Blue Cheese & Honey Risotto with Roasted Scallions

Dan    Mains, Recipes     cheese, delicious, italian, rice, risotto, stir crazy, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

5 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock for vegetarians)

2 TBSP butter

1 yellow onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1 TBSP honey

1/2 bulb roasted garlic (chopped)

1/2 blue cheese (cubed)

2 bunches scallions (trimmed)

olive oil

salt and pepper

I used to be afraid of risotto. Maybe it was the risotto disaster of 2007, an emotionally scarring event that left me with a pan of mush, and three unhappy dinner guests. I try not to bring it up anymore…too painful. Anyway, after significant culinary counselling, I have conquered my rice demons. My first risotto venture for this site was this one, which I made last summer. A bit odd, I admit, but tasty nonetheless. I enjoy a good risotto once in awhile, when I have the time to focus and stir. The time you put into this dish is always worth the wait when you finally put it on the table. If you’re wondering about the blue cheese/honey combo…trust me…it works!

Start by preheating your oven to high broil. Then, place the chicken stock in a small pot and let come to a simmer on medium-high heat. Once it starts to bubble, turn to low heat so the broth stays nice and hot! Next, melt the butter in a large pan. Add-in the onion and garlic to let cook on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until the onions start to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Now, add the arborio rice, again, stirring regularly, and let cook for a few minutes.

Time for the liquid additions…Pour in the white wine. Stir frequently, and once the wine is almost completely absorbed, you can start ladling in the broth, what until the liquid is absorbed, then repeating the process, all the while stirring like a crazy man/woman. This process will last approximately 20 minutes.

Amidst your busy schedule stirring, we’re going to quickly roast some scallions. Place the greens into a small, prepared baking dish. Drizzle with some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, then pop into the oven for 12-15 minutes. Turning once halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside.

Once your risotto rice has reached that nice al dente bite (again, about 20 minutes or so), add the honey, blue cheese, and roasted garlic to the pan. Still stirring, always stirring, until the cheese has melted and blended into the mixture. Finally, add a good helping of ground black pepper, and salt if you think you need some, but you probably won’t.

Scoop the risotto onto the plate, top with some of those roasted scallions, and serve. I recommend that you also suggest to your dinner guests that a round of golf claps are in order for making a successful batch of risotto. Enjoy!

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…30-35 min

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