Britain’s Favourite Risotto
The debate over the nation’s favourite food continues – is it Chinese, Indian or maybe, Italian? One thing is certain, the British love affair with ethnic food continues to grow. More and more Brits are trying Italian dishes when dining out, and are also experimenting in their own kitchens, and one dish that’s definitely increasing in popularity is risotto. Why have we taken so long to realise how delicious it is? Risotto is not difficult to make, it is not time consuming, in fact it is simply delicious. And there’s a plus, risotto is incredible versatile – it’s a fantastic way of enjoying the best of our own seasonal produce or everyday leftovers and store cupboard basics.
Risottos are a staple dish of the Italian weekly repertoire and each region in Italy has its own speciality. In Veneto, particularly in Venice, seafood risotto is the most popular, in the north truffles feature strongly and risotto alla Milanese (flavoured with saffron) is arguably the national favourite. The regional preferences in Italy inspired Riso Gallo (Italy’s leading risotto rice producer) to conduct a survey to see which risotto tickled the British palate……and the results are in.
The top five risottos are:
Number 5 Primavera (vegetables)
Number 4 Chicken
Number 3 Seafood
Number 2 Mushroom
Number 1 Asparagus
Which is your favourite? Riso Gallo has created two variations of the top 5 recipes below to try…
RISOTTO OF PRAWNS WITH LEMON
Refreshingly flavoursome, this delicious mix of tiger prawns with the zing of lemon zest and juice makes a superb risotto using Riso Gallo Vialone Nano rice which gives a delectable creamy consistency, no wonder it’s the 3rd most popular risotto in the UK.
Serves 4
25g/1oz unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
900ml/1 1/2pt chicken, fish or vegetable stock
1/2 wine glass dry white wine
225g/8oz Riso Gallo Vialone Nano Risotto Rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 raw Tiger prawns, peeled
Juice and zest of half a lemon
Dill sprigs for decoration
Heat the butter and oil in a pan and gently fry onion and garlic over low heat to soften but not brown. Add chilli and toss around in the mix. Add rice and stir around in the mix. Pour over white wine and stir with a wooden spoon until absorbed.
Add a ladleful of stock and continue stirring over medium heat until stock is absorbed. Continue like this until rice is just tender and creamy. You may not need all the stock. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. At the same time fast fry the prawns until just pink, then stir into risotto. Add lemon juice and zest and stir. Serve immediately decorated with dill sprigs
RISOTTO PRIMAVERA
Fresh tasting and fragrant, this beautiful risotto made with Riso Gallo Arborio rice an excellent choice for traditional vegetable risottos. This one has fresh asparagus and courgettes and is a perfect lunch dish or first course
Serves 4
225g/8oz fresh asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
1 meidum onion, peeled and finely chopped
225g/8oz Riso Gallo Arborio Risotto Rice
1/2 wineglass dry white wine
900ml/1 1/2pt vegetable stock
3 medium courgettes, trimmed and cut into dice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
25g/1oz freshly grated Parmesan
25g/1oz unsalted butter
juice of half a lemon
Parmesan shavings for serving
First, snap asparagus at the natural breaking point to break off the tough bottom ends of the stalks. Blanch stems in lightly salted boiling water for around 3 minutes. Drain. Cut into 5cm/2in lengths and reserve.
Heat oil in a pan and gently fry onion over gentle heat to soften but not brown. Add rice and stir to coat. Pour over wine and stir with a wooden spoon until absorbed.
Add a ladleful of stock and continue stirring over medium heat until absorbed. Continue like this until rice creamy - but not quite cooked. Stir in courgette dice. Add another ladleful of stock and stir rice until absorbed. You may not need all the stock. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in freshly grated Parmesan and butter. When rice is just cooked, stir in asparagus pieces and squeeze over lemon juice.
Serve immediately topped with Parmesan shavings.
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