Cauliflower risotto

Cauliflower risotto

Try this unusual risotto that’s healthy and delicious. Parmesan really brings out the flavour of the cauliflower giving a rich and creamy dinner. You can easily make this dish vegetarian by leaving out the bacon too.

---

serves: 6

ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable stock

• 2 cups arborio rice

• 1 onion, finely sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 2 cups cauliflower florets

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 rashers bacon, chopped

• 1 cup white wine, optional

• ½ cup finely grated parmesan

• 1 heaped tablespoon butter

• sea salt

• ½ tsp ground white peppercorns

method

1. In a hot pan, fry the chopped bacon until crispy, then remove to drain on paper toweling. Set aside until later.
2. Pour stock into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, keep it on a low heat.
3. In a large heavy-based saucepan, fry garlic and onion in the oil for one minute.
4. Add rice and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add white wine, if using and allow the rice to absorb it all.
5. Add a cup of stock at a time allowing the rice to absorb each cup entirely before adding more, all the while stirring continuously. With the first cup of stock, add the cauliflower.
6. Add each cup of stock until it is finished and be sure to never stop stirring.
7. Once the rice is almost perfectly tender, remove from heat, stir in butter, parmesan, crispy bacon, white pepper and cover.
8. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh parsley.

notes

• I like to use Campbell’s Real Stock, salt-reduced chicken stock when I don’t have time to make stock.
• You can leave the wine out but I find it adds another depth of flavour to the final product. I only add wine when I have leftover in the fridge.
• With any leftover stock, you can pour into ice-cube trays to freeze for later use.
• I prefer to use free-range pork for ethical reasons.
• Use black pepper if you don’t have white pepper, but the lovely whiteness of
• this risotto is so nice, and white pepper isn’t as strong.
• I like to keep whole spices in my cabinet and grind them up in my mortar and pestle as I go along. One of my first memories is of my mum using her ‘molcajete’. (The Mexican word for mortar and pestle).
• This recipe was created by Kristine Duran-Thiessen for Kidspot, Australia’s best recipe finder.