Blue Cheese Risotto with Prosciutto

Risotto is the first dish that my Brazilian friend knows how to cook when she came to Montreal. This is excellent because I love risotto, but never had a chance to make one yet. This dish is straightforward. If she knows how to do it, you can do it also. Weirdly, she puts blue cheese in it. I'm not a big fan of strong cheese, but this makes the risotto very delicious. You can always substitute blue cheese for parmesan for a softer taste. Also, prosciutto can be cooked at the beginning with the onions for crispness or for uncooked prosciutto, add at the end along with the blue cheese.

Serves 4
Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 30 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups arborio rice or carnaroli
3-4 cups beef or vegetable stock
1 medium onion, chopped
200g blue cheese or 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 strips of prosciutto, cut into small pieces

Procedure

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the stock to a simmer.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions (and prosciutto) until golden, about 5 mins. Add rice and stir for 2 mins.

3. Gradually add a ladleful of simmering stock and stir constantly until it is absorbed before adding more. Continue in this manner, until the rice is tender and has a creamy consistency but still retains a bite. It takes about 25 mins. If stock has run out, add water.

4. Turn off and remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese (and prosciutto) and serve immediately.