Leek Mushroom & Lemon Risotto is an Italian dish which is deceptively simple and tastes so yummy!
Risotto is a very popular Italian rice dish made with a short to medium grained and plump rice. This rice is high in starch content. It is one of those dishes where the star of the dish is its simplicity. Risotto draws its brilliance from a good rice cooked in a vegetable/chicken stock along with some vegetables. The most common rice is Arborio, but our idly rice works as well, if you ask me. So go ahead and make this Leek Mushroom & Lemon Risotto for a deceptively simple dish to win over your lunch or dinner guests.
When we think about Italy, we usually think pizza and pasta, don’t we? But Italy does have some amazing cuisine which is not as well known, but sure is awesome! Like Focaccia! I fell in love with the slightly sweet orange and cranberry sweet Focaccia! They taste so delicious with a hot cup of tea or coffee!
This Italian rice is really simple to make. It is an awesome one pot meal, and makes a perfect dinner option. The rice gathers its flavors from the vegetable/chicken stock. Make it with any vegetables or cheese, and the rice absorbs the flavors and develops an unique taste. This rice tastes amazing by itself, but you could pair it with some chips or papads too! And you can even add meat or seafood to it, if you want. Isn’t this a true versatile dish?
When I was researching about this dish, I came across a very interesting article on Risotto in the Gourmet Traveller, which mentions that
The cultivation of rice in Italy sparked political conflict and the wonder that is risotto
Now that is super interesting, isn’t it? Try out this super simple risotto because if you are a fan of one-pot-meals like me, you will end up making this really often at home 🙂
Leek Mushroom & Lemon Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic finally chopped
- 2 leeks sliced (white part only)
- 8 - 10 button mushrooms large
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1.5 cups chicken stock vegetable
- one lemon's zest
- one lemon's juice
- 1/2 cup risotto rice idly rice
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese grated (aged)
- to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-bottom pan over a medium heat.
- Add the garlic, leek and mushroom and fry for 2-3 minutes until leeks are soft.
- Add the rice and wine and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer till wine is completely absorbed.
- Add the stock and simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring in between or till the rice is completely cooked and all the stock is absorbed. If the stock dries up before the rice is cooked add a little more warm water.
- Add the cheese, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and stir with a spoon until melted.
- Sprinkle black pepper and serve warm.
This looks fab. Did you use the idli rice or the risotto rice? If the risotto rice, where can I get them in Bangalore?
@Cherian : Thanks. I used idly rice but risotto is available in Bangalore at Food hall and Natures Basket