Risottos are magical aren’t they? Creamy, cheesy & full of wine, This Little Pig could eat risotto until the cows come home (and then they would cook up the cow, pop it in the risotto and have some more – just kiidinnnngggg grazing herbivore friends).
This Little Pig feels (unfairly) that risottos have acquired a bad name. There are swine’s out there who have been claiming that “risottos are hard,” or “risottos take ages”, well think again confused piglets, risottos are a joy to make if prepared correctly and This Little Pig plans to show you how!
Things to note before preparing a risotto:
- Chop all items first, so that there is nothing to do in the stirring time, just sipping wine and staring dreamily at the white pearls of rice.
- You can use a cheap $5 bottle of wine for a risotto (perhaps even a goon bag – thus enabling you to have a hat to wear at dinner: the box – and a silver pillow to sleep on afterwards), however if you choose a fabulous wine, you are able to drink the leftovers and not be a wasteful swine – good on you!
- Whilst the stirring process may take a little while, it is important to remember the joy of slow food and relax into the stirring process, just enjoy yourself piglet and delight in the quiet time.
Chorizo, Cherry Tomato, Rosemary & Chicken Risotto.
Feeds: 2-3 Hungry Piglets.
Prep Time: 10 Mins. Cooking Time: 25 Mins.
Ingredients:
400g x Diced Chicken
1 x Chorizo
40g x Butter
250g x Cherry Tomatoes
1 x Dill Bunch
1 x Parsley Bunch
3 x Rosemary Sprig
40g x Butter
1 x Litre Chicken Stock
2 x Cups White Wine
1 x Brown Onion
1 x Garlic Bulb
2Tbs x Olive Oil
1 x Cup Arborio Rice
1 x Cup Grated Parmesan
A good scrunch of pepper
*Note: if you wish to be a big boar, chunks of blue cheese and goats fetta are also delightful sprinkled through at the end, but they certainly aren’t necessary.
How To Hit Risotto Glory:
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
- Peel 3 cloves of the garlic & finely slice.
- Peel & dice onion.
- Chop chorizo into bite sized chunks.
- Finely dice parsley & dill.
- In a medium tray, throw in your chorizo, cherry tomatoes, the rest of your garlic cloves still with their skins on & pull the leaves off two of your rosemary sprigs and scatter over the top, with a good drizzle of olive oil and a scrunch of pepper.
- Place the tray in the oven for about 20 minutes or until tomatoes soften and their skin starts to split.
- Meanwhile take out a large heavy bottom (don’t call it that out loud though) pot and place on a high heat.
- Drop in your butter and the pull the leaves off the last sprig of rosemary and scatter into the pot.
- Heat your butter until it is melted and bubbling then add in your garlic and onion and cook until translucent.
- Throw in your rice and stir it well to coat it with the lovely butter and other flavours of the pot (but don’t let the rice burn or stick).
- Now pour in half a cup of stock and stir until the rice has soaked it up, repeat this until you have added ¾ of the stock, then add in your cups of wine following the same absorption process.
Now at this point of reading, you may be thinking of being a clever and nifty swine and saving time by pouring all the stock and wine into the pot and then wandering off for a bit, to check Facebook or hang out the washing. Stand down time poor piglet! Whilst this may seem very time and effort savvy by you, it is said that the constant stirring of the rice helps to break down the starches, forming a much creamier and delicious risotto. So be a lazy swine if you wish, but suffer the un-creamy and un-chef like consequences.
- Back to cooking... after the wine, drop in your raw diced chicken and stir through and then finally finish with the last of your stock. Don’t panic piglets, the chicken cooks in a jiffy and is tender beyond belief.
- Once all the stock is added, continue to stir until it is almost all absorbed and the rice is cooked to al dente – you still want it a tiny bit runny to stop the risotto from drying out.
- Take out your tray of deliciousness from the oven and using a spatula pull out your garlic cloves and squeeze the golden caramelized garlic out of their skins, discard the skins.
- Scatter over the risotto, the cup of grated parmesan and your tray of crispy chorizo, wilted tomatoes & caramelized garlic and gently stir through.
- Just before serving, gently mix through your pile of fresh herbs.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with a good scrunch of pepper.
And that my dear piglets, is all you need to do, to create a bowl of joy and warmth and total deliciousness, go forth and try him. Oink.
