Heavenly Artichoke Risotto
By: Ashley & Jason ...
Published: Friday, February 26, 2010 - 1:51am

Ingredients




4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
8 fresh artichoke
5 cups or so fresh vegetable stock
3/4 cup dry white wine
cup scant 2  risotto rice - Arborio or Carnaroli are best
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1 Start by cleaning your artichokes (click here for help) and soaking them in lemon water. 2 Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion & garlic and cook for 10 minutes or so over med-low heat with out browning. 3 Chop up your artichokes and saute them slowly until tender - so you could mush with a fork. 4 Add a couple of spoonfuls of vegetable stock to help the process along and keep from browning the 'chokes. 5 Now raise the heat, add the rice and saute for a minute or two. Add in the wine and let it cook out a bit. 6 Season with salt and pepper. 7 Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in another pan. 8 Add a ladle-full of the hot stock and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed into the rice. 9 Continue adding the stock, a ladle-full at a time, constantly stirring until each addition has been absorbed. This will take 18-20 minutes. 10 When the rice is al'dente, turn off the heat, add in a handful or two of graded cheese and give the rice one more stir, check seasoning. Rice should be thick & creamy but not runny. Cover the pot and allow the rice to sit for a couple of minutes. 11 To serve, spoon the rice into the bowls and sprinkle with parmesan, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately. 12 Buy a couple of extra chokes’ and You can top the dish with a couple of the hearts steamed or boiled separately. 13 Now MANGIA!! Serve immediately.

About


Overflowing crates of artichokes fill the market streets in Central Italy - a sure sign that Spring is on its way! So what to do with these edible flowers - try one of my favs - artichoke risotto. We love to serve this for Easter feasts as well! If artichokes seem a bit overwhelming & you wonder where to begin?! Look no further: The Art of the 'Choke (Cleaning Artichokes) http://latavolamarche.blogspot.com/2009/05/art-of-choke-how-to-clean-artichoke.html
This recipe takes about an hour total time & yes - you've gotta stir the risotto constantly. It's a labor of love & your work won't go unnoticed (hence the clean bowls!) You'll find some recipes with short-cuts however to really get the creamy chewy consistency you must work the starch from the rice & that means good old fashion elbow-grease!