Goat Cheese Risotto - Chef Recipe by Massimo Speroni

Ingredients

1 brown onion
1 bunch green celery
2 large carrots
1 fennel bulb
360g Vialone Nano rice
80g fresh goat cheese
80g aged La Tur goat cheese
100g butter
100g Parmesan cheese (24 months aged)
12 asparagus stalks
1 Tbs tomato paste
50g bread crumbs
100mL EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
100mL white wine
1/2 bunch parsley
1/4 bunch thyme
1/4 bunch dill
1/4 bunch tarragon

Method

Vegetable Stock:

Wash and peel carrots and onions, chop off celery leaves. Dice vegetables, pour them into a pot filled with cold water, bring to boil and let simmer for 1 hour. Turn the heat off and let rest for 1/2 hour. Strain liquid and put them aside.

Bread Crumbs:

Put 60g of EVOO in a pan, add tomato paste and let cook by stirring continuously. Add bread crumbs, toast them and then to transfer to a tray lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Herbs:

Pick all of herbs leaves and cut them separately, before mixing them all together.

For the asparagus, chop off the root part of the stalk, peel and blanch them in salt water before dunking them to cool with icy water.

Preheat a steel pot, add the rice and stir continuously until the rice grains will be hot. Add white wine and allow it to evaporate. Add hot vegetable stock until it covers the rice, let it simmer and stir continuously while adding stock as it evaporates. Allow at least 12 minutes to cook, take off the heat and add all ingredients: fresh goat cheese, herbs, butter, EVOO, salt and pepper and mix them until they emulsify.

To serve, plate your risotto and sprinkle with the tomato bread crumbs, lay asparagus atop and add a quenelle of "La Tur" goat cheese to finish.

Credits: Chef Recipe by Chef Massimo Speroni