Monday, June 14, 2010

Rhubarb chicken risotto


I was watching Lydia's Italy, and there were some wonderful risotto recipes... so I took some ideas from and riffed on it and... AMAZING. And here it is:

2-4 stalks rhubarb (I had huge stalks so I used two, but if yours are smaller use up to four)
2-4 carrots (my carrots were small so I used about four)
2 medium shallots, peeled
5-6 ramps, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 chicken breasts, cut into about 1 inch pieces
4 1/2 cups chicken broth/stock
2 cups short/medium grain rice (Arborio is preferable, but I used generic medium grain rice and it worked perfectly)
2/3 cup white wine (I used champagne, but any dry white will work)
1 cup grated parmesan
A little olive oil

Put rhubarb, carrots, and shallots in the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Start broth heating in another pan. Put olive oil in a heavy large saucepan or smaller stockpot. Heat olive oil on medium until hot enough, and add chopped garlic and ramps. Cook over medium heat until garlic and ramps begin to caramelize, then add the rhubarb/shallot/carrot mixture. Continue cooking on medium heat for another 5-7 minutes, until rhubarb is pale. Push the vegetables to the side, and add the chicken. Continue cooking on medium heat, stirring regularly, until you notice browning on the bottom of the pan. Add white wine to deglaze. Once the bottom of the pan is clean, add the rice, and stir until most of the white wine has evaporated. Add about one cup of the heated broth to the rice, and stir constantly until it is absorbed (when you stir the rice you will be able to see the bottom of the pot.) Continue adding the broth a cup at a time until it is all absorbed, stirring constantly, about 30 minutes. When done, the rice should be al dente, but not crunchy. If necessary, heat a small amount of water to complete the cooking. Once risotto is done, take off the heat and stir in the parmesan. Serve!

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