Courtesy of Niche
September/October 2009
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 cups Carolina Gold Rice (available from Anson Mills, ansonmills.com)
- 1 gallon water, nearly boiling
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
- 2 tablespoons mascarpone
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 pound ramp tops, cleaned and blanched
- 1/4 cup cream, slightly warmed
- 30 radishes, well-cleaned
- 30 baby carrots, peeled and cleaned
- 30 sunchokes, peeled and cleaned
- Good-quality olive oil to finish
In a sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil. Add radishes and toss in pan. Place pan in a 400-degree oven until radishes are bite-tender. Upon removing, season with salt.
Repeat this step with carrots and sunchokes.
In a blender, combine blanched ramp tops and warm cream, and purée until smooth.
In a wide-surfaced, heavy-based pot, add oil and turn heat to medium. Add onions and garlic to pot, and cook until onions are translucent (do not allow to brown). Add rice and cook for 2 minutes. Raise heat to high and add white wine. Allow rice to absorb wine, and then cover with hot water. Simmer water for 3 minutes before stirring. On low simmer, cook rice while continuing to add just enough water to cover.
Continually taste so that you know when rice is properly cooked through. Rice is ready when it has a “bite” but does not leave grit in your mouth. At this point, add puréed ramps, mascarpone, and Parmesan cheese. Cook until risotto is a loose, creamy consistency, and season with salt to taste. If risotto is too thick, just add a little more water to thin it out.
After plating risotto, drizzle it with a very good olive oil.
