Sanctuary from The Mad World
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch. - Orson Welles

I almost always associated risotto with mushroom. One lunch time in the school canteen, we were served broccoli risotto and it was really good.

I had leftover fresh corn which had been cut into kernels and microwaved. So I added some into the risotto to great result. The risotto was sweet from the vegetable, rich from the stock and parmesan, and textured from the corn kernels.

While making this risotto, I was wondering. The Japanese has invented rice cooker which can do basically everything but dance and we still make risotto in this medieval way?

The recipe is modified from Asparagus, mint, and lemon Risotto from Jamie Oliver’s Cook with Jamie.

Ingredients:
500 ml + 350 ml vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil + more for the risotto
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped
300 g risotto rice
100 ml dry white wine
1 broccoli, chopped
Corn from 1 ear of corn, cooked
Salt and Pepper to taste
100 g of Parmesan, grated



Directions:
Melt the butter in 2 tbsp olive oil in a shallow pan. Add the onion and celery and cook very gently for about 15 minutes without colouring. The onion should be soft and cooked. Otherwise, the risotto will carry the ‘green’ taste from the raw onions.

Add the rice and turn up the heat. Stir constantly until the rice kernels are coated with oil. Quickly pour in the wine and cook until the alcohol has evaporated.

Add the 500 ml stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until the stock has been fully absorbed before adding the next. Turn the heat to low. It’s important to be patient here to allow the broth to cook the rice kernels. Cook it too quickly, the outside will be mushy but the inside hard. Cook it too slowly, the whole thing disintegrates. This ladling process should take about 15 minutes.

Add the broccoli and corn and pour 175 ml of the remaining stock. Increase the heat to medium to high. Stirring continuously, gently bring to boil and turn the heat down and simmer until almost all the stock has been absorbed. Add the rest of the stock a ladle at a time until the rice and veggies are cooked. You might not need all your stock. Be careful not to overcook the rice - check it throughout the cooking. It should hold its shape but be soft, creamy and oozy. The overall texture should also be slightly loose. Correct the seasoning.

Turn off the heat and put a lid on the pan. Let the rice rest for a minute. Then, fold in the grated Parmesan just before serving. Serve with more grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.