Today we head to Italy with this “gorgonzola, pea and mint risotto”, which I always prepare in casserole. This is one of my favorite risotto recipes: creamy, smooth and with the burst of peas in every bite. Risotto is one of the most traditional dishes of Italian cuisine; to achieve an ultra-creamy rice it is essential to use a good rice for this purpose: Arborio, Carnaroli, etc. Due to these rices' capacity to absorb liquid, they will give us that typical pasty texture of risotto.
In addition to what has already been mentioned, we must follow a few simple guidelines; cook the rice in a sofrito so the rice absorbs all the fat; add the wine and wait for it to be absorbed by the rice and finally add the hot stock little by little, stirring constantly so the rice releases its starch little by little. This will make our risotto create a very creamy mass. To finish we must remove our casserole Le Creuset® from the heat and add the crumbled gorgonzola cheese.
A good risotto should be creamy without the need to use any kind of cream, the rice starch will be enough and, of course, it should not have excess liquid. One thing to keep in mind is that the rice continues cooking with residual heat once removed from the heat.
Along with rices and paellas, risotto is one of those perfect dishes for a large family meal. These dishes are ideal for sharing and are ready in no time. You just need good raw ingredients and lots of love. And if on top of that we can boast about casserole Le Creuset®, what more could we ask for?
Finally, I want to remind you that if for any reason you do not use a special risotto rice, you should know that you will not need as much stock, since these rices have a great capacity to absorb liquids that a normal one will not have. So my advice is to use Arborio –for example– and enjoy a risotto the way it should be.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (AOVE)
- 25 g of butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 350 g of Arborio rice
- 150 ml of dry white wine
- 1.25 l of hot vegetable stock
- 200 g of fresh peas
- 200 g of spicy gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 2 heaping tablespoons of chopped fresh mint
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation
-
In a casserole Le Creuset® we heat the oil and the butter. We add the onion and let it cook until tender. We add the chopped garlic, the rice and stir well so it soaks up the oil and melted butter. We keep stirring until the grains turn translucent.
-
We add the white wine and stir constantly for about 1 minute or until it is reduced.
-
We add the hot stock little by little with a ladle, this process can take around 15 to 20 minutes. We add the fresh peas and continue stirring for about 10 more minutes until the rice absorbs all the liquid and we have a creamy rice.
-
We remove from the heat and stir in the crumbled gorgonzola cheese, the chopped fresh mint and mix very well. Finally, we taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Serve immediately.
Cocotte Le Creuset and acacia wood spatula T&G
