Parsley Risotto with Parmesan Crisps

"A Little Cheese, Please"! Everyone at I Heart Cook Clubs (IHCC) is getting cheesy this week, with cheese as the theme for this week's dish. This is the second recipe with cheese that I've made with Nigel Slater's recipe this week. The first one is Cheese, Ham and Apple Muffins, from The Kitchen Diaries II, pg 222, but unfortunately, all my photos are missing from my camera, and this is not the first time it happens! Obviously I need a new camera. So with no photos to show, time for Plan B, that is to make another recipe , as I do not want to skip this week's theme, any week for that matter, not if I can help it. 

I decided to try at cooking risotto, something I have never attempted before. Nigel Slater has this interesting risotto recipe that is served with a piece of Parmesan crisp. Sounds good to me. The recipe is for 4 servings, and since I'm having this alone, I've made a quarter of a recipe for one, and use about 85 gm of arborio rice. I've used my own homemade chicken stock and used in total about 1-1/2 cups. Nigel's brilliant idea of crashing the stalks of the parsley leaves with the side of a knife and adding them to the boiling stock makes the stock really parsley-fragrant.

To cook the risotto (with a low heat), firstly, some chopped shallots is sauteed in a little butter, add the rice, and stir till the rice is glossy, then add in some white wine (I've used about 2 tbsps). Stir for a minute or two, add in a ladle of the hot stock, stirring until the rice has absorbed the stock, and add on another ladle of stock, repeat until the rice is cooked and creamy. Final step is to add in the chopped parsley leaves, and some butter and grated parmesan, stir to combine. I have omitted the butter and did not add anymore salt, as it does not need it. 

For the Parmesan crisp, place a heaped tablespoon of grated Parmesan in a medium hot saucepan, press down the cheese with the back of a spoon and let it cook for a minute or two until the cheese melts and the bottom is light brown. Flip it over and cook the other side for a minute or two. Remove and let cool slightly, it will crisp up as it cools. Place the Parmesan crisp over the risotto and serve.

Notes :  Is this dish good? Yes, it is! Really tasty, and I like the fragrance from the parsley both in the stock and from the bits of chopped leaves added in towards the end. The Parmesan Crisp is a nice addition, and cooking the Parmesan Crisp is a fun process!

Parsley Risotto with Parmesan Crisps

(adapted from "The Kitchen Diaries II", Nigel Slater)

50gm flat-leaf parsley

a litre hot stock (chicken, turkey, vegetable)

a shallot or very small onion

a thick slice of butter

300gm Arborio rice

a small glass of white wine or vermouth

To finish :

butter and grated Parmesan

For the Parmesan Crisps :

4 heaped tablespoons finely grated Parmesan 

Prepare the parsley :

Pull the leaves from their stems, crack the stems with the back of a knife - their mineral scent is worth inhaling - then put them in a pan with the stock and bring to the boil. As the stock boils, turn the heat down to a low simmer. Finely chop the parsley leaves.

Peel and very finely chop the shallot and let it cook in the butter in a saucepan, without taking on any colour. Add the rice, turn the grains briefly in the butter till glossy, then pour in the wine and let it cook for a minute or two. Add a ladle of the stock. Stirring almost constantly, add another ladle of stock and continue to stir until the rice has soaked it all up. Now add the remaining stock, a ladle at a time, stirring pretty much all the time till the rice has soaked up the stock, the grains are plump and the texture creamy.

Stir in the chopped parsley, a thick slice of butter and a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan. Season carefully.

For the Parmesan crisps, simply put heaped tablespoons of the grated Parmesan into a warm, non-stick frying pan. Press the cheese down flat with a palette knife and leave to melt. As soon as it has melted, turn once and continue cooking for a minute or so. Lift off with the palette knife and cool briefly. They will probably crisp up in seconds. Place on top of the risotto and serve.

Enough for 4.

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