Green Risotto with clams and lemon

Here it is another risotto recipe that I love: I made it the first time with my brother Francesco during Christmas holidays and the whole family liked it very much. So here I am making it again today. This recipe combines such good ingredients, each of them full of precious nutritional benefits: broccoli, lemon, clams and parmigiano reggiano, one Italian cheese I cannot leave without… ! I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I did and if you have any questions, I will be happy to come back to you.

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1

Let’s clean the broccoli and cut it in small pieces. Cook it in a pot with water and a pinch of salt. Once ready save part of the cooking water and leave it in the pot. In a mixer add the broccoli, part of the water and blend until you achieve a juicy consistency. Put it aside.

Cut the butter in small cubes and put it in the fridge. It has to be cold when you add it to the rice.

Grate the parmigiano reggiano.

Peel the onion and cut it in thin slices.

STEP 2

Wash the clams very well.

In a large pan, add the olive oil and the peeled garlic, put in on medium/high heat for a couple of minutes. Add the clams, the white wine, some parsley, turn the heat on high and wait until they open up. Stir from time to time. When ready, put them aside. Filter the water and put it into a glass/bowl.

STEP 3

Take a large pot. Add the extra virgin olive oil and the onion. Put the pot over low heat. When the onion becomes translucent, add the rice and turn the heat on medium. Let the rice toast for a couple of minutes while stirring it constantly.

Add the white wine. Once evaporated, add part of the cooking water. The cooking water has to cover the rice – no need to add more.

Turn the heat on low. Add some filtered water from the clams. Taste it to see if you need more. Be careful when you add it, as clams can be very salty.

STEP 4

Cooking a risotto requires some patience and time. You need to stir it from time to time, very gently, and check that it does not stick to the pot.

Start adding the broccoli juice little by little until the rice is cooked the way you like it. I can’t tell you how much juice you will need, you just need to befriend your rice and get to taste it until it is ready.

It has not to get too sticky or too liquid, the right consistency is creamy or as we say it in Italian “all’onda”. “All’onda” means that you can create waves with the risotto when you stir it in the pot.

STEP 4

When the risotto is ready, turn the heat off.

Now you are ready for the renown “mantecatura” !

The “mantecatura” consists in adding the parmigiano reggiano and the cold butter little by little. Mix until completely melted and blended with the rice.

Dispose the risotto in the dishes, grate the zest of one lemon and to finish, add the clams on top.

Buon appetito !