I’ve said it many times before and I will continue to say it. I will marry the first girl who makes me a wonderful risotto.

Risotto is kind of my favorite thing. Or, at least, one of them. My last meal would be risotto and rack of lamb. It’s just so good. If you’ve never eaten it, or if you’ve never made it, today’s your lucky day cause we’re making it!

Risotto is easy. It’s delicious. It’s luxurious. It’s impressive (cause people don’t realize how easy it is). It’s meaningful, because it takes a bit of commitment to make. And it’s incredibly versatile. Once you know how to make risotto, you can play with all kinds of flavor variations.

So here are a few notes on risotto, particularly this recipe:

Use real butter. For the love of all things holy, use real butter. Unsalted butter.
Use real parmesan. If it comes in a jar, it doesn’t count. Buy yourself a nice block of parmesan and grate that shit yourself with a microplane. It will completely change how you use parmesan. Freshly grated parmesan gives you a nice, smooth, velvety, melty risotto. Jarred parmesan gives you gritty, pasty, salty risotto. End mini-rant.
Use shallots. You can use onion if you want to be that way, but shallots are really the way to go. They give nice background flavor and are just all around excellent to use in the kitchen.
If you have a favorite brand of prosciutto, use that. If not, simply go to the deli counter at your local grocery and ask them to slice you up some prosciutto at their thinnest setting.
Be patient. This is going to take a little time and a little preparation, but trust me, it’s worth it.
Taste, taste, taste as you go. This helps with getting just the right amount of seasoning, and is the best way to tell if your rice is done.
Your rice should still be a little chewy when done. It should have texture, in the same way pasta can be al dente, so can rice. This rice, especially, should be that way.
I used goat cheese in this recipe because Erin loves goat cheese.
I garnished my dish with some microgreens for aesthetics, just cause I had them laying around. Totally not necessary.

So, without further ado, let’s cook some risotto together. To me, risotto is a very personal thing to make for someone else, so love someone with your risotto. Get creative with it. You’ll fall in love with it, I promise.

Thanks for reading, you'll find the recipe below.
Daniel

Prosciutto, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Risotto
Serves 6

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
6 cups chicken stock
Olive oil, as needed
½ cup shallots, finely chopped
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried rosemary
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. black pepper
7 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
6 tbsp. butter, cubed
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
Salt
2 large handfuls fresh spinach
3 oz. prosciutto, torn into bite sized pieces
2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 oz. herbed goat cheese

Directions

Combine cream and stock in a pot on the stove and warm until starting to steam. Do not simmer.
Over medium-high heat, in a large pan with olive oil, sauté shallots with dried herbs and pepper for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 min. Add the rice and toast in the pan, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
Add the white wine and stir so that the rice absorbs the wine evenly. Once the rice has absorbed the wine, add a ladle of the stock mixture and continue to stir as the rice absorbs evenly. Repeat this process, stirring constantly, until all of the stock has been added and the rice is tender (but not mushy), about 45 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add butter and parmesan. Cover, and let stand for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and stir until butter and parmesan are melted and the risotto is creamy. Season with salt. Add spinach, prosciutto, tomatoes, and goat cheese, folding into the risotto until the spinach has wilted. Check seasonings and serve immediately.