin to add the stock.  Add enough so that the stock is at the same level as the rice in the pan.  Adjust the heat so that the rice cooks at a slow simmer.  When the pan is nearly dry, add more stock and season lightly with salt & pepper.  Continue to stir and cook the rice, adding more stock as each addition is absorbed. 

When the rice is about half cooked (after about 10 minutes of cooking), stir in the asparagus, thyme and prosciutto.  Continue to cook, stir and add stock until the asparagus is tender and the rice is al dente—another 8 to 10 minutes (a total of 18 to 20 minutes from the time of the first addition of liquid).  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese, parsley, and lemon zest (stirring until the risotto is very creamy).  Add as much lemon juice as you would like (a small amount—1 or 2 t.—will subtly "lift" the flavor...up to 2 T. will put the acidic lemon front and center).  Balance the seasoning and serve immediately.  Serves 4 to 6.

Printable Version