Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups of short-grained rice
4 cups of chicken stock, or vegetable stock
10 zucchini blossoms, thinly sliced just before cooking
1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3/4 cup white onion, minced
Olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine or Prosecco, divided 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup for later
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Salt & pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Wash the blossoms gently, removing stems and pistils and pat the blossoms dry.
Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a pot and sauté the onion until it has turned golden.
Add the rice to the pot and turn up the heat and cook, stirring, until the grains have become translucent, 3-5 minutes.
Add the wine (1/2 cup) and stir, then lower the pan temperature and begin adding broth a ladle at a time. Keep stirring as the rice cooks, adding broth as the rice thickens. Use a flat-bladed wood spatula to keep the bottom of the rice from sticking to the pan. Lower the heat a bit if the rice constantly sticks to the pan.
You may not need all the stock, depending on the variety and dryness of the rice you use. Taste the rice about 15 minutes in to judge the doneness.
When the rice is almost done (after about 20 minutes of stirring), thinly slice the zucchini blossoms and stir them into the rice.
Check the salt and pepper seasoning to taste, and then stir in the butter and cheese, and remove the pan from the heat.
Let the risotto stand covered for about 30 seconds, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of wine over the risotto, stir thoroughly, and the risotto is ready to serve.
NOTE
If the risotto must wait for other dishes to finish cooking, don’t add the zucchini blossoms or the final 1/4 cup of wine until just before the dinner is served.
Patrick Lynch 