It is so good to be back in the swing of the CSA! I love how fresh, new ingredients immediately coax me out of my cooking "rut." Have a look at this recipe I found on another blog site. It is simmering on my stove as I sip a glass of Riesling right now! Smells fantastic. Serve with a green salad from your share and you have a beautiful dinner!
Not sure how to clean a leek properly? Have a look here and you'll be sure to get all the dirt out!
Ingredients:
- 1 liter chicken or vegetable broth
- 375 ml Riesling wine
- 200 g bacon, cubed
- 3 large leeks, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 300 g risotto rice
- 100 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Bring the broth to a boil and keep warm. In a skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- In a pot, heat 1 tablespoon butter and remaining olive oil together and add the chopped shallots and leeks, then on a low heat sauté very gently for 8-10 minutes until the flavors have combined and caramelized. Be careful and do not allow them to take on color. Add the rice and increase the heat.
- Keep stirring the rice while it cooks and takes on a glassy color - approx. 1 minute. At this point add the wine and as it bubbles, allow the rice infuse with the wonderful aroma.
- Once this has evaporated and the rice begins to get dry add a ladle full of stock. Stir well and add a touch of salt. Reduce the temperature so that the mixture bubbles gently. Now, keep adding the stock, a ladle at a time, and allow the rice to soak this up, stirring every now and then. When the rice has soaked the liquid add another ladle full. By "massaging" the rice this way you release the creamy starch from the rice giving the dish a fantastic creamy consistency. This whole process takes approx. 15 minutes. The rice grains should be soft but still have a slight crunch to them. Now add a bit of salt and pepper, but be careful as the stock is normally salty enough - so please taste before!
- Take the pot off the heat and stir through the bacon along with most of the Parmesan. Mix well and cover. Allow the rice to take on all the flavors - 2 minutes. Giving the risotto this time allows it to unfold it's perfect creamy-moist consistency. Check and adjust seasoning.
- To serve scatter the remaining parmesan cheese over the top and enjoy with a glass of chilled Riesling wine.
