Lemon Risotto

This recipe came from another of the chefs with Oceania Cruises. It was sent to me from our Travel Agent extradinaire, Silvana Comeau of AAA who planned our Alaskan cruise. She is the BEST Travel Agent I have ever worked with. Give her a call, but I warn you she is super busy because she is so good, so please give her lots of advance time for travel planning. 781-347-4234; scomeau@aaanortheast.com, You will not be disappointed!

Chef Kathryn Kelly of Oceania Cruises.

Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Enrichment, Chef Kathryn Kelly, has an impressive resume both as a Chef and also in her previous decades-long career as an executive in healthcare. Chef Kathryn created the first Cooking School at Sea in 2016. The “Culinary Arts Kitchen and Epicurean Explorer Tours” now offers 6 floating cooking schools at sea; 3 on Oceania and 3 on Regent, both lines are owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. She oversees a staff of 7 chefs and many more sous-chefs and other kitchen helpers.

This recipe for Lemon Risotto is simple, straightforward, really delicious and lemony. I make Risotto often and there is no trick to it, but there are a couple of tips to help get you to the desired consistency. Risotto needs to be creamy, but not soupy. The rice needs to be al dente, but not hard and raw tasting.

First, always first heat the stock you are using before adding to the rice. Only add about 1/4 cup of stock at a time. Stir the rice until most of the liquid evaporates, and then add more. I use my ladle, which is just about 1/4 cup. You do need to stir continuously, but only for 17 to 22 minutes. Another tip is to serve the Risotto right away. It can be reheated next day by adding a bit more warm chicken stock, but the consistency really is best day of cooking.

I only had 2 Tbsp. of lemon zest so decided to add 1 tsp. of Lemongrass paste.

The paste is nice and salty and has a little bite, which I believe added to the overall flavor. I did not use fresh peas, but substituted frozen peas. I could not tell from the photo of her finished dish what she used for garnish. It looked like mint, but I decided on fresh basil.

To begin, finely dice 2 shallots to make about 1 cup of dice. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When the butter is bubbling add the shallots and a big sprig of fresh thyme.

Stir thoroughly to coat the shallots with the butter/oil. Add the wine and simmer until the alcohol evaporates, about 2 minutes. more.

Chef Kathryn calls for a dry Italian white wine, preferably from Northern Italy. I did not have any Italian wine, but did have this lovely bottle from Spain. I am a member of the WSJ Wine club and this is how they describe this wine: “Full-bodied white wine with ripe orchard fruit and subtle floral aromas. The palate offers juicy peach and citrus fruit flavors (I could really taste lemon!), plus a long, smooth finish with a creamy vanilla edge.” I did not get the “vanilla edge”, but loved the wine and it was a perfect match in the Lemon Risotto.

Remove the sprig of thyme and reduce to medium heat. Next add the rice and stir again to thoroughly coat each grain.

WHY USE ARBORIO RICE TO MAKE RISOTTO?

Arborio is a short-grain rice from Italy. It’s named after the town of Arborio, which is in the Piedmont region. Its high in amylopectin starch, which is what gives risotto its creamy deliciousness.

Now you are ready to add your first ladle of stock. Using a wooden spoon stir the rice and add stock, 1/4  cup or 1 ladle at a time,  just as the rice begins to look dry, add more stock. The day before I had made a very rich chicken stock. You can use the stuff in a box, but homemade is so easy and dramatically better.

Jerry helped stir the rice!

Continue stirring constantly until all the stock is absorbed and rice is creamy and al dente. Chef Kathryn recommends 17 minutes; I went to about 21 minutes.

Use a good quality parmesan cheese and grate it yourself. The flavor will be much better than using pre-grated or heaven forbid the powdered stuff.

Finally stir in the cheese, peas and lemon zest. Garnish with preserved lemon and season with salt and white pepper.

I like to turn off the heat, cover and let the risotto sit for about 5 more minutes to bring all the flavors together before serving. Chef Kathryn did not suggest that step, but that is how I always do it.

Garnishing with the preserved lemons gave the entire dish a very distinctive, lemony flavor.

I cut them into fairly small pieces as the flavor is quite strong. They are a bit salty and the preserving heightens the lemon flavor; unique and really delicious. You can preserve your own lemons, but I bought these online. I have preserved lemons in the past so let me know if you want the recipe. It’s not at all difficult, but takes about 4 to 6 weeks.

I am going to post Chef Kathryn’s recipe exactly as it appears on the Oceania website. I have mentioned the tweaks I made. You may come up with some tweaks of your own!

Cooking should be fun, creative and stress-free! Enjoy yourselves in the kitchen!

Print Pin

Lemon Risotto

Creamy, delicious and very lemony. This one-bowl meal is so satisfying. It would also be delicious served with fish, shrimp, chicken or lamb.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Extra-virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Thyme sprig
• 1/2 cup Dry white wine, preferably Northern Italian
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 3 cups Chicken stock, hot I usually heat 4 cups just in case you need it.
• 1 cup Parmesan-Reggiano, shredded
• 1 cup Peas, fresh, blanched
• 3 Tbsp. Lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. Preserved lemon, minced
• Fresh basil for garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

Instructions

• In a large heavy-bottomed rondeau over medium-high heat, warm the butter and oil. Add the shallots and thyme and sweat the shallots until, soft; about 3 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until the alcohol evaporates; about 2 more minutes. Add the rice, stir constantly for about 2 minutes.
• Remove the thyme and decrease the heat to medium. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the stock 1/4 cup at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the stock before adding more. Continue stirring constantly until all the stock is absorbed and rice is creamy and al dente, about 17 minutes. Stir in the cheese, peas and lemon zest. Garnish with the preserved lemon and basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper.