3 cheese risotto with crispy leeks

Difficulty: 2/5

Risotto is my favourite comfort food. If you’ve never cooked risotto before, then this is the perfect recipe to start with. I used Mozzarella, Gruyère and Parmesan cheese; which really are my favourite cooking cheeses. If you like blue cheese or other strong cheeses, I recommend that you crumble them on top instead of adding them into the risotto as it can be a bit overwhelming. On top of this risotto I put crispy leeks, which are not only really easy to make, but they are also really tasty. I like to put it on my salads and fish also.

Portions: 4

Ingredients:
For the crispy leeks:
– 1/2 leek stalk (white part only)
– 1 tsp vegetable oil
– Salt and pepper to taste
– Pinch of paprika and ground mustard
– Couple pinches of flour, enough to coat

For the stock:
– 100g onion
– 100g celery
– 100g carrot
– 1 bayleaf
– 3L water

For the risotto:
– 20ml olive oil
– 100g onion
– 500g arborio rice
– 100ml white wine
– Stock from above
– 100g freshly grated Mozzarella
– 100g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
– 100g freshly grated Gruyère cheese
– Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Start with the vegetables for the stock. Wash them and peel the carrot and the onion. Cut them medium to small size, it doesn’t have to be completely regular. Put them in the water with a bayleaf and let it come to a simmer and then leave it for 30min. Then pass it through a colander and keep the stock.
2. While that’s simmering, you can do the crispy leeks. Cut the leak stalk in half and then that in half again and 2 of those is enough for 4 people. Separate the individual layers and cut one by one (otherwise they stick) into fine strips. Don’t use the deeper, thicker layers.
3. Coat the strips in oil and then add the rest of the ingredients. They go into the oven in an oven-safe plate or tray at 180C for about 30-40min. Every 10min give them a stir to make sure they’re not sticking. Once they are done, you can leave them to cool to room temperature or store them in a container for future use.
4. For the risotto, cut the onion really thinly. I recommend that you watch the video to see how it’s done tear-free. Cook it on a bit of olive oil until it becomes really translucent. It’s important to really cook the onion through to remove that strong onion taste. When you hear that someone has a hard time digesting onion, it’s only because it’s not properly cooked; once you add any source of water, they stop cooking.
5. Add the rice and make sure it’s throughly coated in the oil and onions. Then add the wine and let it evaporate completely.
6. Risotto is cooked by adding stock little by little and letting it evaporate until the rice becomes al dente (like pasta, not mushy like mashed potatoes). Sadly, the only way to know that it’s cooked is to taste it, so you’re going to have to eat some raw rice on the way there. If at any point you run out of stock, just add water, since the vegetable flavour is already in there.
7. Once you feel that it’s only a couple minutes away form being ready, add the cheese and let it melt. Since the cheese has salt in it, taste it first and then adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve hot with the crispy leeks (that can be at room temperature) on top.

I hope you like this risotto recipe, I personally die for it. If you make it send me a picture via social networks and comment below if you want me to teach you something in particular next time.