Cauliflower risotto with Pangratto

My friend Thea, for whom I started this blog, is kindly providing this guest blog post in my absence. As a serious foody she’s also well associated with Slow Food Edmonton, and recently held the Grilled Cheese Olympics!

Thea says…

Until I made this recipe, cauliflower was like a romantic comedy – calming and sweet, perfect for a quiet Tuesday night. This dish, however, is Friday-night-cauliflower. It has a hot date with some tasty crunchiness named pangratto. It’s adapted from Jamie’s Italy.

You will need

Risotto

• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 300g Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 750 ml chicken or vegetable stock, plus more
• 1 small head cauliflower, chopped into 1cm bits, stalk and all (keep stalks separate)
• 1/3 cup cream, optional (you could use a knob of butter)
• Pepper, and salt
• Finely grated parmesan cheese

Pangratto

• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon really hot chile oil (or olive oil and some minced fresh hot chile)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon small capers, rinsed and dried.
• Good pinch flakey salt

A handful parsley, very finely chopped and dried in a towel.

To make pangratto:

Make the breadcrumb mix before or during risotto (during only if you are a multi-tasker). Toss all the ingredients in a small pan, toss or stir until the mix is turning dark golden. Set aside.

To make risotto:

Heat oil on medium in a large frypan and add onion. Add a large splash of water, and cover. Leave for 10 minutes. Remove lid and stir until onion is translucent. Add garlic, cauliflower stalk and rice, and stir til rice is translucent. Add wine first then stock in small quantities, stirring constantly. When the rice is half cooked, add the rest of the cauliflower. When the rice is al dente, season with salt (under-salt it) and pepper to taste. Grate in cheese, then add the cream and maybe extra stock so that the risotto comes off the spoon “like a wave”.

Serve topped liberally with pangratto and parsley.

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