Pucker up…..for Lemon Risotto!

Lemon risotto?  I know, I know.  I’d never heard of it either.  But, you’re just going to have to trust me on this one; it’s delicious!  When I lived in Rome, a good friend, Amy Coggins Vestito asked me if I’d ever tried lemon spaghetti.  I was somewhat appalled, and thought, “Really?”  But since I trusted her, I went home and made it just like she told me to.  It was SO delicious, so fresh, so unique, and I’ve made it many times since.  I did see it one time on a menu in Rome and ordered it to see how mine compared.  The bottom line?  I make a pretty mean lemon spaghetti….thanks Amy!

But the title says lemon Risotto.  Okay, so I changed it up a little this time.  I was really in the mood for risotto, and I’d purchased some lovely crab cakes from a local food market, and I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t these crab cakes be great with something lemony?"  Hmmm….and the idea for lemon risotto was born!

There are many, many varieties of rice in the world.  In most cultures, certain types of rice are used for certain types of dishes.  And so it is in Italy.  It seems in the U.S., I find Arborio rice most often used to make risotto.  In Italy Carnaroli rice is preferred.  This is another reason my suitcases are so heavy when I return from a trip to Italy.

Here’s your list of ingredients:
4 cups of chicken broth
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 cup of Arborio or Carnaroli rice
One small onion, finely diced
Zest of one lemon, save a little for garnish
Juice of one lemon
¼ c. of cream
Grated parmesan
Chopped basil for garnish 

Let’s begin:

In a sauce pan, heat up your chicken broth, and keep it on low heat to stay warm.

In a large skillet, heat up a good drizzle of olive oil and toss in the smashed garlic clove.  Rub the clove all around until it begins to brown, then discard it.

Add your rice and chopped onion to the hot garlic-scented oil. Make sure to coat the grains of rice with oil.  When the onion begins to wilt, add in one ladle of hot broth.  Let it simmer its way into the grains of rice and become absorbed.  Stir.

Just as it begins to be all absorbed, add another ladle of broth. Stir frequently.  Continue to do this, letting the rice absorb most of each ladleful before adding the next ladle.  Soon, you will see the risotto begin to get creamy.  If I pull my cooking spoon through the rice, and it leaves a clear path behind, I know it’s time to add another ladle of broth (picture, above left) .  As you get toward the end of your broth supply, you need to begin to taste your risotto, just one grain at a time.  It needs to be cooked of course, but like pasta, it should be al dente and not mushy.  This whole process only takes about 20 minutes.

Before you’ve finished using up your broth, add in the juice of one lemon.  Let that liquid begin to absorb as well.  Continue to ladle your broth in one scoop at a time until the rice is al dente.  You may not use all your broth, but I like to heat up plenty, because running short of broth puts me in a panic.

Now that the rice is al dente and nice and creamy, stir in the grated parmesan.  Take it off the heat and quickly stir in the cream and lemon zest.  

You’re done!  The important thing to remember about risotto is that it begs to be eaten NOW.  If it sits on the stove, it begins to coagulate in a not-so-appealing way.  When you spoon it into a pasta bowl, it should be creamy enough to spread out on its own.  Garnish with basil, lemon zest and more cheese if desired.  Take a bite.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I served this risotto with one of my favorite bottles of Pinot Gris from Adelsheim Vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Buon appetito!

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