Red
Onion and Blue Cheese Risotto
Serves 4Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients
50g/2oz Butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Red British Onions, thinly sliced
2-3 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
300g/10oz risotto rice
2-3 Stems fresh rosemary, plus extra to garnish
200ml/7fl oz White wine
1.5 litre/21/2 Pints hot vegetable stock
Salt and ground black pepper
6 Slices Parma ham
150g/5oz Blue cheese, such as stilton, St Agur or Roquefort, rind removed, diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Red British Onions, thinly sliced
2-3 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
300g/10oz risotto rice
2-3 Stems fresh rosemary, plus extra to garnish
200ml/7fl oz White wine
1.5 litre/21/2 Pints hot vegetable stock
Salt and ground black pepper
6 Slices Parma ham
150g/5oz Blue cheese, such as stilton, St Agur or Roquefort, rind removed, diced
1. Melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan; add the onions and garlic and fry gently for 2-3 minutes until just beginning to soften then stir in the rice.
2. Strip the leaves from rosemary stems and add to the pan with the wine, a ladleful of the hot stock and some salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring from time until the rice has absorbed the stock, continue adding ladlefuls of stock as needed until the rice is soft and creamy and all, or almost all of the stock has been added. This will take about 25 minutes.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan, add the Parma ham and fry for 2 minutes or until just crispy. Take out of the pan with a slotted spoon and cut into thick strips on a chopping board.
4. Stir half the cheese into the risotto, spoon into shallow soup bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and Parma ham. Garnish with small sprigs of extra rosemary and serve at once.
