Radicchio risotto

Total time: 40 mins

Serves 4-6

Radicchio is a powerhouse of nutrients, vitamins and minerals and provides essential health benefits. Low in calories, sodium and cholesterol free it’s a great addition to any diet. Often overlooked due to it’s bitter taste this can be well balanced out. Try this recipe and let us know what you think.

Ingredients

2 litres well seasoned chicken or vegetable stock, as needed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small diced onion
300G arborio risotto rice
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
120ml red wine or dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
2 medium heads radicchio quartered, cored and cut crosswise in thin slivers
60G freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

Method

Put your stock into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that it is well seasoned.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy frying pan or in a large, wide saucepan. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, about three minutes. Do not brown.

Add the rice and the garlic, and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine, and stir until it has been absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed.

Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this way, stirring in more stock when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often.

After 10 minutes, stir in the radicchio, and continue to cook in the same way until the rice is tender all the way through but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Taste now and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add another ladleful of stock to the rice, along with the Parmesan and the parsley, and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn’t). Stir for about half a minute, then serve in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.