The Risotto That Goes: 'Maa Maa'

I was feeling quite uninspired for dinner tonight, and I had some goat cheese (chevre) I needed to use up. Thanks to the lovely Bev on Nigella.com, I got inspiration to make a lovely dish -- Chevre Risotto.

I made a variation of the recipe Bev posted (see below) by just doing a standard risotto. I used vegetable stock and sauteéd the rice in onion and garlic. At the end, I added some rosemary, butter and parmesan. After the risotto settled for a bit in the pan, I dotted the top with goat cheese.

I love goat cheese and I love risotto, so I am not sure why I didn't think of this combination before. The cheese is tangy and sharp against the almost-sweetness of the risotto rice. Perfect combo. YUM! Feel free to do my recipe, or the full recipe that Bev gave me. Thanks Bev!!

Goats' Cheese and Herb Risotto
by Visen Anenden
from Good Food Live

Servings: 2
Level of difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
5 tbsp Olive oil
1 banana shallot, finely diced
150g Arborio rice
0.5 clove Garlic, crushed
100ml White wine
900ml chicken stock, hot
3 tbsp Goat's cheese, soft
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
1 tomato, skinned, deseeded and chopped
1 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
1 tbsp Mascarpone
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Method
1. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan, add the shallot and gently fry without browning, for one to two minutes.

2. Add the rice and stir until the grains become shiny and coated with oil. Add the garlic but do not allow to brown.

3. Add the wine and allow the alcohol to burn off, stirring with a spoon, for about one minute. Add a ladle of hot stock at a time, stirring continuously.

4. Wait until the stock is fully absorbed by the rice before adding the next ladle-full. Continue this procedure until the rice is cooked. This will probably take about 20 minutes.

5. Once the rice is cooked take it off the heat and add the goats’ cheese and vinegar.

6. Stir in the herbs, tomato, butter, mascarpone and Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.