I roasted a chicken for dinner tonight. I needed a side dish, and after mulling over a few options I decided to make risotto, and use Gruyere cheese that I happened to have in the fridge, and caramelized onions that I happened to have in the freezer. Basically what it came down to was I already had everything necessary in my kitchen.
While the chicken was roasting I started getting things ready. For the Gruyere I used my trusty Mouli Grater that I got at a garage sale when I was ten. Goodness knows why since I was ten and didn't cook really.
For the parm to sprinkle on top later, I used my fun hedgie grater. Hedgie grater in action!
It actually works quite nicely for the small amount of parm for the final sprinkle of cheese.
I chopped up some frozen leek slices that I had, measured out the rice and wine, and put the butter and onions in ramekins. And just like that, everything was lined up and ready to go.
The stovetop pans were ready to go as well.
Once the butter was melted, the leeks went in for 3 minutes of cooking.
And the standard steps for risotto followed. I added the rice and toasted it for 2 minutes.
And hit the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine. It makes a satisfying sizzle.
And then it is all about stirring from here on out. Once the wine is absorbed, in the chicken stock goes, 1 cup at a time, stirring until all the broth is absorbed before adding the next cup. In progress:
And finally five cups of broth later, I added the Gruyere. I added 1 cup and it was simply too much. The cheese ended up overpowering the rest of the flavors. It was tasting great until then. If I do the combo again, 1/2 cup will be plenty. Don't get me wrong, it tasted good, just not as good as it could have.
After that was all melted in, I added the heated caramelized onions.
Topped the final dish with a little of the grated parmesan.
Overall, a dish to repeat, with a little less of the gruyere next time.
Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Risotto
5 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Cup chopped leeks
1 1/2 Cups arborio rice
1/2 Cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1/2 Cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 Cup caramelized onions
Finely grated Parmesan cheese to finish
Heat the chicken broth in a saucepan over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Place the butter in a pan over medium-high heat to melt. Meanwhile, heat the onions over medium heat, and once hot turn down to low just to keep it warm.
Once the butter is melted, add the chopped leeks and cook for 3 minutes or so (don't let them brown too much) then add the rice. Toast the rice, stirring constantly, for appx 2 minutes, until you can smell the toasty flavor. Add the wine and stir until all the wine is absorbed into the rice. You may want to lower the heat to medium at this point.
Now add the chicken broth, one cup at a time. Stir after each addition until all the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup. At 4 cups, start tasting the rice. If it is still too firm for your taste, keep adding the broth a little bit at a time until the firmness of the rice is as you wish. I used five cups total, and it took me around 25 minutes to get all the liquid absorbed.
Add the Gruyere, and stir until it is all melted then stir in the onions. Serve topped with a touch of the parmesan cheese.
Labels: Side Dish
