Here’s Yotam’s. Your version, with RED sprouts, will look even more lovely
This week the bags from Medium size and up are getting a special something: red Brussels Sprouts! That certainly calls for a sprouts recipe, so here’s one from Ottolenghi – a risotto that he says wins over sproutosceptics. He uses the usual green sprouts, so for once you can be assured that your version will look even more beautiful than Yotam’s. It’s not often we home cooks can say that, is it?
30g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp picked thyme leaves
2 lemons, 1 shaved into long strips of zest and 1 finely grated
300g risotto rice
500g trimmed brussels sprouts, 200g shredded and 300g quartered
200ml dry white wine
900ml vegetable stock
Salt and black pepper
About 400ml sunflower oil
40g parmesan, roughly grated
60g dolcelatte, broken up into roughly 2cm chunks
10g tarragon, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
Put the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and the butter melted, add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly caramelised. Add the garlic, thyme and lemon strips, and cook for two minutes more. Add the rice and shredded sprouts, and cook for a minute, stirring frequently. Pour over the wine and let it simmer for a minute before you start adding the stock, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and carry on adding the stock ladle by ladle, stirring often, until the rice is cooked but still retains a bite, and all the stock is used up – about 15-20 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, pour the sunflower oil into a second large saucepan; it should come 2cm up the sides. Place on a high heat and, once very hot, use a slotted spoon to add a handful of the quartered sprouts, making sure they are completely dry first; they will still splutter, so be careful. Fry for less than a minute, until golden and crisp, then transfer to plate lined with kitchen paper. Keep warm while you fry the remaining sprouts.
Add the parmesan, dolcelatte, tarragon and half the fried sprouts to the risotto and stir gently. Serve at once, spooning on the remaining sprouts and topping with the grated lemon zest and a dribble of juice.
Recipe and photo from The Guardian