Blake Van Roekel
Serves 6-8
Risotto is an incredibly versatile (and economical) dish to make. Rice is first sautéed in fat to encapsulate and help seal the grain. Stock and wine are added gradually while stirring to create that classic, creamy texture unique to this dish. Risotto is best served immediately. However, leftover rice can be shaped into patties or balls and fried which is nice too.
1 onion, 1/4” dice (or 2-3 shallots) (Deep Roots Farm)
1/4 lb pancetta or bacon, 1/4” dice (Deck Family Farm)
1 1/2 cups garlic scapes,, chopped (Gales Meadow Farm)
4 TB butter
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine, room temperature (Laurel Ridge Winery)
Up to 6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
Salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan (or other hard) cheese
Prepare your ingredients and heat the stock.
In a straight-sided sauté pan, melt 4 TB of butter. Add pancetta. Render the fat and brown. Add onion. On low heat, salt, cover and sweat until translucent with no browning. Add garlic scapes and cook for 3-5 minutes before adding the rice. Once the rice is in, stir the grains to coat with the pancetta fat and butter. Let the grain absorb some of the fat, turning slightly translucent, about 4 minutes. Add a ladleful of hot stock, stirring until it has been absorbed. Follow with the wine. Continue adding the stock until each addition is absorbed, checking for salt as you go. This will take approximately 18-20 minutes. When done, the rice grains will be tender to the bite and the texture will be creamy. Season and sprinkle with parmesan. Let it sit off the heat for a couple of minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
