Basil & lemon risotto

March 18, 2022meza-admin

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 people

Most of the recipes I came up with came to me while drinking coffee in the morning on my balcony bench and gazing into the bright blue sky. Rarely does it come out of the blue, I just sit back, relax and let my thoughts pick up the pieces ingredient at a time, kind of like a puzzle.

The base:

One of the most important things I learned throughout the past years working in the kitchen is to cook by colors. A dish is complete when it looks appealing, as well as being delicious. Thus being said, my initial idea, coming up with a herby, vegetable risotto was a thyme and lemon base. Picturing the plated dish in my head I found, topped with creamy burrata it would look rather pale and unappealing, something that came out of a posh hospital canteen. No matter how good the taste may be, it would be hard to persuade anyone to make it themself.

Though I must note, lemon and thyme are a combination I still admire greatly and am sure to try out in the upcoming recipes, just plated and garnished in a different manner.

Ruling out the thyme, I found myself gazing through the window, when I noted my pots of fresh basil and it came to me to turn it into a paste. With it’s rich green color and fragrant aroma, it contemplates the light creamy burrata perfectly. Also, to add a bit of a crunch and depth, I also diced up small cubes of zucchini.

The garnish:

Although it’s most commonly used in salads and pizzas, burrata is a huge game changer in versatile pastas and risottos as well. Stirring it into the hot rice just lifts everything up, adding volume to the dish, yet making it more delicate, while also balancing out the sharp and fragrant aromas coming from the lemon and basil base.

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  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

For the basil and lemon paste:

  • 2 handful's basil leaves
  • 1 grated lemon peel
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the risotto:

  • 400 gr rice, (arborio/carnaroli)
  • 2 medium onions
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium sized zucchini
  • 1 dcl white wine
  • vegetable stock
  • 75 gr butter
  • 70 gr parmesan cheese
  • 80 gr fresh burrata per portion

Method

For the basil and lemon paste:

  • 1)

    Add all the ingredients above in a mortar and grind until you achieve a homogeneous green paste.

  • 2)

    Set aside, and start preparing the risotto

For the risotto.

  • 1)

    In a heavy bottom pot, saute finely diced onions until translucent, tender and having achieved an amber color. It should take betwen 7-10 minutes.

  • 2)

    Now toss in finely diced zucchini and saute stirring frequently for another 2-3 minutes. Then add garlic and continiue stirring for one minute.

  • 3)

    Once all the mirepoix is beautifully fragrant, season with salt and pepper and toss in your rice stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes until the edges of the grain start becoming translucent and build a protective layer around the outside of the shell.

  • 4)

    Once the rice is toasted, deglaze the pot with white wine and stir constantly until all the alcohol has evaporated.

  • 5)

    Now start adding your veggie stock (hot! so it doesn’t prevent the rice from continuing to cook.) a little at a time as the rice absorbs the liquid. The reason you don’t pour it all at the same time is because you don’t know how much liquid the rice will absorb.

  • 6)

    When the rice is cooked al-dente  it should still have a slightly “runny to watery” texture, we don’t want it thick.

  • 7)

    Now turn off the heat and add the butter, preferably room temperature so it blends more quickly.

  • 8)

    Once you add the butter, now is the time to really work your hand, and give the rice a good beating, stirring it vigorously until all the butter has blended with the dish.

  • 9)

    After the butter has blended add the parmesan cheese, and beat again, this time not as vigorously until the cheese has melted.

  • 10)

    Now that the risotto has cool slightly from all the stirring, toss in your basil paste and give it a final stir until well incorporated. (don’t add the basil paste while the risotto is too hot, as  basil doesn’t handle high heat very well.)

  • 11)

    Serve with fresh burrata cheese and enjoy!

Nutrition

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