I know, I know, this is anything but traditional, but sometimes you need a little cheat meal and this is one of them. If you like fish, a pan-fried piece of snapper goes very well with this. If you’re vegetarian, grill some 1cm zucchini slices to serve on the side, or roast some balsamic cherry tomatoes.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
50g butter
2 brown onions, diced
Salt and black pepper
7 large garlic cloves, finely diced
Zest of 2 lemons
2 cups arborio rice
¾ cup white wine
4 ½ cups hot vegetable stock
150g parmesan, grated
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
Juice of ½ a lemon
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
A good pinch of chilli flakes
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan bake.
- Melt the butter in a large, deep ovenproof pan on a medium/low heat.
- Add the onion and a good pinch of salt, then cook until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the garlic, then continue to cook for roughly 3 minutes until soft. Mix through the zest of 1 lemon. Add the
rice, then pour in the wine. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the wine is absorbed. - Add 4 cups of the hot stock. Season with salt and cracked pepper. Stir well, then cover with a lid or 2 layers of tinfoil. Carefully place the dish in the oven and bake for 24-28 minutes until cooked.
- Once the risotto is cooked, stir in the parmesan, parsley, lemon juice and the remaining ½ cup of stock.
- Top with the chives, dill, chilli flakes and the remaining lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Extracted from Miss Polly’s Kitchen, by Polly Markus. Photography by Melanie Jenkins (Allen & Unwin NZ, RRP $45, released August 30).
