Lemon risotto with pickled lemon rinds & black pepper #137

Risotto is always a good choice and I really like to serve it on it´s own, you don´t have to serve that much because most risottos are very rich. This one is slightly lighter thanks to the lemon.

Lemon risotto with pickled lemon rinds & black pepper

Italian arborio rice
dry white wine
Parmesan cheese
lemon
shallot onion
garlic
salt, black pepper
sugar
light chicken stock
olive oil
butter

Cut away the rind from the lemon, you´ll need all of the skin and let a little bit of the meat stay attached to the rind. Cut the rind in cubes, bring water to the boil and add the lemon rinds, let simmer for ten minutes. Then discard the water and repeat three times. This will remove most of the bitterness but will still keep a little bit of the lemon flavor. Also the remaining bitterness will give the dish great flavor and a little bit of contrast to the acidity of the lemon juice. Once the rind is cooked bring equal parts water and sugar to the boil and add the rinds together with a few drops of lemon juice. Let simmer for ten minutes and then leave to cool.

Dice garlic and shallots and add to a pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Let the onions cook on low heat for five minutes, then add rice and let cook another five minutes on low heat. Turn up the heat a little bit and add a little bit of white wine and lemon juice and stir gently. Once the lemon and wine is almost gone add chicken stock a little at the time constantly stirring until the rice is almost done. You will want to keep a little bit of bite to it and the rice will keep cooking even after you remove it from the heat so be careful not to overcook it. Once the rice is almost done add a knob of butter and grated Parmesan cheese and a few drops of lemon juice.

Let the risotto rest for a few minutes and then adjust the flavors with salt, pepper, Parmesan and lemon juice if necessary. Plate the risotto and add some extra black pepper, olive oil, Parmesan and the pickled lemon rinds on top. Serve warm.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with parsnips & salami #118

Jerusalem artichokes are in full season and probably the most classic way to serve them is to make a soup, so let´s keep it simple and do just that. If you are serving it as an tapa I recommend serving it in a cup or smaller plate than in my photos.

I used some left over salami that I fried with some parsnips and onion for this recipe but bacon or pork are great as well so feel free to replace the salami with that.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with parsnips & salami

Jerusalem artichokes
cream
water
garlic
butter
shallot onion
white wine
parsnips
salami
chives
olive oil

Peel the artichokes and put in cold water with some lemon juice, this will keep the artichokes from going brown. Chop the garlic and shallots and fry them until soft with the butter, add the artichokes and fry them for a few minutes without browning.

Add salt, pepper and white wine let the wine reduce until half is left and the cover with water and simmer until the artichokes are cooked through. Add some cream and bring to a boil and then blend the soup until completely smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil. Adjust the thickness and creaminess with water and cream if necessary.

Peel and dice the parsnip, dice the salami and slice the chives. Roast the diced parsnip in some butter, remove from heat and combine with the salami and chives. Serve the soup with the parsnip and salami mix and a few drops of olive oil. Good luck.