Pea, Prosciutto, Pecorino, Rosemary, Lemony Risotto
Risotto is one of those quick and easy Italian meals that is an absolute cinch to knock up. As long as you know the “rules“, you can pretty much wing it in the flavour department. A good risotto is all about the rice, the onion, the butter, the broth, the cheese, and just a little more butter at the end. As long as you have those essentials right, the rest will just fall into place.
This is not a recipe per se, more of an idea of a flavour combination that works. Therefore, follow the rules to make a basic risotto and add the following:
Throw in a tablespoon or so of roughly chopped fresh rosemary to sweat with the onions at the start. This will impart through the rice adding a wonderful fragrance.
Instead of wine, I actually added a splosh (or two) of dry vermouth to the rice, letting it absorb completely before adding the stock.
Towards the end of the cooking (around about the 12 minute mark or with two to four ladles of stock to go), I added some frozen peas and finely grated lemon rind. Let this cook into the creamy goodness.
When you take the aldente rice off the stove to stir in the butter (yes, lots) and cheese, add a mix of freshly grated (from the block) pecorino and parmigiano reggiano. Top with crisp prosciutto - it adds both crunch and saltiness.
Enjoy.
Written by mellie on
May 12th, 2007 | Tags: recipes | Category: Uncategorized
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May 15th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Ooohhh, sound lovely. Haven’t attempted a risotto in a long time, maybe on the weekend I’ll give this one a go!
May 15th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
hey mellie,
good to see you getting back to some cooking - i don’t think I’ve seen many cooking posts from you for a while! This risotto looks great! Prosciutto is such a great ingredient for the cooler months and nothing is more warming than risotto… well, actually there are lots of things more warming, but risotto is right up there!
May 16th, 2007 at 1:23 am
Hey Anna - …that big bag of arborio is dying to be used. Make it for dinner on a cold winters night. It only takes about 20 minutes, so is a quick and easy slap together meal.
Hey there adski - hmmm…I have been very remiss in my recipe blogging of late. I’ll try to post more in future - I just need to find the time to cook! Haha…there are certainly things more warming ;-), but a belly full of creamy risotto can’t be beat. It certainly is fortifying!
May 17th, 2007 at 2:50 am
yumbo jumbo mellie! it’s definitely the cooler weather that’s making people think of risotto. i made my very first one not too long ago (and of course had to go and shout it out to the cyberworld by blogging about it :P) but i was really surprised at how easy it was to make (though perhaps it helped a little having clear step by step instruction from a cook book).
speaking of risotto, have you tried out tutto bene at southbank? how does it stack up in the authentic-ness (!?) of risotto stakes?
May 17th, 2007 at 6:13 am
Hey serenity later - great job on your risotto. What a great combo with the chorizo and apple. And it really is such an easy meal - a quick one to knock up on nights you really can’t be bothered getting too involved with food.
Yes - I have been to tutto bene and absolutely love it (but that too could have something to do with the ice-cream). They tend to make their risotto more “wet”, which I don’t particularly mind. My Nonna always made hers a little drier, so that is what I’m used to. They do a wicked crab and chilli risotto that is amazing though!