Cauliflower risotto

Serves:

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 3 rashers bacon, chopped
• 1 cup white wine, optional
• half a cup finely grated parmesan
• 1 heaped tablespoon butter
• sea salt
• half a tsp ground white peppercorns

Method

In a hot pan, fry the chopped bacon until crispy, then remove to drain on paper toweling. Set aside until later.

Pour stock into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, keep it on a low heat.

In a large heavy-based saucepan, fry garlic and onion in the oil for one minute.

Add rice and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add white wine, if using and allow the rice to absorb it all.

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.

Add each cup of stock until it is finished and be sure to never stop stirring.

Once the rice is almost perfectly tender, remove from heat, stir in butter, parmesan, crispy bacon, white pepper and cover.

Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh parsley.

Notes

• I like to use Campbells Real Stock, salt-reduced chicken stock when I dont 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 dont have white pepper, but the lovely whiteness of
• this risotto is so nice, and white pepper isnt 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, New Zealands best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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