Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Risotto, when made right, can be a meal. Add some wine, a side of grilled veg or a salad and you are done. Yes you must stand and stir, but that’s no big deal. Here we go!
Ingredients
5 cups chicken stock (I use Trader Joe's organic chicken stock)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup diced hard sweet baking apples (Winesaps are great)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
6 tablespoons chopped Prosicutto (or Panchetta or good quality ham)
3/4 cup hard cider
4 ounces Asiago cheese
1 apple to be sliced and sautéed to garnish at the end
Sage leaved for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Procedure
In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer turn down and keep warm. In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the apples about 10 minutes till lightly browned. Remove from the heat and keep covered to stay warm. In a large saucepan melt the remaining butter and add rice and ham and cook 2 minutes to coat rice. Add the hard cider and cook 2 minutes more and cook till cider is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of hot stock and cook and stir until absorbed. Keep going until rice is firm but tender. In the last addition add the apples. You might need more or less liquid to get to the right texture. After the luscious texture is achieved, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Now spoon risotto into warmed bowls and using a vegetable peeler top risotto with shaved Asiago, then add thin sautéed apple slices — which you had time to do in between the stirring — and top with chiffonade of sage leaves and some black pepper.
