Ali does... Risotto

The other night my husband returned from a business trip to Bahrain so I decided to welcome him home with the ultimate comfort food – Risotto! The recipe I use is from Jamie Oliver’s book – “Jamie does… Spain, Italy, Sweden, Morocco, Greece, France.” This recipe is quite labor intensive and requires a great deal of patience, so do not try and rush it – trust me it will be worth the time and effort! I actually took a very long run right before I began cooking. I am too hyper to stand over a stove for over a half hour constantly stirring otherwise.

 Not only are the recipes excellent in this book, but so are the pictures. All the photos are by Jamie's friend, photographer – David Loftus, his images are half the reason to buy the book. I bought this book right after moving to Dubai because I stupidly did not bring my many cook books with me. I immediately fell in love with the travel theme of the book, the pictures alone will make you want to start booking flights - which is one of Jamie’s goals with this book. Not only to excite the reader about delicious recipes but also to encourage travel! I am fortunate enough to be in a situation where I live abroad so my husband and I are traveling frequently to other countries and taking advantage of being close to so many interesting places. This not as easy for most people, but Jamie has some great quotes in the book that struck a chord with me and hopefully you will find equally inspiring…

“I want to in inject you with a bit of impulsiveness, because the whole point of this book is to show how easy, how valuable, how exciting, it can be to hop in your car, on a train, bus or plane and fill up on other cultures. It doesn't have to be a long holiday, but I genuinely believe just a few days out of your comfort zone will give you the optimism and positivity and get you ready to face the daily routine once you're back… You can spend less money than you would if you were getting trashed for the weekend in your own home town, and you’ll have a head full of amazing memories.”

 Risotto Bianco – this is the base and if you choose you can continue to add other ingredients as I did.

4 ¼ cups vegetable stock preferably organic
Olive oil
½ and onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 1/3 cup risotto rice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup white wine
A knob of butter
A large handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pour your stock into a pan and leave on low heat. Get an appropriately high sided pot on a low heat and add a good lug of olive oil, the chopped onion and the celery. Cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not coloured. Turn the heat up to medium, add the rice and a pinch of salt and stir for 2 minutes, so that the rice sucks up all the lovely flavor and develops a nutty taste. Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed.
Add a ladleful of hot stock, stir, and wait until it’s been fully absorbed before adding more. Cook for 16 to 17 minutes, adding more stock every minute or so and stirring regularly, until the rice is al dente. This means it should be soft and a pleasure to eat, but still holds its shape. At this stage the risotto should be slightly looser than you want it to be finally, as it will thicken as it sits. Take the pan off the heat, stir or beat it the butter and parmesan, then season to taste. At this point, you’ve got an absolutely delicious risotto bianco, which is simple, lovely comfort food. You can either tuck in, or you can take it a few steps further by adding different cheeses or vegetables. Once you’ve taken it as far as you want, pop the lid on and let it sit for 2 minutes before serving. The most important thing to keep in mind is that risotto must always be oozy.

Pea and Herb Risotto

A knob of butter
1 1/3 cup frozen peas
A small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped
A small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
Tablespoon or so of goat cheese
Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the peas, fresh herbs and a splash of hot water. Put the lid on and cook for 4 minutes. As you’re finishing the risotto bianco with butter and parmesan, stir in the herby peas, then put the lid back on for 2 minutes. Divide between your plates and pop a slice of goat’s cheese in the centre of each portion. Serve with some grated parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

My finished product!  I am the furthest thing from a food photographer, but it was delish!