Citrus Rice Dream

Hello my little blogaboos, we have contact! Luckily for my future furry mittens the water didn't affect my laptop too badly. Still haven't found the jumpdrive so we have no photos but at least I can post this now....enjoy. UPDATE 2-21-07 photos added

While my buddy E was visiting over my xmas break we mainly stuffed ourselves silly and then passed out on the couch with cats draped over us. The night he arrived we had a fantastic bolet fondue at Au Vieux Carouge and could barely squeeze out of the tiny jam packed restaurant to roll home. That weekend we also managed to fit in a rosti brunch and a whole lot of snacking. By far the most surprising dish we had was the grapefruit risotto. Wha?! Yep, citrusy goodness nestled in a creamy cheesy rice dream.



I saw the recipe over on The Perfect Pantry and I thought to myself 'Self, we NEED to try this', for the novelty if nothing else. I admit, I have never made risotto and the cute little old lady I bought my parmigianno-reggiano from gave me a brief rundown. E played sous-chef and did a mighty fine job with the cutting of things, while remaining skeptical. To appease him I promised pizzas if it all went awry. But Dominos was denied this time. The risotto was absolutely fantastic. I don't usually like to brag about my cooking but this easily rivaled the risottos I've had in restaurants thus far (ooh, except for the one served IN the wheel of cheese, that was delicioius!) so we'll credit it to the recipe. And E (thanks for the french olive oil!)

The recipe makes a HUGE amount (double dinner size servings for 4, easily) and although we were stuffed til bursting we managed to reheat some while digesting and watching the simpsons later that evening. It seems to be a bit addictive. The grapefruit appears to replace the traditional white wine very well. It is a bit acidic and not sweet or 'fruity' tasting, in fact there wasn't even much in the way of recognizable 'citrus' flavor. And who can resist leeks? My rice was missing the distinctive 'crunchiness' that the Italian risottos normally have but we didn't miss it too much. Here is the recipe from The Perfect Pantry. Buon Appetito!



RISOTTO AI POMPELMO (Risotto with grapefruit)
Lydia says "Sounds weird, I know, but this is truly delicious. As always with risotti, make sure each individual ingredient is the best you can find. Adapted from Risotto, by Judith Barrett. Serves 4 as a first course."

7 cups chicken or vegetable stock, homemade or low-sodium storebought
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small leek, white part only, finely chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp finely chopped celery
2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1-1/3 cups grapefruit juice, warmed (juice of 1 whole grapefruit)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1-1/2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
8 grapefruit sections, diced

Bring broth to a steady simmer. Warm grapefruit juice in the microwave. In a heavy casserole, heat butter and oil over moderate heat. Add leek and celery, and sauté 1-2 minutes, until the leek begins to soften but not brown. Add rice and stir, using a wooden spoon, for a minute to coat all the grains with the oil. Add the grapefruit juice and stir until completely absorbed. Begin to add the simmering broth, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving 1/4 cup to add at the end. After approximately 18 minutes, when the rice is tender but still firm, add reserved broth. Turn off the heat and immediately add remaining butter, cheese and parsley, and stir vigorously to combine with the rice. Serve immediately, garnished with diced grapefruit.