Bärlauch (Bear garlic) Risotto
Risotto is definitely one my most favourite comfort foods. I enjoy it most during the winter months and its creamy texture is always satisfying. I love fancying it up with whatever may be in season at the moment. And now that I have loads of bärlauch to use up, so here it is!
Bärlauch Risotto
You will need
5-6 cups of chicken broth
1 medium sized onion
¼ cup of Olive oil
¼ cup of white wine
2 cups of Arborio rice
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup of bärlauch pesto
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat up the chicken broth in a saucepan just until it is about to simmer and keep it at that temperature until the risotto is finished and ready to eat.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Place into a saucepan and set to medium heat. Add the olive oil and sauté until the onions turns soft and transluscent. Add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes or until the rice begins to turn slightly golden in colour. Make sure to keep the heat low enough so that the rice does not turn brown! Once golden in colour, pour in the white wine stirring until it basically evaporates.
Then take out ½ a cup at a time of the simmering chicken broth and pour it over the rice, constantly stirring and ensuring that none of the rice sticks to the pot. If the mixture bubbles too much, then turn down the heat. Continue to stir until the mixture begins to look dry and the liquid is absorbed into the rice. This means that it is time to add more liquid. Repeat this process until almost all of the broth is used up.
Then I do the risotto test: take a couple of grains out and take a bite! If it is too crunchy, then add more liquid and continue the process until the tested grain is tender but firm to the bite. You will know when the risotto is done when it starts to look creamy.
When the risotto has reached its creamy consistency, stir in the grated parmesan cheese and the pesto. Depending on how much salt you used in the pesto, you may not need to add any more. Add pepper to taste and serve! The whole process should take about 20 minutes.
