Gary Rhodes - Potato, Scallion, And Mozzarella Risotto

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/4 cups arborio rice
• 2 bunches scallions (green onions)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 1/4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 large potatoes, cut in 1/4 inch dice
• 1 1/3 cups mashed potatoes
• 2 -3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 -2 cup coarsely grated mozzarella cheese (1/4 cup per portion)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• virgin olive oil, to serve

Recipe

• 1 shred the scallions finely, separating the from the green.
• 2 blanch the green scallion in boiling water until tender, then strain.
• 3 melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped onion with the shredded whites of scallion.
• 4 cook without letting them brown for a few minutes until softened.
• 5 add the rice and continue to cook for a few minutes.
• 6 while the onions and rice are cooking, heat the stock.
• 7 add the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring the rice continuously.
• 8 once the rice has absorbed the stock, add another ladleful and continue to cook and stir; repeat until the rice is tender.
• 9 this process will take 20-30 minutes.
• 10 while the rice is cooking, boil the diced potatoes until tender.
• 11 to finish the risotto add the mashed potatoes and parmesan, if using, to lift all the flavors, with the diced potatoes and greens of scallions.
• 12 check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste; add a little more stock, if necessary, to give a looser, creamier consistency.
• 13 add the mozzarella and let it melt into the risotto or - as i like to do - serve the risotto in bowls and sprinkle the mozzarella on top.
• 14 put the bowls under the broiler to melt the cheese for a few seconds.
• 15 now just drizzle with olive oil and serve.
• 16 note: you could add half the mozzarella to the risotto and use the remainder to sprinkle over the top.
• 17 you can also add an extra 2 - 4 tablespoons butter to enrich the dish.