Light Lemon Risotto

These days, in a nice restaurant I had the chance to taste a delicious lemon risotto… in fact I think it was called “creamy lemon rice”. Very inspired combination … a fresh and vibrant flavour, excellent with fish or seafood but I think it pairs well with any kind of meat. So … with that taste still fresh in my mind I tried to make a creamy lemon risotto which I finished with parmesan cheese… The result ? :))… keep reading…

How I made it …

First, I prepared in advance a vegetable soup… Carrots, onions, celery and parsley… peeled, cut in medium dice pieces, covered with water and simmered for 30 minutes… that is how I obtained the liquid for risotto ( But If you have already prepared some vegetable or bone soup or broth feel free to use this liquid for your risotto … if you consider ). For 100 grams of rice you need about 400 - 450 ml of liquid. (If you don’t have this quantity you can complete with hot water…)

Next, the rice… I used arborio rice but you can use any quality risotto rice you like or find easy to buy. Just be careful to use rice for risotto … It has a higher starch content and using the risotto method you will get the desired results … Trying to apply :) the risotto method I started with a small quantity of liquid and the rice… I kept the rest of the hot liquid in a pot nearby. So, I started with the rice and a small quantity of liquid at low heat. I mixed very often and as soon as the liquid was incorporated I added more with a ladle and continued mixing until the it was absorbed. I continued this way adding small quantities of hot liquid until the risotto was soft and creamy. It took about 35 minutes since the moment it started simmering. It is important to add gradually small quantities of hot liquid and because you control better the texture and thickness. In the last 10 minutes of cooking I added the lemon zest and the lemon juice and with about 5 minutes before turning of the heat I added the olive oil and the parmesan… It became even creamier and shiny :)