INGREDIENTS:

  • 5 cups (2 pints) vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large red onion, finely diced
  • 1 1/4 lbs. (20 oz) sweet potato, peeled & diced in 1/2" cubes
  • 2 cups (16 oz) arborio rice
  • 1 cup (0.4 pints/8.3 fl oz) dry white wine
  • 220g (8 oz) young spinach leaves, washed and drained
  • 1/4 lb. (4 oz) firm goat's cheese
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • Cooking time: approx 20 – 30 mins from the first addition of stock. 1 hour total.

    Serves 6 (generously)

    HOW TO MAKE THEM TASTE GOOD TOGETHER:

    Heat the stock to a simmer in a saucepan and keep it hot. Heat the butter & oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter & oil mixture until soft.

    Add the rice and cook, stirring, until all the grains for rice are coated with oil. Add the sweet potato & cook, stirring, to coat the sweet potato in oil too. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is almost completely absorbed.

    Add the hot stock about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly & allowing the liquid to be absorbed by the rice before adding more. (Run your wooden spoon across the bottom of the pot, when you can create a path through the rice with your wooden spoon enough stock has been absorbed to add more liquid) Add the last 1/2 pint of stock 1 cup at a time.

    When all of the stock has been added, taste the rice. The risotto should be creamy but the rice should be slightly al dente at the centre. Add more stock or water if necessary to complete the cooking, then add the spinach and the crumbled goat’s cheese. Cook until the spinach has wilted and the cheese has melted. season with the salt & pepper. Serve immediately.

    If you cannot serve the risotto immediately, undercook the rice to begin with and return to the heat to absorb the rest of the cooking liquid right before you are ready to eat, so that when the risotto is reheated, the rice can then complete its cooking.

    Risotto is traditionally served in shallow bowls, and eaten from the outside first, so that the main body of the risotto stays warm, while the risotto around the bowl’s edges is cool enough to eat.

    Serve the risotto with a peppery tossed salad of rocket leaves with crunchy strips of red pepper, sweetcorn and cashew nuts.

    Leftover risotto also tastes really good when fried up the next day. So let none of your hard work go to waste.

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